Opinions on the MA in Radio and Television Production

el247

Hi there,

I'm interested in the MA in Radio and Television Production and was wondering what people make of it. I know it's a new course but some insight into the media department would even be helpful. What are the lecturers like? What size is the department? Is it a practical or theoretical course?

Thanks:)

Blue_Light

Hi!

I did the M.A. in NUIM. All I can say and to sum it up very easily....staaaaay away.

This is all my opinion and of course you can take it with a pinch of salt, but I feel the course itself is absolute rubbish and at the end of the year, only one person in my class would defend it.

The course is new and feels completely thrown together. There were lecturers in there who'd never taught before and trust me it showed. They hadn't a clue what to show us and usually just rambled on about themselves for most of the time before setting assignments that generally had nothing to do with anything that the module was supposed to be about.

The course doesn't seem to know what it's about. All of the course is theoretical, but then you're expected to hand in finished projects that are graded in part based on the technical. And trust me, the more technical you can be, the easier it is to find work.

Like say for radio and television, we'd listen for weeks and weeks about what makes a good radio or television doc from our lecturer (which you have to remember, is only his opinion) and then just be sent away to come back with a project based on it...after just being shown how to turn the camera on! I remember I asked what the flashing ND was on the digital display of a camera (a basic Neutral Density filter that EVERYONE who uses a camera will use quite regularly when shooting in sunshine) and I was just bawled out of it, saying I must have taken the auto settings off. Anyone who I've ever spoken to since (and I work in the industry so it's on a regular basis) drop their jaws to the floor when I tell them that story.

We had to try schedule a meeting with the head of the department to explain to them that when they accept people into the course who have openly said they haven't worked with any editing software or cameras before, that the department has a responsibility to show them how to use that equipment. Begrudgingly we had a few thrown together classes, but I know everyone ended up being heavily dependent on others who'd used the equipment before.

The main problem is that while the lecturers are people who been quite accomplished in the industry, they're fairly out of the loop. All of them went through the RTE training system easily 30 years ago, so they don't have their fingers on the pulse of any new or emerging or slightly different sections of the industry.

I don't know, I just personally feel that the course throws you out very very unprepared for what it's like to work in the industry. I've been working in it for a few years and I find it very tough up against people who've done other courses. Going in to my first studio show, I didn't even know what a gallery was! I'm the only person out of the year who's working in television or radio now, the others couldn't get a look in the door. For the price you pay, it really isn't worth it and I don't know how they can justify it. For example, the multimedia one in DCU, where you get much better equipment, facilities and advice is something like 1,500 compared to the 7,500 in Maynooth!

Everything I've said above is opinion and maybe the course is perfect for you, but I will say, I only know one person of my year who has anything good to say about it. I'd honestly say look to somewhere with a more experienced and together media department. Maynooth itself is brilliant though!

xxshebeexx

I'd have to agree with what Blue_Light said above. I'm doing the BA Media Studies, not MA, but it's the same department with the same lecturers, equipment and hassle. To be fair, the lecturers are good at their subjects, but often don't explain things very well and they often don't communicate that well with the students - they're more academics than teachers. A couple of the final year BA classes are the exact same as the MA ones - we're even in the same classroom for them, e.g. policy in the first semester and law in the second. As for the technical side of things - like Blue_Light said, you're handed a camera, shown how to turn it on and have to make pieces that you're graded on technically. As for the equipment itself - access can be an issue from time to time, with opening hours, unhelpful Kairos staff and few resources shared by many, plus some of it is pretty old and abused.

All in all, Maynooth is a great university and I found the BA Media degree to be somewhat interesting but not very helpful. You're definitely not going to get any technical expertise out of the course and I definitely wouldn't recommend paying such high fees for a course with such bad equipment and lack of technical training.

el247

Thank you both so much for your responses! I feared that might be the case with such a new course. The description looks good but you really never know until you talk to the people on the ground. Thank you, it's really helped me make my mind up.

mitsybaby

I just wanted to say thanks for this as well... I'm currently in BCFE doing a HND in Radio and I plan to do a degree in Media production there as well but was looking at MA options! it's a shame because I live in Maynooth!

Secondhanddress

Hey I'm wondering if anything has changed since this thread was originally posted? I met a rep at a postgrad fair who assured me that things had been revamped? Yay/nay?