Multimedia Communication & Publishing

In the Political Communication Editorial Team, you will learn how information and messages are strategically communicated within society. You understand how to communicate effectively with different target groups – whether working for NGO’s, non-profit organisations, as a self-employed communications professional, or for public authorities and political actors. 

In the Journalism Editorial Team, you will learn collaboratively how research works, discuss content and design its multimedia distribution. You will develop the ability to present content in a critically reflective manner and to present complex topics in an understandable way.

This degree programme has a teaching partnership with the renowned Journalism Seminar at the University of Mainz.

An overview of all study modules can be found in the module plan:

In this module group, you will work as an editorial team of around ten students over a period of two semesters (consecutive first and second semesters). You will organise yourselves and your teams independently, producing content and formats individually or in small groups. You will receive support through lectures, input and group discussions with lecturers and experts.

You can choose from the following specialisations:

• Political Communication
• Journalism

In this module group you can take compulsory and optional courses on the following topics:

• Lateral Leadership

• Psychological Foundations of Communication

• Public Relations – History & Reflection

• Introduction to Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

• Content Management Systems – Design and Implementation

• Digital Storytelling

• Economics and Business Literacy

• Entrepreneurship in the Media World

• Theories and Methods of Media Research

In this module group, you will complete optional courses totalling 10 ECTS credits. These can be

taken at the HKB, other departments of the BFH or other colleges and universities. These optional courses include:

– Audio/Video
– Podcast
– Photography
– Postproduction

In addition to the optional courses at the HKB, there are also collaborations with Reporterfabrik and the Journalism Seminar at the University of Mainz.

Your Master’s thesis is a research-oriented topic. You will present and discuss it at the end of the third semester.

Admission to the degree programme requires proven competence and professional experience in at least one communication medium (language, image, audio, ...) as well as skills in working across multimedia interfaces.

German at native-speaker level (at least C1) is a requirement for admission to the programme.

A distinctive and beneficial feature of the Master’s programme in Multimedia Communication & Publishing is that applicants with very different entry-level skills are accepted, which means that individual students can benefit greatly from each other through peer-to-peer learning during their studies. However, this requires that students have different strengths, but at a comparable level. Therefore, an aptitude assessment is mandatory.

The portfolio should demonstrate your professional, technical, creative and scientific strengths. What exactly do we expect in addition to the standard documents?

Letter of Motivation

We would like to get an idea of who you are, what skills you bring, and what motivates you to choose this Master’s degree programme.

Work Samples

• You should demonstrate at least one area of media expression. For example, do you write journalistically, creatively, or more academically?

• If you have a design background, please include work samples (photographs, collages, illustrations, etc)

• Perhaps you are a speaker or musician – demonstrate your skills with audio files.

• Filmmakers and actors should include audiovisual files in their portfolio (external links are

  acceptable)

The degree programme focuses on the quality of a diverse group of students with diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, portfolios may be structured in very different ways. We do not assess your personal skill profile against a standardised expectation. Our students are not meant to be identical but should be comparably strong. In the aptitude assessment, we also aim to get a sense of your social skills.

In a personal interview, the full jury will carry out an in-depth review of the skills and expertise demonstrated in your portfolio and discuss your chosen subject area. This may already be adjusted for the first time. The interviews are designed to assess your social skills as well. After the interview, the voting members of the jury will decide on your admission.

Q: Do I need to know German to be able to start the programme?
A: A high level of German is required for this programme, as the language is our primary medium, and writing texts suitable for publication depends on this proficiency.

Q: How much can I work alongside my studies?
A: Compulsory modules are taught in person on Thursdays, Fridays and sometimes on Saturdays. You will organise your own self-study, both individually and in groups. Full-time students have in- person classes every week during the semester, while part-time students also have weeks without scheduled classes, depending on how you structure your studies. Part-time and full-time students usually work alongside their studies. We recommend that you do not take on more than a 60% workload so that you can devote sufficient energy to your studies.

Q: When do I take which module?
A: Our experience shows that the module Editing I and Editing II should be taken in the first and second semesters. These modules must also be taken consecutively, because editorial teams work together for a year and then publish their work. You are free to plan when you take the other modules. However, please consider the consecutive nature of the content and the fact that each module is offered in either the autumn or spring semester.

Q: Can I study abroad for a semester?
A: Basically, yes. The third semester is recommended. Please allow us to advise you further. We are currently working with various universities to establish partnerships specifically for this degree programme.

Q: Can I also attend courses from other degree programmes at the HKB?
A: There are several courses (known as GK courses) that can be attended by all students in the Design and Art department. They usually take place on Wednesdays. The ECTS credits go towards the optional ECTS of your degree programme.

Q: Do I already need to know the topic of my Master’s thesis when I start my studies?
A: No, you don’t have to. You will have the opportunity to explore your topic in the Research Methods I and II modules, coached by experts.