Media studies bachelor while you keep working
In hardly any subject is the question of level as justified as here. In creative roles the portfolio often counts for more than the degree. This page tells you where the bachelor still makes the difference.
When the bachelor is the right level
And when three to six years are better spent on work.
The uncomfortable truth first: in creative and production roles the work shown usually decides before anything else. Whoever fills a post in editing or editorial looks at the reel, the portfolio or the writing samples, and only then at the CV. A bachelor earned during that time makes no difference there, a strong portfolio does. What the subject covers and how it differs from design and communications is set out on the subject page media studies by distance learning.
The bachelor does make the difference in four places you can name:
- In the public sector and in large organisations, where pay grades and job adverts are tied to formal degrees.
- In the move from production into steering, meaning project leadership, channel responsibility, media management.
- For master admission, where without a first degree only narrow exceptions apply, see master without bachelor.
- For applications abroad, where German vocational qualifications are hard to place.
If none of those four applies and you want to stay in production, a targeted certificate course plus consistent portfolio work is the faster route. The general trade-off is set out under continuing education or a degree.
How you get into this level
And the one detail that costs many applicants a semester.
A bachelor requires a university entrance qualification, and in this industry it usually comes through work. A completed apprenticeship plus a few years of practice opens access to a subject-related degree, the three formal routes are set out under studying without Abitur. A Medienfachwirt or comparable advanced vocational qualification additionally brings general university access in most federal states, see advanced vocational qualifications and credit.
The detail that sets this subject apart: the more design-oriented a programme is, the more likely it asks for a work sample. With broadly designed media programmes that is the exception, with design-heavy ones the rule, and it is rarely stated prominently on the programme page. Ask before you apply, otherwise you are planning around a deadline you do not know about. What else belongs in the application is set out under applying for a distance degree.
How long it actually takes
What matters here is less the average than the distribution across the year.
A bachelor comprises 180 ECTS, in some programmes 210. The duration is that figure divided by your semester load, and alongside a full-time job that realistically sits at 10 to 15 ECTS, see ECTS per semester. Media work comes in waves, so an uneven distribution often works better here than a constant pace.
The arithmetic with prior learning: credit 45 ECTS for a regulated media apprenticeship and relevant years of practice and 135 remain. At 15 ECTS per semester that is nine semesters, so four and a half years instead of six. For learning acquired outside higher education a cap of 50 percent of the ECTS usually applies.
Clarify the credit first, choose the university second, because with identical paperwork the gap between providers is easily two semesters. The procedure is explained under credit transfer, and providers are documented at Hochschulnavigator.
The levels in media side by side
Four routes, four purposes, and only one matches your starting point.
| Level | Volume | Part-time duration | Access | Purpose in media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | usually 5 to 30 ECTS | a few months to 2 semesters | often without a formal degree | adding one tool or method, extending the portfolio |
| Bachelor | 180 ECTS, some 210 | 8 to 12 semesters | Abitur or vocationally qualified | formal credential, move from production into steering |
| Master | 60 to 120 ECTS | 4 to 6 semesters | first higher education degree | leadership, strategy, teaching, access to a doctorate |
| MBA | 60 to 120 ECTS | 4 to 6 semesters | degree plus several years of practice | general management, for instance agency or company leadership |
Typical ranges, not commitments by individual universities. The programme regulations are the binding source. More under bachelor while working and media studies as a master.
What the bachelor opens, and what it does not
Honestly both, and the second half is rarely said out loud.
The bachelor mainly opens the steering roles: project leadership, channel and communications responsibility, media management, positions in organisations with formal requirements. It also opens the master and everything attached to it, and it makes your qualification legible internationally. For a switch from another field it is the usual route, see career change through a degree.
It does not open an editorial or production post against a weak portfolio, and it replaces neither a traineeship nor newsroom practice if journalism is your goal. On pay the usual applies: anyone doing the same work after the degree earns the same, see salary after your degree. Anyone who keeps producing work during the programme ends up with both, and that is the position you can choose freely from. Which route carries your case is something I clarify with you in the initial consultation.
Media studies bachelor part-time
The questions that come up in almost every first conversation.
In media roles, does the portfolio or the degree count?
In creative and production roles the portfolio comes first. Whoever hires looks at the work shown before they look at the CV. The degree decides where applications are pre-sorted formally: the public sector, large organisations, master admission and applications abroad. Having both is the strongest combination.
Is a bachelor worth it after ten years in the industry?
If you want to stay in production, rarely. If you want to move into steering, often yes, because project leadership and media management are tied to a formal degree in many organisations. Ten years of practice are also a strong argument in credit transfer, so the shortening tends to be substantial.
Do I need a portfolio for the application?
For most media programmes, no. The more design-oriented a programme is, the more likely a work sample is required. That is rarely stated prominently on the programme page, so ask before applying and plan for the deadline.
How long does the bachelor take around production peaks?
Without credit, 180 ECTS at 15 points per semester means twelve semesters. Credit 45 points and nine semesters remain, so four and a half years. What matters more than the average is the distribution: if your year is built from project peaks, plan two quiet semesters with a high load and two with a low one.
Which roles does the bachelor actually open?
Most clearly the steering roles: project leadership, channel and communications responsibility, media management, and positions in organisations with formal requirements. In editorial and production work it opens less than a strong work sample, where it is more the door opener for a later move into responsibility.
Which level carries your case
Admission, credit and a matching programme, clarified in one conversation.
The information on this page is general in nature and based on my advisory practice (last updated 31.07.2026). It does not replace an official credit transfer or recognition decision by the respective university and is not legal advice. Specific decisions are made by universities, the ZAB (Germany), the BMBWF (Austria), or the SBFI (Switzerland). I clarify binding next steps with you in the initial consultation.