Teaching-oriented university-industry collaboration, co-production and graduate employability in Bangladeshi media studies

This paper examines teaching-oriented university–industry collaboration (UIC) in Bangladeshi media studies and its implications for graduate employability. While UIC research has focused mainly on science, technology and research commercialisation, curriculum-level collaboration in creative disciplines and developing-country contexts remains underexamined. Drawing on 17 interviews with senior university and media-sector participants, the study shows that media studies offer a promising context for teaching-focused UIC. Internships, co-productions and industry-led initiatives can improve employability and align curricula with market needs. Although industry co-delivery beyond formal curricula remains nascent in Bangladesh, it has considerable potential. By conceptualising media education as a site of co-production, this research reframes UIC not merely as a conduit for knowledge transfer, but as a dynamic process of mutual knowledge creation. The study advances UIC literature in the Global South and calls for targeted policy to institutionalise collaboration, aligning higher education with national development and labour market needs.