Departments & Programs

The Media School

B.A. in Media

Purpose

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Media will complete the 12-credit Media School core as well as a 15-credit concentration and an approved 9-credit specialization associated with their concentration. The degree shares its structure with the other undergraduate degrees offered through The Media School. Students pursuing the B.A. in Media study the organization and practices of mass media in our current era with a focus on how mass media work, produce meaning and shape society. They receive integrated instruction in verbal and visual communication including the study of practices across multiple media platforms that affect and inform beliefs, attitudes, values, identities, and behaviors of individuals, groups, and the public; and practice critique and application of media design, focusing on multiple platforms of media including emergent forms. Courses teach students to interpret and evaluate the huge mass of mediated information from a critical perspective so that they can use media wisely and ethically. They learn how to participate as informed citizens in a global digital world. The streamlined and flexible design of the major incorporates foundational, theoretical, and skills coursework focused on the convergence of information technologies and the rapid evolution in the fields of cinema, advertising, telecommunications, digital media, game design and other emerging media platforms.

Required Course Work

Students pursuing the B.A. in Media will complete a four-tiered set of requirements comprised of:

1. The Media School Core, which includes:

1. MSCH-C 101 Media, an introductory course that stakes out the large theoretical, ethical and practical concerns that drive teaching and research in The Media School (3 cr.)

2. Three courses from the Media Core—Concept Clusters (9 cr.)

   1. One course in Managing Media
   2. One course in Thinking Media
   3. One course in Making Media

Students will complete one course from each list. These courses investigate the concepts, skills, and techniques students will learn in their "MSCH" classes as they map onto the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary media. They should foster a sense of cohort identity among majors in The Media School. Some concentrations require that students use a particular Managing, Thinking, or Making course to fulfill prerequisites for upper-level coursework.

See "Choosing Managing/Thinking/Making Courses Based on Degree Sequence."

2. Media Concentration--A five-course concentration that provides students with a disciplinary framework and specialized training in particular fields of study, production, and management. (15 cr.) Concentrations include:

1. Cinema and Media Arts--Studies and Production
2. Interactive and Digital Media
3. Media Advertising
4. Media Management, Industry, and Policy
5. Media Science
6. Media Technologies and Cultures

3. Capstone seminar or project associated with the concentration or specialization. Credits for the capstone experience can be counted towards the required 15 credit hours in concentrations or the required 9 credit hours for specializations.

4. The Media School Specialization—At least one three-course specialization (9 cr.) The Media School specializations combine advanced education in related professional and creative skills from courses taught across the entire Media School curriculum. Specializations allow students to develop specific transcriptable skill sets. Some concentrations specify appropriate specializations and others allow students to choose any one of the listed specializations.

Students must also complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.