Media Studies

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With competencies in theory, research, and application, the Media Studies program prepares you for a rewarding and dynamic career in media, whether your aspirations are academically- or professionally-oriented. Dissecting how meaning is represented and mediated, the program’s courses and expanded learning opportunities promote critical thinking, reflection, and analysis, equipping students to become socially engaged scholars and makers that use media to contribute to the greater good as creative agents of transformation.

Required courses include a purposeful disciplinary core covering a diverse range of media perspectives and methodologies, including:

• Art History and Visual Art
• Creative Writing
• Journalism
• Cinema Studies and Film Production
• Computer Science
• Information Studies
• English and German Studies

The BMS bridges disciplinary boundaries in the classroom through its MDIA courses, most of which are exclusive to the program. With multiple expert instructors and professionals from the field teaching together, you and your cohort will engage in media production, critically investigating and applying your learning in an environment that models the collaborative environment of workplaces across the field.

In addition to required courses, you’ll expand the depth of your knowledge and skills in one media studies area of focus, chosen between visual, narrative, and data. Starting in second year, these additional courses allow you to dive deeper into the theory and production of media—and how each informs the other—of your area of focus. In fourth year, you’ll have the opportunity to enroll in a hands-on Digital Media project class at the Centre for Digital Media, and other course options available to Media Studies students.

Subject to an evaluation of your supplemental portfolio submission by an admissions committee, and competitive academic average, you can apply for entry to the four-year program direct from high school, or, with one year of postsecondary studies and prerequisite coursework completed, you may apply to transfer into the program for entry into the second-year cohort.

Experiential learning and research

Experiential learning is built into the Media Studies curriculum. Core courses each year include community-based components, where you’ll partner with local organizations to execute media projects that implement classroom learning in real-world scenarios while benefiting the community. Expanded into a truly interdisciplinary environment, you’ll also take courses under the MDIA subject code, which are specifically designed for Media Studies students to bridge knowledge from different disciplines and practice media prototyping and production for various audiences.

The Media Studies program structure facilitates your participation in relevant learning opportunities outside of the program. You’ll have the opportunity to study abroad in third year or gain work experience through UBC’s Work Learn and Co-op programs—even within the cohort-based model, term 2 of the third year is reserved so you can take advantage of the countless other experiences UBC has to offer. You’ll have many opportunities inside and outside the classroom to work on projects that add to your portfolio, such as with the Ubyssey, UBC Vancouver’s student newspaper, the student-published Beacon: Journal of Media Studies, the Media Studies Student Association, or with the 300+ student clubs at the University.

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