Media Arts, BA
Program Description
The program in Media Arts focuses on allowing students to cultivate the creative and critical skills necessary to actively engage in the media industry in a variety of capacities. Media Arts majors select an emphasis in either Media Production or Media Studies to fulfill their coursework.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Understand and apply production skills in the creation of audiovisual media
- Understand and apply critical theories and research methods related to media studies through effective written communication
- Demonstrate a general understanding of the media industry and paths to transition from academic coursework to industry positions or advanced degrees
- Create advanced projects that demonstrate effective communication strategies in media production and media studies
General Requirements
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Curriculum Program | 42 |
| University Seminar (when applicable)1 | 0-2 |
| Media Arts Major Requirements | 42 |
| Electives | 33 |
| SAMC Enrichment Course Requirements | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 |
- 1
First-Year Seminars or Electives
Full-time, first time in college students are required to take university seminar.
- USSE 1201 University Seminar (2 sch)
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, First-year Students | ||
| USSE 1201 | University Seminar | 0-2 |
| Core Curriculum Program | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 42 | |
| Media Arts Core Courses | ||
| MEDA 1307 | Media and Culture | 3 |
| MEDA 1380 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| MEDA 2366 | Media Forms | 3 |
| MEDA 2367 | Media Industries | 3 |
| Emphasis | ||
| Select one of the following Emphasis: | 30 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 33 hours of university electives. | 33 | |
| SAMC Enrichment Course Requirement | ||
| See the School of Arts, Media, and Communication for the SAMC Enrichment Course requirement. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 120-122 | |
Media Studies Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Media Studies Requirements | ||
| MEDA 4381 | Media Studies Portfolio | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Media Writing | ||
| Multimedia Journalism | ||
| Cross-Platform Editing & Layout | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Screenplay Writing | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Television Studies | ||
| Film Studies | ||
| Documentary Studies | ||
| Decoding Media Genres | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Media Transformations | ||
| Digital Media & Social Trends | ||
| Global Media | ||
| Media Studies Electives | ||
| Select three of the following courses not already taken to fulfill other requirements: | 9 | |
| AI Film Editing | ||
| Media Writing | ||
| News Reporting | ||
| Media Performance | ||
| Television Studies | ||
| Film Studies | ||
| Documentary Studies | ||
| Media Transformations | ||
| Intermediate Production: Documentary | ||
| Multimedia Journalism | ||
| Intermediate Production: Narrative | ||
| Cross-Platform Editing & Layout | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Decoding Media Genres | ||
| Screenplay Writing | ||
| Digital Media & Social Trends | ||
| Media Promotion and Paratexts | ||
| First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media | ||
| Global Media | ||
| Topics in Media Arts | ||
| Directed Individual Study | ||
| Media Arts Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Media Production Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Media Production Requirements | ||
| MEDA 1315 | AI Film Editing | 3 |
| MEDA 2303 | Cinematography | 3 |
| MEDA 3360 | Screenplay Writing | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Intermediate Production: Documentary | ||
| Intermediate Production: Narrative | ||
| Intermediate Postproduction | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Production: Documentary | ||
| Advanced Production: Narrative | ||
| Advanced Postproduction | ||
| Media Production Electives | ||
| Select four of the following courses not already taken to fulfill other requirements: 1 | 12 | |
| Media Writing | ||
| News Reporting | ||
| Media Performance | ||
| Television Studies | ||
| Film Studies | ||
| Documentary Studies | ||
| Intermediate Production: Documentary | ||
| Multimedia Journalism | ||
| Intermediate Production: Narrative | ||
| Intermediate Postproduction | ||
| Cross-Platform Editing & Layout | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Decoding Media Genres | ||
| Screenplay Writing | ||
| Digital Media & Social Trends | ||
| Media Promotion and Paratexts | ||
| Commercial Production | ||
| Advanced Production: Documentary | ||
| Advanced Production: Narrative | ||
| Advanced Postproduction | ||
| First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media | ||
| Global Media | ||
| News Publication | ||
| Topics in Media Arts | ||
| Directed Individual Study | ||
| Media Arts Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
On This Page
Course Sequencing
Media Studies
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| MEDA 1305 | Film and Culture | 3 |
| MEDA 1380 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| COMM 1311 | Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| USSE 1201 | University Seminar | 2 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| MEDA 1307 | Media and Culture | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 2366 | Media Forms | 3 |
| MEDA 2311 | Media Writing | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Lower Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 2367 | Media Industries | 3 |
| MEDA 2350 | Media Performance | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| SAMC Enrichment Course Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 3301 | Television Studies | 3 |
| MEDA 3303 | Documentary Studies | 3 |
| MEDA 3310 | Media Transformations | 3 |
| MEDA 3314 | Multimedia Journalism | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 3302 | Film Studies | 3 |
| MEDA 3360 | Screenplay Writing | 3 |
| MEDA 3380 | Digital Media & Social Trends | 3 |
| MEDA 4342 | Global Media | 3 |
| MEDA 3318 | Cross-Platform Editing & Layout | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 3351 | Decoding Media Genres | 3 |
| MEDA 4341 | First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 4381 | Media Studies Portfolio | 3 |
| MEDA 3340 | Photojournalism | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Media Production
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| MEDA 1305 | Film and Culture | 3 |
| MEDA 1380 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| COMM 1311 | Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| USSE 1201 | University Seminar | 2 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 1307 | Media and Culture | 3 |
| MEDA 1315 | AI Film Editing | 3 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 2303 | Cinematography | 3 |
| MEDA 2366 | Media Forms | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| SAMC Enrichment Course Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 2367 | Media Industries | 3 |
| MEDA 2350 | Media Performance | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Lower Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 3301 | Television Studies | 3 |
| MEDA 3313 | Intermediate Production: Documentary | 3 |
| MEDA 3317 | Intermediate Postproduction | 3 |
| MEDA 3351 | Decoding Media Genres | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 3316 | Intermediate Production: Narrative | 3 |
| MEDA 3360 | Screenplay Writing | 3 |
| MEDA 4317 | Advanced Postproduction | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MEDA 3303 | Documentary Studies | 3 |
| MEDA 4310 | Advanced Production: Documentary | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MEDA 3340 | Photojournalism | 3 |
| MEDA 4312 | Advanced Production: Narrative | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Courses
MEDA 1305 Film and Culture
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduction to film aesthetics, history, and criticism for non-communication majors. Establishes a vocabulary for examining films and their roles in American culture.
MEDA 1307 Media and Culture
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course explores the development of media in the United States, focusing on its reciprocal influence with culture and critically analyzes how media both shapes and is shaped by cultural dynamics.
TCCNS: COMM 1307
MEDA 1315 AI Film Editing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of cinematic editing, integrating the use of AI tools to enhance their creative workflow. Students will learn how AI can speed up the process of understanding cinematic language, simplify technical barriers, and enhance final results. By combining professional editing practices with accessible AI platforms, students gain both foundational skills and a forward-looking perspective on the evolving landscape of film and media production.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 1380 Introduction to Media Production
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Overview of tools and skills necessary to produce digital media content such as editing, cinematography, sound recording, producing and directing for film, television and new media.
MEDA 2303 Cinematography
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will examine the roles and responsibilities of the director of photography for film and visual media. Students will learn creative brainstorming and cinematic techniques for visual storytelling, including the basic principles of lighting for studio and natural environments.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 2311 Media Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of writing for the mass media. It includes instruction in professional methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering content.
TCCNS: COMM 2311
MEDA 2315 News Reporting
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course focuses on advanced news-gathering and writing skills. It concentrates on the three-part process of producing news and features, which include discovering the news, reporting the news and writing news in different formats. This course will incorporate all forms of news writing, including: press release, print news, web news and TV and radio broadcast news.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 2350 Media Performance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to teach students articulation, pronunciation, effective writing and on-air performance techniques for all kinds of media environments with videotaped and audio taped presentations.
MEDA 2366 Media Forms
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of the formal elements of media texts, including cinematography/videography, sound, and editing, across a variety of media platforms and styles. Includes instruction in writing formal analysis.
TCCNS: COMM 2366
MEDA 2367 Media Industries
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of the media industries, including how they have evolved and now operate, as well as broader theoretical and practical implications of changing media organizations and practices. Includes instruction in researching contemporary and historical modes of media production, distribution, and exhibition.
MEDA 3301 Television Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Exploration of television as a storytelling medium, entertainment industry, and cultural force. Examines critical approaches to understanding programming content, production practices, and audiences. Includes instruction in critical analysis of television texts.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3302 Film Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Exploration of film from a variety of historical and theoretical perspectives, with an emphasis on narrative film and some consideration of experimental cinema.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3303 Documentary Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Historical and critical study of the non-fictional film with attention to changing technologies, to varying uses and styles of documentary, and to contemporary critical and theoretical issues.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3310 Media Transformations
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course explores how innovations in technology and shifts in aesthetics have repeatedly redefined the media landscape, creating new norms, practices, and expectations. Students will examine how these changes impact the media ecology, influencing production, distribution, and audience interaction, and will analyze how each new phase of media history opens up opportunities while closing off others. Specific media transformations covered will vary.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3313 Intermediate Production: Documentary
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on non-fiction filmmaking.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3314 Multimedia Journalism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to strengthen students’ digital journalism skills, including field-based news gathering and reporting, on-air performance, interviewing techniques, live reporting, and podcasting. The course will prepare students for modern-based multimedia journalism outside of the studio.
MEDA 3316 Intermediate Production: Narrative
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on fictional narrative filmmaking.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3317 Intermediate Postproduction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Intensive instruction in advanced postproduction software, postproduction workflows and editing techniques for moving images.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1315.
MEDA 3318 Cross-Platform Editing & Layout
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will teach the principles of copy editing, with an emphasis on accuracy and fairness, as well as the principles of layout and design for print and web publications.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 3340 Photojournalism
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will instruct on photojournalism skills and methods for use in visual communication. It will examine ethical and legal limitations to photography and in editing. Student work in this class will be eligible for possible publication in the student newspaper or its accompanying website.
MEDA 3351 Decoding Media Genres
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course explores how media genres shape our understanding of the world through storytelling and more general contributions to culture. Using genre theory from key scholars, students will analyze how genres are created, maintained, and transformed over time, with attention to how they engage audiences and create meaning. Specific genres examined will vary.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 3360 Screenplay Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Writing and analysis of the screenplay for narrative fictional films. Writing projects include problem-solving exercises and work on an original screenplay. Course can be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 3361 Sports Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will teach the elements of sports writing and reporting to include interviewing and writing to cover different aspects of sports coverage. This course will address content for print, Internet, radio and television. Campus-related sports assignments will be eligible for publication in the student newspaper and its accompanying website.
MEDA 3380 Digital Media & Social Trends
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course investigates how digital media is used to shape and spread trends, from social movements to viral misinformation, humor, and various other cultural phenomena. Students will explore the mechanisms through which platforms such as Reddit and Instagram influence public perception, drive community engagement, and impact cultural norms. By examining case studies on trends like social activism, internet humor, and viral challenges, students will develop a critical understanding of digital media’s power to both reflect and reshape society.
MEDA 4305 Media Promotion and Paratexts
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of how paratexts promote and support media texts such as movies and television programs, including advertising, generating revenue, and expanding the textual universe of those media. Students will learn and analyze how paratexts function from industry, storyteller, and fan perspectives, as well as learn and utilize basic design techniques to create their own paratexts such as movie posters and sequential art.
MEDA 4308 Commercial Production
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of client based commercial media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and delivery of a commercial, PSA, or corporate video project.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.
MEDA 4310 Advanced Production: Documentary
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of documentary media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and distribution of a short documentary film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track.
Prerequisite: MEDA 3313.
MEDA 4312 Advanced Production: Narrative
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Advanced techniques in the creation of narrative media content with a focus on scripting, production, and distribution of a short narrative film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track.
MEDA 4317 Advanced Postproduction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Conceptualization and execution of digital media projects using visual effects, motion graphics and composition through the creation of video, animation, special effects and more using Adobe's After Effects postproduction software.
Prerequisite: MEDA 3317.
MEDA 4341 First Amendment and Ethical Issues in the Media
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of legal and ethical issues in mediated communication, including the First Amendment and free speech, control, and regulation of broadcasting, obscenity in the media.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4342 Global Media
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines major issues and debates in our globalized media environment. It engages with both the political economy of global media institutions and the cultural dynamics that shape our perceptions of global, national, and local identities. Course expectations include research on contemporary global media issues, encouraging a transnational perspective beyond the U.S.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4343 News Publication
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will be a hands-on newsroom experience with the student newspaper the Island Waves and its accompanying website. Individual assignments will be assigned by editors of the student media. Assignments may include writing, advertising, photography, cartooning and video production and editing. Students are required to work on the staff of the official college publication during prescribed hours under faculty supervision.
Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.
MEDA 4381 Media Studies Portfolio
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
In this capstone course, students will synthesize their skills and knowledge in digital storytelling by embarking on a major project that reflects their unique perspective and creativity. Students may choose between conducting a research-focused project, analyzing trends, techniques, or impacts of narratives, or creating an original story that leverages multiple media platforms to engage audiences in innovative ways. Through hands-on workshops, peer feedback, and guided mentorship, students will develop, refine, and showcase their work, culminating in a comprehensive portfolio piece. This course is designed as a bridge from academic study to professional practice, empowering students to craft stories that resonate in today’s dynamic digital landscape.
Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.
MEDA 4390 Topics in Media Arts
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of specialized topics and themes in media arts. May be repeated when topics vary.
MEDA 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description. By application. Only 3 semester hours of Directed Individual Study credit may be counted toward the major.
MEDA 4399 Media Arts Internship
3 Semester Credit Hours
Practical experience in the field through placement in a media internship position. Students interested in applying for the internship course must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; have at least junior standing at the university; be a media arts (media studies or media production emphasis) major or digital journalism minor; have completed at least 12 hours of coursework in the major or minor at TAMU-CC. Preferred applicants will have a minimum media arts or digital journalism GPA of 3.25. Course may be taken three times for credit; however only 3 semester hours of internship credit may be counted toward the major. A second internship may apply to the digital journalism minor; a third internship may be used as a free elective. Authorization to repeat the internship course is contingent on the students' successful completion of the previous internship experience.This course is graded Credit/No Credit.