Communication and Media Studies Major

As a Communication and Media Studies major, you will learn how to be a critical thinker, engaged citizen, and ethical professional. You will study and write about the social, cultural, and historical forces that shape communication policies and practices while getting hands-on training in media production using both traditional and emerging technologies.

Our faculty will deepen your understanding of the First Amendment, research methods, data analytics, media institutions, and the importance of diversity and inclusion in a multicultural world. Graduates of our program enjoy successful careers in a wide range of sectors including public advocacy, entertainment, higher education, government, business, and law.

Communication and Media Studies Majors must complete a minimum of 12 courses made up of the six required Core courses, two Media Production courses, two Media Studies courses, and two Elective courses. One Media Production course and one Media Studies course must be at the 300 level or above. COM 354 Internship in Communication and COM 392 - COM 399 Independent Study in Communication can only count for four credit hours toward Electives. Students taking COM 499 Senior Project need to secure a faculty sponsor the semester before they plan to enroll. Students may be required to sign financial responsibility statements in order to check out production equipment.

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements

Communication and Media Studies majors must take the following courses:

COM 224	Media and Society	4
COM 232	Visual Literacy	4
COM 242	Digital Citizenship	4
COM 323	Digital Communication and Society	4
COM 327	Communication and Law	4
COM 475	Communication and Media Studies Capstone	4
Total Credit Hours:		24

Media Production

Min. two courses; 8 credit hours; at least one course at the 300 level or above.

COM 212	Co-Creative Documentary Abroad	4
COM 225	Media Writing	4
COM 226	Introduction to Scriptwriting for Motion Pictures and Television	4
COM 236	UTampaTV Student Television	4
COM 250	WUTT Student Radio	2 or 4
COM 203	Studio TV 1	4
COM 315	Web Design	4
COM 325	Writing for Broadcast News	4
COM 333	Studio TV II	4
COM 346	Writing for Interactive Media	4
COM 348	Writing the Situation Comedy	4
COM 349	Game Writing	4
COM 375	Critical Media Practice	4
COM 499	Senior Project	4
SEM 605	Emerging Technologies and Applications	4
SEM 601	Digital Storytelling	4
SEM 602	Visual Design for Emerging Media	4
SEM 603	Social Media Production	4
SEM 611	Media Creation and Project Management	4
SEM 613	Special Topics in Social and Emerging Media	4
Total Credit Hours:		8

NOTE: Only undergraduate students enrolled in the MASEM Accelerated Program may take a graduate course offered by the MASEM program (any course with a SEM prefix).

Media Studies

Two courses; 8 credit hours: At least one at the 300 level or above.

COM 227	Media in the Americas	4
COM 230	Games and Culture	4
COM 255	Fandom Studies/Critical Fan Studies	4
COM 260	American Cinema	4
COM 261	World Cinema	4
COM 300	The Documentary Tradition	4
COM 301	Introduction to Organizational Communication	4
COM 332	Television Criticism	4
COM 335	Survey of Independent Video and Film	4
COM 360	Film Directors	4
COM 361	Film Genres	4
COM 365	Critical Analysis of Media Events	4
COM 370	Women, Film and Popular Culture	4
COM 390	Ethnicity in Film and Literature	4
COM 401	Intercultural Communication	4
COM 425	Information Technology and Human Values	4
COM 435	Women Directors: Theory and Criticism	4
COM 443	Communication and Cultural Studies	4
COM 445	The Image and the Reality	4
COM 450	Experimental Cinema: History and Theory	4
COM 455	Film Theory and Criticism	4
COM 465	Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies	4
COM 499	Senior Project	4
SEM 604	Social Media Strategy and Analytics	4
SEM 610	User Experience and Audience Research	4
SEM 612	Emerging Industries, Policies, and Law	4
Total Credit Hours:		8

NOTE: Only undergraduate students enrolled in the MASEM Accelerated Program may take a graduate course offered by the MASEM program (any course with a SEM prefix).

Electives

Min. two Courses: 8 credit hours. Note: COM 354 Internship in Communication and COM 392 Independent Study in Communication can only count for four credit hours toward Electives. 

COM 222	Media Aesthetics and Creativity	4
COM 225	Media Writing	4
COM 226	Introduction to Scriptwriting for Motion Pictures and Television	4
COM 227	Media in the Americas	4
COM 230	Games and Culture	4
COM 234	Topics in Communication	1-4
COM 236	UTampaTV Student Television	4
COM 250	WUTT Student Radio	2 or 4
COM 255	Fandom Studies/Critical Fan Studies	4
COM 260	American Cinema	4
COM 261	World Cinema	4
COM 283	Principles of Advertising	4
COM 284	Principles of Public Relations	4
COM 300	The Documentary Tradition	4
COM 301	Introduction to Organizational Communication	4
COM 302	Digital Media and Design for Communication	4
COM 203	Studio TV 1	4
COM 315	Web Design	4
COM 325	Writing for Broadcast News	4
COM 332	Television Criticism	4
COM 333	Studio TV II	4
COM 335	Survey of Independent Video and Film	4
COM 344	Special Topics	1-4
COM 346	Writing for Interactive Media	4
COM 348	Writing the Situation Comedy	4
COM 349	Game Writing	4
COM 350	Strategic Social Media	4
COM 354	Internship in Communication	1-4
COM 360	Film Directors	4
COM 361	Film Genres	4
COM 365	Critical Analysis of Media Events	4
COM 370	Women, Film and Popular Culture	4
COM 374	Communication Research Methods	4
COM 375	Critical Media Practice	4
COM 383	Advertising Creative Direction	4
COM 384	Writing for Public Relations	4
COM 388	Multicultural and Prosocial Strategic Communication	4
COM 390	Ethnicity in Film and Literature	4
COM 392	Independent Study in Communication	1-4
COM 401	Intercultural Communication	4
COM 425	Information Technology and Human Values	4
COM 426	Public Opinion, the Media and Power	4
COM 435	Women Directors: Theory and Criticism	4
COM 436	Communication and Media Ethics	4
COM 443	Communication and Cultural Studies	4
COM 445	The Image and the Reality	4
COM 446	Advanced Topics in Communication	4
COM 450	Experimental Cinema: History and Theory	4
COM 455	Film Theory and Criticism	4
COM 465	Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies	4
COM 466	International Advertising	4
COM 467	Advanced Film Analysis	4
COM 483	Advertising Campaigns	4
COM 484	Public Relations Campaigns	4
COM 499	Senior Project	4
EME 601	Introduction to Instructional Design	4
EME 605	Introduction to Distance Learning	4
EME 610	Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology	4
EME 612	Media for Instruction	4
EME 613	Open Learning Environments and Artificial Intelligence	4
EME 630	Development of Multimedia Instruction	4
EME 660	Seminar in Instructional Design	2
FMX 340	Screenwriting Development	4
FMX 440	Screenwriting Features	4
JOU 101	Introduction to Journalism	4
JOU 213	Travel Writing	4
JOU 221	Multimedia Storytelling	4
JOU 271	News Reporting and Writing	4
JOU 273	The Minaret Student Newspaper	1-2
JOU 290	Special Topics in Journalism	4
JOU 304	Social Solutions Reporting	4
JOU 371	Feature Writing	4
JOU 390	Advanced Special Topics in Journalism	4
JOU 485	Directed Writing in Journalism	1-4
JOU 490	Journalism Studies: Career Internship for Journalism Majors	1-8
JOU 499	Journalism Colloquium/Portfolio	2
SEM 605	Emerging Technologies and Applications	4
SEM 601	Digital Storytelling	4
SEM 602	Visual Design for Emerging Media	4
SEM 603	Social Media Production	4
SEM 604	Social Media Strategy and Analytics	4
SEM 610	User Experience and Audience Research	4
SEM 611	Media Creation and Project Management	4
SEM 612	Emerging Industries, Policies, and Law	4
SEM 613	Special Topics in Social and Emerging Media	4
SPE 200	Oral Communication	4
SPE 208	Speech for Business and the Professions	4
SPE 212	Global Speech, Human Rights and Social Justice	4
SPE 300	Storytelling: Voice, Script and Movement	4
SPE 308	Group Communication	4
SPE 310	Interpersonal Communication	4
SPE 315	Freedom of Speech and First Amendment Studies	4
SPE 330	Special Topics in Speech	2-4
SPE 475	Communication and Speech Studies Capstone	4
SPE 425	Persuasion, Argumentation, and Conflict Resolution	4
Total Credit Hours:		8

 

Total Credit Hours: 48