Associate of Arts degree — Media and Communication Studies option
The Associate of Arts, Media and Communication Studies option, focuses on the study of information — how it is created, packaged, distributed, and used.
Students will learn about different media industries, including social networks, and how they are changing. Students will learn how advertising and other
commercial images affect them, how Canadians fit into the global village and what it means to be literate in the new media; in short, students will learn how their lives and society are changing in
response to innovations in communication.
Students seeking careers in the technical areas of media production will find these courses very valuable, but will need courses from
elsewhere to provide instruction in the mechanics of production. For example, while the music industry is studied, sound recording is not.
Graduates of the Associate of Arts, Media and Communication Studies option are prepared to seek employment, to transfer to one of the many degree programs in Canada, or to ladder into the Bachelor of Arts (MACS minor or extended minor) at UFV. Graduates are also eligible to apply to enter into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication at Royal Roads University.
Employment opportunities
People with degrees in media and communication find work in a variety of fields, such as: media research, training or consulting; media production, analysis, or criticism; advertising and pubilc relations; human relations and management. They can also go on to graduate school.
Entrance requirements
See the Associate of Arts degree section for details on entrance requirements and application procedures.
General requirements
60 credits of 100- and 200-level courses. A minimum of 15 credits must be completed at UFV.
Each course must be transferable to one of Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia (Vancouver or Okanagan campus), University of Northern British Columbia, or University of Victoria. Transferability of courses can be found on the B.C. Transfer Guide at bctransferguide.ca. No course will be used to meet more than one of the following specific requirements.
Graduation requires a minimum GPA of 2.00, calculated on all courses that could apply to the program.
Program outline
Course
Title
Credits
Six credits in English or Communications:
Two of:
6
ENGL 105–170
ENGL courses numbered 105–170
CMNS 120
Communicating in University
CMNS 125
Communicating Professionally to Academic and Workplace Audiences
CMNS 251
Professional Report Writing
Nine credits in Science:
MATH, COMP, or STAT course
3–4
Lab science
One 100-level course
3–4
Science elective
One lower-level course
3–4
36 credits in Arts:
MACS 110
Introduction to Communication Studies
3
MACS 130
Mass Communication
in Canada
3
Plus:
15 credits in 200-level MACS courses, CMNS 180, or ENGL 208
15
Humanities
Nine credits in 100-level courses (other than ENGL)
9
Arts elective
One lower-level course
3
Arts elective
One 200-level course
3
Nine credits in Arts, Science, or other areas
9
Subject areas
Please see this section for a list of the
subject areas which apply to Associate of Arts program categories.
Undergraduate continuance
Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or above) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV.
Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV’s Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).
Residency
Students must complete at least 15 of the credits required at UFV.
