Media & Communications — Bachelor of Arts

FEATURES:

• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study
• Study abroad to gain a global education
• Program eligible for financial aid

As the manner in which the world gets its information is evolving, it becomes more important than ever to pay attention to how the media affect society. UFV’s Media and Communication Studies (MACS) program examines the diffusion of information, current technological changes, the methods we use to communicate, and the media’s role in our everyday lives.

Choose from a minor or extended minor in Media and Communications to explore how your life and society continue to change in response to innovations in technology and communications. Discuss how the different types of media serve the public and how they continue to evolve. Explore how advertising and other commercial messages affect you, how Canadians fit into the global village, and what literacy in this new environment means.

In your first and second year, you build a foundation of knowledge in mass communications, communications theory, journalism, and social research. You examine how media industries are changing and how society adapts to communications innovations.

In your third and fourth year, you narrow your focus by choosing from a selection of upper-level courses including media law and ethics, crisis communication, and digital publication design. You also explore television and social values through an examination of The Simpsons TV series.  

View program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

Additional opportunities

Start your professional network, organize student events, and meet like-minded peers by getting involved with the Media and Communications Student Association. 

In a global knowledge economy, skilled communicators are in hot demand. Areas of work include television and radio, film and video, digital media, computer games, journalism, writing and publishing, public relations, advertising, and marketing.

There are no shortage of opportunities: Creative BC reports that the motion pictures and video industry is booming, with annual revenues for film, TV, and digital media adding up to $3.4 billion. As for the interactive and digital media sector, it is one of the fastest growing in B.C., at a rate of 11% per year. The industry features average salaries of $84K and $2.3 billion in sales.

Work BC also lists advertising, marketing and public relations jobs as top opportunity occupations. With median salaries of $30.77 — going up to $33.65 for managers — 6,900 openings are expected in B.C. from now to 2025.

View full entrance requirements on the UFV Academic Calendar. 

This program is open to international students

• How to apply

Students who do not meet the entrance requirements can upgrade in order to meet prerequisites for university classes.

Make an appointment with a Upgrading and University Preparation advisor to discuss your upgrading needs.

1. Define media and communication studies.
2. Discuss the origins and history of communication and the media.
3. Evaluate media texts to assess their appeal and impact.
4. Describe the exercise of power over the media and by the media.
5. Identify the myriad ways in which the economy motivates and constrains media professionals.
6. Describe the role of government and the courts in formulating and implementing policies pertaining to the media
7. Analyze the impact of the media on audiences for better and for worse.
8. Assess the impact of technological developments on media producers and consumers,
9. Acknowledge the importance of ethics for media professionals.
10. Conduct cross-cultural communication.
11. Situate Canadian mass media in a global context.
12. Identify how different regions around the world deal with media-related issues.
13. Carry out qualitative or quantitative research on the sociocultural effects of the media.
14. Work independently on a project connected to media and communication studies.
15. Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others.
16. Demonstrate written and oral communication skills.