Media Studies and Media Literacy

The M.S. in Media Studies Program in the Department of Television and Radio gives students a solid understanding of the ways communication media operate on many levels: socially, culturally, legally, and as businesses. We approach media understanding from a range of perspectives and consider this range of media knowledge essential to living and working in our rapidly evolving, digitally connected world. Small classes, seminar-style teaching, and excellent, accomplished, and experienced full-time faculty provide a variety of courses spanning the range of media theory, media law, media management, digital environments, media research methods, and many other topics.

A unique feature of the program is its specialized track in media literacy. Media literacy is a growing movement among media scholars and practitioners, and educators and community leaders, to cultivate, teach, and demonstrate to people of all ages a critical understanding of the way communication media operate as processes, industries, technologies, and messages. A crucial component of media literacy is comparative knowledge about the unique characteristics of each medium. Well-rounded media literacy education also includes production skills so that one can truly understand and participate in the communication media that shape the way we understand and participate in our society as citizens, consumers, and integrated communities in the globally connected whole.