Launch Your Career with West Chester University's Degree in Media and Culture
Do you spend hours checking out content and posting your own to social media? Maybe you thrive on following the news cycle or the latest social media trends? Then a career in media with a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Culture at West Chester University might be right for you!
Our B.A. degree program in Media and Culture will help you develop your expertise in the latest media technologies and software, including specialized skills like media performance, production, strategic messaging, research, and analysis. You will stand apart from the competition thanks to dynamic hands-on coursework, internships, and practicum opportunities offered by our program.
Tracks in the Media and Culture Major
Production
The media production concentration focuses on production and performance in various media environments, such as TV, radio, film, and online content. Courses include topics like web design, video production, communication on television and radio, and the Philadelphia Media Experience.
Strategic Communications
The strategic communications concentration integrates marketing and communications courses to reach the right audience at the right time. Courses cover topics including search engine optimization, strategic social media, media audiences, and content strategy.
Cultural Communications
This concentration builds expertise in changing media industries and technology, as well as intercultural competence needed to operate successfully in media organizations. You’ll learn skills through courses covering culture and organizations, games culture and theory, mass media & protest, and intercultural communication training.
Benefits of Earning Your Degree in Media and Culture Studies at WCU
Faculty Experts
Our faculty are experts in the field of media and culture studies. Many of them have worked in the industry and can share their firsthand knowledge with you. Faculty also serve as advisors who are an integral part of your student success team, creating a truly personalized experience.
Hands-On Experience
You will gain hands-on experience through internship and practicum courses, as well as the opportunity to attend conferences as an attendee or presenter.
You will also learn to lead through participation in our student clubs and organizations including:
- The Forensic Team (speech and debate)
- WCUR (West Chester University Radio)
- WCU Studios
- Students in Communication
- Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
- Lambda Pi Eta (Communications Honor Society)
- National Association of Black Journalists
- The Quad (WCU Newspaper)
Specialization
You will gain specialized skills through your choice of concentrations in media production, strategic communications, or culture communications.
What Can You Do with a Degree in Media and Culture?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the field of media and communications will grow by about 3% growth rate through 2032.Our media and culture program was built with industry needs in mind and will help you stand apart from the crowd in a competitive job market.
Our graduates are prepared to enter a wide range of fields in the global workforce including media production, broadcasting, advertising, strategic communication, social media and public relations, international media, diversity training and development, and others.
Specific careers in media and culture studies include:
- Account executive
- Content creator
- Digital marketer
- Director
- Editor
- Journalist
- Media analyst or researcher
- Media buyer
- Producer
- Public relations specialist
- Social media manager
- Writer
What Will You Study as a Media and Culture Studies Student?
In our media and culture studies program, you will develop specialized expertise and skills in media-related fields, be able to create and deploy content for a variety of media technologies and think critically about the intersections of media and diverse cultural contexts.
B.A. in Media and Culture
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS | ||
| Academic Foundations | ||
| First Year Experience requirement | 4 | |
| English Composition requirement 1 | 6-4 | |
| Mathematics requirement | 3-4 | |
| Interdisciplinary requirement | 3 | |
| Diverse Communities requirement | 3 | |
| Ethics requirement | 3 | |
| Distributed Disciplinary Foundations | ||
| Science requirement | 6-8 | |
| Behavioral & Social Science requirement | 6 | |
| Humanities requirement | 6 | |
| Arts requirement | 3 | |
| ADDITIONAL BACCALAUREATE REQUIREMENTS | ||
| University Requirements | ||
| Writing Emphasis requirement | 9 | |
| Speaking Emphasis requirement | 9 | |
| Degree Requirements | ||
| Language/Culture requirement 2 | 0-15 | |
Demonstrating language proficiency through the intermediate level (202) or demonstrating language through the elementary II (102) level of a language and further acquiring a cultural foundation | ||
| Capstone requirement | 1-15 | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | ||
| Major Core Courses 3,4 | ||
| MDC 250 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| MDC 251 | Media Technology 5 | 3 |
| MDC 252 | Media Writing | 3 |
| MDC 253 | Media Literacy | 3 |
| MDC 254 | Media & Culture Theory | 3 |
| MDC 255 | Mass Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| Concentrations 3 | ||
| Students will work with their advisors to select six appropriate courses from the three concentration areas: Culture, Production, and Strategic Communication. At least three courses must be from one of the concentrations. The remaining courses can be from that same concentration or either of the other two concentrations. | 18 | |
Culture Concentration | ||
MDC 314 | Games Culture and Theory | |
MDC 316 | Mediated Communication: The Internet, Culture, and Society | |
MDC 322 | Culture and Organizations | |
MDC 350 | Advanced Intercultural Communication | |
MDC 360 | African American Culture and Communication | |
MDC 420 | Mass Media & Social Protest | |
MDC 422 | Consulting for Careers in Media and Culture | |
MDC 470 | Intercultural Communication Training | |
MDC 490 | Special Topics Seminar in Culture | |
MDC 493 | Directed Studies in Media and Culture | |
Production Concentration | ||
CSW 131 | Introduction to Web Design | |
MDC 203 | The Philadelphia Media Experience | |
MDC 217 | Introduction to Video Production | |
MDC 317 | Advanced Video Production | |
MDC 308 | Multimedia Performance | |
MDC 320 | Communication on Television and Radio | |
HON 320 | Honors Seminar: Global Issues | |
MDC 491 | Special Topics Seminar in Production | |
MDC 493 | Directed Studies in Media and Culture | |
Strategic Communication Concentration | ||
MDC 311 | Communication Professions in Sports | |
MDC 321 | Search Engine Optimization Management | |
MDC 323 | Media Audiences | |
MDC 325 | Strategic Social Media | |
MDC 355 | Introduction to Public Relations | |
MDC 370 | Event Production Using Media | |
MDC 375 | Communicating Through Risk and Crisis | |
MDC 421 | Content Strategy | |
MDC 423 | Media Campaigns | |
MDC 455 | Public Relations Management | |
MDC 460 | Communication and Advertising | |
MDC 492 | Special Topics Seminar in Strategic Communication | |
MDC 493 | Directed Studies in Media and Culture | |
| Capstone Requirement 3 | ||
| Students will select from either the Internship Experience in Media & Culture (MDC 494) or the Media Practicum Experience (MDC 495) for their Capstone Requirement. | 3 | |
MDC 494 | Internship in Media and Culture 6 | |
MDC 495 | Media & Culture Capstone Practicum 6 | |
| Student Electives | ||
| Courses selected in consultation with advisor to meet career objectives (can include a selected minor) | 21-24 | |
| Total Minimum Credits Required | 120 | |
Accelerated B.A. in Media and Culture to M.A. in Communication Studies Program
Any Media and Culture major with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher who has completed at least 84 credits may substitute up to 12 credits to be applied to the required core and the 15 credit hours required from departmental offerings towards the undergraduate degree. Those credits will also apply toward the M.A. program in Communication Studies.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses 7 | ||
| COM 501 | Theoretic Perspectives On Human Communication | 3 |
| COM 502 | Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select up to 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
COM 500 | Communication And Leadership | |
COM 503 | Communication & Persuasive Influence | |
COM 505 | Rhetoric And Leadership | |
COM 506 | Communications In Small Groups | |
COM 508 | Special Topics Seminar | |
COM 509 | Communication & Conflict Resolution | |
COM 510 | Culture, Media And Representation | |
COM 511 | Understanding Close Relationships | |
COM 520 | Political Communication | |
COM 530 | Advances In Nonverbal Communication | |
COM 535 | Communication Competence | |
COM 550 | Listening: Verbal & Nonverbal Perception | |
COM 551 | Public Relations Research And Writing | |
COM 561 | Strategic Media Content | |
COM 563 | Visual Communication | |
COM 570 | Conc Foundations Comm Train & Devel | |
COM 575 | Seminar On Speech Pedagogy | |
- 1
To encourage B.A. in Media & Culture majors to further develop written competence, a grade of C or better is required in WRT 120 and the 200-level composition course.
- 2
A grade of C- or better is required in the 202-level course in another language. If a major employs the culture cluster option to fulfill their language requirement, a C- or better is required in the 102-level of the language and in each of the culture cluster courses.
- 3
A grade of C or better must be earned in any MDC course in order for it to meet a department requirement. Also, a 2.5 average or better must be earned in the aggregate of lower- and upper-division courses before graduation will be recommended.
- 4
Students who exhaust their course repeat options and have not earned a grade of C or better in all the prerequisite MDC courses will be advised that they will not be able to complete the requirements for a B.A. in Media & Culture. The department chairperson will offer an exit interview and help them to identify available alternatives.
- 5
ART 113 can be used instead of MDC 251.
- 6
This course fulfills the Capstone requirement.
- 7
COM 501 and COM 502 are required as part of the 12 allowed graduate credits but do not have to be completed before electives. However, early completion is encouraged.
Upon completion of the degree in media and culture, you will have a versatile skillset and a professional portfolio of your work built through your courses, internships, and practical experiences.
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