MA Program

The Media Studies Masters is designed to provide highly individualized courses of study and practice for students who already have a sense for what they wish to research or implement. Our program is small and highly selective, giving us the ability to develop courses and opportunities that fit the needs of our students.

Rather than emphasizing a lot of required courses or mandatory skill sets, we focus on supporting the research and practice of our students. Our program emphasis emerges and changes based on the dozen or so scholars and practitioners who are in the program at any one time. A weekly Colloquium series exposes students to leading scholars and practitioners in the field, while also offering a place to present our own findings and accomplishments.

Our guiding philosophy, however, is that media need to be understood in their social, cultural, political, and economic contexts in order to be analyzed or applied effectively. We are here to bring those contexts to your work. So each course is augmented by a practicum through which the student can explore the intersection of his or her personal research pursuits with the subject area of the class, under the guidance of the instructor. In some cases, the practicums become standing labs where thesis and other work can be developed.

To earn a Masters degree, students must complete the program requirements, including two core courses, a series of elective courses, and a thesis project.