Degree Requirements for students entering the program in 2023/24 or later

All students in the Bachelor of Media Studies must complete the following degree requirements¹:

• Writing and Research Requirement
• Upper-level Requirement¹
• Arts Credit Minimum Requirement¹

¹For additional information, see Credit Requirements and Regulations.

Writing and Research Requirement

The Writing and Research requirement has two components:

Writing Component

In their first year of study, direct-entry students are required to complete one course chosen from: ASTU_V 100 or ASTU_V 101 (Coordinated Arts Program), ENGL_V 100, or WRDS_V 150. Students transferring into the program should ensure that they have met the Writing Component via one of these courses no later than the end of their first Winter Session as a BMS student. This component must be satisfied prior to the student attaining Year 3 standing.

Students who do not satisfy the above requirement due to a lack of attempts may have their registration restricted until the Writing Component is complete. 

Research Component

In order to contribute to the development of knowledge in Media Studies, students must also complete a research-intensive experience. Normally completed in their fourth or final year of study, BMS students will satisfy this requirement with MDIA_V 450.

B.M.S. Core Program Requirements

All students in the Bachelor of Media Studies program must complete the following requirements:

First-Year Core Courses: 9 credits

In addition to the Writing Component course, which also constitutes a core requirement, first-year students are required to take the following 9 credits in their first year of study:

• MDIA_V 150¹(3) Media Communities
• Two courses² chosen from: ARTH_V 101, CINE_V 100, CPSC_V 100, CRWR_V 206, CRWR_V 208, FIPR_V 101, INFO_V 100, JRNL_V 100, MDIA_V 100, VISA_V 110

¹MDIA_V 150 registration is restricted to Year 1 B.M.S. students.

²Transfer students who do not meet registration restrictions for MDIA_V 150 must instead complete three courses (9 credits) from this list. This option is not open to direct-entry students.

Media Studies Core Courses: 18 credits

• MDIA_V 290 (3) Collaborative Methods
• MDIA_V 300 (3) Critical Approaches to Media Studies
• MDIA_V 350 (3) Media Environments
• MDIA_V 450 (6) Advanced Media Projects
• MDIA_V 490 (3) Emerging Media Practitioners

B.M.S. Disciplinary Core Courses: 21 credits

• ARTH_V 227
• CINE_V 340
• CRWR_V 312
• ENGL_V 232
• GMST_V 274
• INFO_V 250
• JRNL_V 200

B.M.S. Focus Areas: 21 credits

Students are required to take:

• 15 credits from one of three Focus Areas (Data, Visual or Narrative)¹; and
• 6 credits total chosen from the other Focus Areas

¹For more information on Focus Area selection, please see the Bachelor of Media Studies website.

Data Focus Area courses:

• One of CPSC_V 103, CPSC_V 110
• CPSC_V 344
• INFO_V 200
• INFO_V 419
• INFO_V 456

Visual Focus Area courses:

• ARTH_V 480
• CINE_V 240
• FIPR_V 133
• THFL_V / VISA_V 312
• VISA_V 241

Narrative Focus Area courses:

• CRWR_V 213
• One of CRWR_V 302, CRWR_V 308, CRWR_V 310
• ENGL_V 332
• JRNL_V 201
• JRNL_V 440