Nov 21, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025 
    
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Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025

Media Arts, B.A.

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University General Education Requirements  

Department Chairperson: Christine List

The Department of Communications, Media Arts and Theatre (CMAT) offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Arts. Students in the CMAT program will choose to concentrate their studies in one of three areas: media arts, public relations, or theatre. The program also offers minor sequences in communication studies, theater arts, public relations, media production, and sports broadcasting. Students in the program have the opportunity to gain hands-on training through practica with CSU Theatre, WCSU-Radio, and CSU-TV, as well as internships with Chicagoland media companies and theatre organizations. The Bachelor of Arts degree prepares students for careers in television and radio production, digital filmmaking, announcing, acting, directing, writing and producing, and also in the allied fields of advertising, public relations, broadcast journalism, corporate communications and theatre.

General Requirements

  • Admission to the program is contingent upon good academic standing and acceptance by the department.
  • The program will not accept D transfer credit in the major. Achievement of a grade of C or better is required in all major courses at Chicago State University.
  • Completion of 120 semester hours of work: 36 hours of general education, consisting of 6 hours in composition, 3 hours in mathematics, 3 hours in oral communication, 6 hours in natural sciences (physical science and biology; one must be a lab), and 9 hours in social sciences in a least two disciplines, 9 hours in humanities/fine arts with at least 3 hours in humanities and 3 hours in fine arts.
  • The College of Arts and Sciences also requires 3 hours of a foreign language and one embedded general education or major course carrying the diversity designation.
  • CMAT Course Requirements: 51 hours in CMAT core courses and 12 hours in Upper Division concentration courses.
  • One additional credit hour course (CMAT 1000  - CMAT Orientation) is required for freshman or transfer students with fewer than 45 credit hours.
  • CMAT Non-Major Electives: 18-21 hours; students can take any university-level courses to fulfill this requirement.

Specific Requirements

Required Courses:

51 credit hours in the following areas:

One of the following lower division theory/history courses:

One of the following upper division research writing courses:

One of the following upper division professional writing courses:

Required CMAT Concentration Courses (12 credit hours)

Students will choose one of the three concentrations in CMAT: media arts, public relations or theatre. For each concentration students must complete four additional required courses as well as required prerequisite courses. With approval of the CMAT Department, students may count one upper division class from another category toward the concentration. Concentration courses cannot count both toward a concentration and a specific CMAT CORE course requirement.

Media Arts Concentration:

Three hours in a media practicum

and nine credit hours of upper division media courses from the following list:

Public Relations Concentration:

Twelve credit hours from the following:

Theatre Concentration:

Twelve credit hours from the following:

Honors Program in Communications, Media Arts and Theatre

Application Requirements

At the time of application, a student must

  • have a minimum of a 3.25 GPA in the CMAT major;
  • have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours in the CMAT major;
  • have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA overall;
  • complete an application during the spring of his or her sophomore year (student must achieve junior level status by fall semester to participate in the CMAT honors option);
  • identify a tenure-track or tenured CMAT faculty member in his or her area of interest who will serve as chair of his or her thesis project; the chosen faculty member must commit to the project through signature on the CMAT Honors Application;
  • submit a brief proposal that specifically identifies his or her proposed thesis project title, while offering a process/methodology for completing the thesis project.

General Requirements

The honors student must:

  • earn a B or better in each CMAT honors course;
  • maintain a major 3.25 GPA to be awarded CMAT honors;
  • during junior year, complete six credit hours over two semesters of the honors- designated Independent Study in CMAT courses (CMAT 2990 ) that will be constructed by the faculty member to prepare the student for his or her thesis project;
  • during senior year, complete a creative project, while completing six credit hours over two semesters of the honors-designated Independent Study in CMAT (CMAT 4399 ).

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