About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Media Studies major is an undergraduate interdisciplinary group major in the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Division of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Letters and Science. It applies a range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities to the understanding of contemporary mass media, their structure, history, content, consequences, and policy implications. The emphasis in the UC Berkeley program is not on media production but rather on the central role that media plays in modern society with special emphasis on political and cultural life.

The program is not a preprofessional course of study but a liberal arts discipline that weds traditions from communication, anthropology, sociology, political science, and journalism with contemporary critical and cultural studies theory to analyze and assess the role and impact of media in contemporary society.

Declaring the Major

Students planning to declare a major in Media Studies are advised to read the Media Studies website in its entirety and then contact the student academic adviser as early as possible to discuss their academic program plans. Applications are accepted during fall and spring semesters during periods listed on the program's website.

Students who wish to declare the major in Media Studies:

• Must have completed at least 30 units of college coursework before applying to the program.
• Must have completed at least three of the major prerequisites, including MEDIAST 10.
• Must be currently enrolled in any remaining prerequisite at the time of application (see the list of approved major prerequisites on the Major Requirements tab).
• Must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 in courses relevant to the major. This includes the lower division prerequisite courses and the equivalency of transferred coursework as well as any lower or upper division courses already completed for the major.
• Should declare the major no later than the semester in which they complete the 70th unit. (Junior transfer students should contact the major adviser for Media Studies concerning their eligibility and the equivalency of transferred coursework.)

Students who meet the above criteria are eligible for admission to the major. Students who do not meet the above criteria but wish to declare Media Studies as their major should submit a letter of appeal and a graded paper from a prerequisite course along with a completed application.

More information regarding declaring the major is available on the Media Studies website. The application dates and a link to the application are available on the home page.

Honors Program

To be admitted to the honors program, a student must have attained at least a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA) overall in the University and a 3.5 GPA in the major. In order to be granted honors, a student must write a thesis which in the judgment of the thesis adviser is characterized by superior distinction (MEDIAST H195). For further information on the honors program, please see the program's website.

Minor Program

There is no minor program in Media Studies.

Visit Program Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit (letter grade).
2. Students must complete a minimum of 30 upper division units in approved courses for the Media Studies major.
3. Students may not take more than two courses from any single outside department or program for the Media Studies major.
4. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
5. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Summary of Major Requirements

Prerequisites

Media Studies Core Courses

Methods

Upper Division Electives

Select four courses from the following list. Students may not take more than two courses from any single outside department or program.

All of the courses listed below are approved electives. This list is updated annually. Additionally, prior to enrolling each term, Media Studies publishes a list of Current Courses. This list may include other courses that have been approved—on a one-time basis—as electives for that semester only. The online archive will serve as a record of these course approvals.

Students wishing to have any other course reviewed as a possible media studies elective must submit a copy of the course syllabus to a faculty adviser.

Transfer Students

Transfer students may complete MEDIAST 10 at Berkeley, but are urged to complete other major prerequisite courses before arriving on campus. New transfers should see the major faculty adviser on arrival in order to have transfer prerequisites approved. Transfers may need assistance in adding Media Studies 10 to their schedules.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters & Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please review the College of Letters & Sciences page in this Guide.

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a US resident graduated from an American university, should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

• 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

• Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

• Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your BA degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Plan of Study

Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Media Studies major requirements before making a program plan. For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), see the College Requirements and Major Requirements tabs. Below is a sample four-year program plan:

Notes

Each student’s plan will vary, depending on interests and class offerings. Plan on consulting your Letters & Science adviser and your major adviser on a regular basis or at least once a semester, especially if you are interested in applying for graduate school, studying abroad, attending summer school, pursuing a minor or second major, or have any concerns or questions about your major classes or your degree progress.

Note: students must complete a minimum of 13 units per term to be considered full-time, with a total of 120 units needed to graduate. 

For more detailed information regarding the courses listed above (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the Major Requirements tab.

For a sample four-year plan that includes studying abroad or in Washington, D.C., see 4 Year Plan with EAP or UCDC Option

Accelerated Program Plans

For students considering graduating in less than four years, it's important to acknowledge the reasons to undertake such a plan of study. While there are advantages to pursuing a three-year degree plan such as reducing financial burdens, they are not for everyone and do involve sacrifices; especially with respect to participating in co-curricular activities, depth of study, and summer internships, which typically lead to jobs upon graduation. All things considered, please see the tables for three and three and a half year degree options.

3.5 Year Plan

3 Year Plan

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The Media Studies major at the University of California at Berkeley is an undergraduate interdisciplinary group major in the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies (UGIS). Courses taught by core faculty in Media Studies cover history and theory within the discipline. Additionally, faculty from multiple departments across campus bring the perspectives and methods of their fields to bear on the analysis of mass media in a variety of elective courses. The emphasis in the major is analytical and historical. The program is largely concerned with helping students assess the roles and impact of the major mass media on American life. Media Studies is not a preprofessional course of study but a liberal arts discipline that weds traditions from communication, anthropology, sociology, political science, and journalism with contemporary critical and cultural studies theory.

The four core courses examine media history, institutions, and policy as well as theory and criticism. Students learn to analyze the impact of the media on public policy and to explore the role of media and popular culture in contemporary society.

In addition to the core courses, students must take an approved methods course in the social sciences and at least four approved elective courses. In the elective courses offered by the Media Studies program, whether students focus on film, television, international media, or political discourse, they are asked to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. Students may also choose to take approved electives offered by other disciplines on campus including anthropology, English, history, linguistics, journalism, political science, and sociology to name a few.

Critical analysis in media studies involves identifying and evaluating evidence, understanding theoretical concepts and being able to apply them to new media materials or situations, and examining the relationships between words and images.

Learning Goals for the Major

Visit Learning Initiative on the Media Studies website.

Courses

Media Studies

Faculty and Instructors

Faculty

Tom Goldstein, Professor. Journalism, mass communications, writer, reporter, editor.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Josh Jackson, Lecturer. Digital and new media, television, media and culture, convergence, media industries and production cultures, media history.

Richard Jaroslovsky, Lecturer. Media history; impact of digital technologies on newsgathering and dissemination of news; changing economic models of media organizations.

Geoffrey King, Lecturer. Freedoms of speech, press, petition and assembly; citizen journalism; Internet policy; privacy; technology; online surveillance and censorship; open government.

Jean P. Retzinger, Lecturer. Environmental communication, particularly agriculture and food issues in advertising, television, film, and digital media.

Ed Timke, Lecturer. Advertising; international and intercultural communication; media, culture, and society; media history; photojournalism; and Transatlantic media flows, especially between the United States and France.

William Turner, Lecturer. Freedom of speech and the press.