What is Media and Entertainment?

The Media and Entertainment major at Kennesaw State University invites students to explore the critical ways in which communication and converged media connect with and affect our lives, society, and culture. The theoretically-based program focuses on the forms and effects of media, including radio, film, television, print, and electronic media, and requires that students demonstrate basic digital media production skills.

Our students are critically engaged with creative analysis, production, and research into traditional and emerging forms of media. The curriculum emphasizes media history, media institutions, theory and research, production, ethics, policy, management, and technology and their effects on contemporary life. In addition to producing digital media, students learn to analyze and synthesize important information about media’s role both within American society and globally, the formal attributes of a variety of media genres, media as a site of gender and racial identity formation and reflection, and the technological and cultural impacts of digital media. Media and Entertainment Studies majors learn to read and write effectively and look at the world with a critical eye.

Students who graduate with the BS with a major in Media and Entertainment will be ready for careers as media professionals within communication-based industries (i.e., media writing, media production, media editing, media sales, media buyer, media research, public affairs, publishing, public information officer, community outreach, political advocacy, and ministry), government, education, law and policy, management, and/or non-profit organizations. This program also lays the groundwork for further graduate study of mass communication, thus opening the door for employment as instructors in higher education. 

The major requires 18 credit hours of lower-division course work (1000-2000 level) comprising various offerings that serve as important groundwork leading to advanced studies. Lower-division offerings include basic courses in communication research, visual communication, public speaking, writing, law and ethics, and an introductory course relevant to the student’s selected program of study.

Learn More About Media and Entertainment

Admission Requirements

Students may initially declare an "-Interest" based major in this subject, but must still meet additional requirements to be formally accepted into the degree program.

Students interested in applying for any of the School of Communication & Media (SOCM) majors must meet the Sophomore GPA requirement which consists of combined adjusted 2.75 GPA in the following five courses:

  • COMM 2020: CSI: Communication Sources and Investigations
  • COMM 1110: Public Speaking
  • COMM 2033: Visual Communication
  • COMM 2135: Writing for Public Communication
  • COMM 2240: Communication Law, Ethics and Diversity

Achieve a satisfactory score of 78% or higher on the SOCM Entrance Exams. Students may take the test no more than three times. This Entrance Exam requirement will be waived for students in this catalog year.

 

Sample Classes

  • This course is an introduction to media and entertainment. “Media” topics include not only media institutions, but also the context, history, and economics of media; meaning and ideology; effects on audience behavior; public life; and globalization. “Entertainment” focuses on any communication function used for entertainment purposes, including television, film, music, video games, sports, travel/tourism, museums, and theme parks. This course addresses the history, challenges, trends, and career options in these areas.
  • In this course, students learn about the recording hardware, software, and production skills needed to produce effective entertainment podcasts. Students are taught to strategically research and prepare captivating and memorable audio segments; develop audio programming strategy skills; hosting, presenting, and interview strategies; and perfect the editing skills needed to produce high-quality and professional-sounding audio.
  • This course is a comprehensive examination and analysis of the structure, personnel, planning, operations, economics and editorial broadcast, production, advertising, and public relations companies as well as new media.
  • This course is the advanced video production course in the MENT major in which students work with campus and external clients on video projects. The instructors secure several clients for the semester and students are briefed by each client before we start our work. Class time is spent on best practices in video production, client relations, proper pre-production strategies, and professional development. Students are required to be available outside of scheduled class time to attend events, on-location shoots, and meetings for our clients. Students can add each project to their individual digital portfolios and professional reels.