The Communication and Media associate degree program offers students a choice of concentrations that prepares students to enter a career in various communication and media disciplines or to transfer to a four-year college where they can further refine and develop their skills, earning a bachelor’s degree. Transfer agreements with local and regional colleges enable students to make a seamless transition into a four-year institution. Program faculty mentor students to help them select, balance, and sequence courses.

Whether creating content for traditional or digital media platforms, enrolled students will acquire the skills to craft and communicate a message. A combination of core course requirements, as well as specialized courses and general electives, provides students with theoretical background and hands-on application. Field placement, a portfolio, and experiential learning are built into the program so graduates are prepared to enter careers with work experience.

In the Film concentration, students learn to imagine, plan, and produce stories and messages for all media. Students will create narrative fiction, documentary, experimental, and animated films, submitting their work to film festivals and learning practices for distribution through streaming platforms and traditional cinema. The ubiquity of social media platforms and the prevalence of content like short-form videos, motion graphics, and podcasts have increased demand for makers who know how to tell a story to any audience – and with a variety of tools. Students will receive robust training in image and sound production, animation, screenwriting, editing, digital literacy, media, and film history. Students will learn to operate state-of-the-art video, audio, and lighting equipment, along with software and tools. From short films to podcasts and branded content for social media, students will learn to produce stories that engage, inform, and entertain.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, a student will be able to:

1. Communicate effectively, both spoken and written, in a variety of contexts and across a variety of platforms
2. Produce media that informs, persuades, or inspires an audience.
3. Create evidence-based research, orally or in written form, with visuals.
4. Participate in a work-based learning experience, and internship, and produce a media portfolio.
5. Create visual stories utilizing image composition, sequencing, nonlinear editing techniques, and the three phases of production.
6. Demonstrate competency in operating media production equipment and software in the studio and field.
7. Discuss the history and forms of media production, its use, and its impact on society, corporations, and government, from local and global perspectives.

Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
General Education Requirements
COMM 1010	Communication Fundamentals^ HUMN; Non-Written Communication; Social and Professional Responsibilities	3
COMM 1075	Digital, Civic, and Media Literacy HUMN; Critical Thinking; Diverse Perspectives	3
ECON 2040	Principles of Macroeconomics SSCI; Critical Thinking; Quantitative Literacy	3
ENGL 1010	Composition I (or ENGL 1010A) HUMN; Written Communication; Information Literacy	3
JOUR 1050	Introduction to Mass Media HUMN; Written Communication; Critical Thinking	3
MATH 1175	Statistics for the Health and Social Sciences MSCI; Scientific Reasoning; Quantitative Literacy	3
Choose ONE of the following: MSCI		3-5
Mathematics Elective
Science Elective
SOCS 1010	General Sociology SSCI; Information Literacy; Diverse Perspectives	3
Subtotal		24-26
Major Core Requirements
COMM 1005	Careers and Academic Success for Communication and Media	3
COMM 1300	Media Production and Presentation	3
COMM 2490	Field Experience^ (last semester course)	2
COMM 2500	Portfolio Capstone (last semester course)	2
FILM 1010	Principles of Film and Media HUMN; Critical Thinking; Diverse Perspectives	3
FILM 2100	Television Production^	3
or COMM 1201	Radio Production^
or JOUR 1200	Newspaper Production^
Subtotal		16
Film/Media Concentration
FILM 1020	Film and Media Production	3
FILM 1204	History of Film I: Early Cinema to 1950s HUMN; Critical Thinking; Diverse Perspectives	3
FILM 2110	Crafting the Short Film	3
FILM 2150	Introduction to Cinematography	3
or FILM 2200	Documentary Production
FILM 2300	Intermediate Editing	3
FILM 2310	Sound Design and Production	3
FILM 2370	Digital Content Creation	3
or FILM 2350	Animation and Motion Graphics
Film Elective		3
Subtotal		24
Total Hours		64-66

^

Work-based learning course

Recommended Course Sequence

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Semester 1		Hours
COMM 1005	Careers and Academic Success for Communication and Media	3
COMM 1300	Media Production and Presentation	3
ENGL 1010	Composition I (or ENGL 1010A)	3
FILM 1010	Principles of Film and Media	3
Choose ONE of the following:		3
Mathematics Elective
Science Elective
	Hours	15
Semester 2
COMM 1075	Digital, Civic, and Media Literacy	3
FILM 1020	Film and Media Production	3
FILM 1204	History of Film I: Early Cinema to 1950s	3
FILM 2110	Crafting the Short Film	3
MATH 1175	Statistics for the Health and Social Sciences	3
	Hours	15
Year 2
Semester 1
COMM 1010	Communication Fundamentals^	3
Choose ONE of the following:		3
COMM 1201	Radio Production^
FILM 2100	Television Production^
JOUR 1200	Newspaper Production^
ECON 2040	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
FILM 2300	Intermediate Editing	3
FILM 2310	Sound Design and Production	3
JOUR 1050	Introduction to Mass Media	3
	Hours	18
Semester 2
COMM 2490	Field Experience^	2
COMM 2500	Portfolio Capstone	2
Choose ONE of the following:		3
FILM 2150	Introduction to Cinematography
FILM 2200	Documentary Production
Choose ONE of the following:		3
FILM 2350	Animation and Motion Graphics
FILM 2370	Digital Content Creation
Film Elective		3
SOCS 1010	General Sociology	3
	Hours	16
	Total Hours	64

^

Work-based learning course

Transfer

Please meet with an Academic Advisor/Student Success Coach if you are interested in earning a bachelor's degree. Your Academic Advisor will help you select the courses that best prepare you for transfer to a four-year college or university.

Check out the Joint Admissions Agreement if you are interested in transferring to Rhode Island College or the University of Rhode Island. The JAA program offers seamless transfer to RIC or URI with additional benefits. Transfer information, events, and articulations are available on the Transfer Center website. 

Students are encouraged to take advantage of Communication and Media transfer opportunities.