Media Production and Criticism Concentration

Catalog Year: 2023-2024

Banner Code: LA-BA-COM-MPC

Communication is the study of basic human social processes: the creation and dissemination of meaning and information. The major prepares students for graduate study or professional positions in such fields as interpersonal and organizational communication, journalism, media production and criticism, political communication, and public relations. Students develop skills and knowledge that put them at the edge of a rapidly changing communication industry. Majors learn to construct and evaluate messages across platforms—web, print, audio and visual.

Honors in the Major

Highly-qualified students may pursue advanced coursework leading to graduation with honors in the major.

Eligibility

Students are eligible to apply for honors coursework if they meet the following requirements:

• Completion of a minimum of 75 credit hours, including COMM 200 Communication Theory and two of COMM 300 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, COMM 301 Relational Communication Theory, COMM 302 Media Theory, COMM 305 Foundations of Intercultural Communication (Mason Core).
• Minimum GPA of 3.25 in all coursework completed at George Mason.
• GPA of 3.50 in all communication coursework completed at George Mason and applied to the major.

Honors coursework in communication is a fall-spring sequence. Applications may be submitted by eligible students for fall semester enrollment. The deadline is March 15 each spring, for the sequence beginning the following fall. Student eligibility will be dependent on the GPA at the time of application. If accepted to pursue honors coursework, the student must then enroll in COMM 490 Honors Research Methods in Communication. Under the guidance of the COMM 490 Honors Research Methods in Communication instructor, the student will complete a research prospectus for an honors project to be implemented in the following semester in COMM 491 RS: Honors Research Project in Communication.

Honors Requirements

To remain eligible for honors coursework, the student must

• receive a grade of 3.00 (no lower than B) in COMM 490 Honors Research Methods in Communication;
• have the research prospectus approved by the COMM 490 Honors Research Methods in Communication instructor and the honors director; and
• maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 and a minimum GPA of 3.50 in all COMM coursework completed at George Mason University and applied to the major.

In the following semester, the student enrolls in COMM 491 RS: Honors Research Project in Communication. The student conducts his/her research and prepares a written project conforming to the standards set by the instructor. Upon completion of the project, the COMM 491 RS: Honors Research Project in Communication instructor and the honors director will determine if the project is of honors quality, which is then indicated by the grade earned in COMM 491 RS: Honors Research Project in Communication. For honors designation, the student must achieve an average grade of 3.50 across COMM 490 Honors Research Methods in Communication and COMM 491 RS: Honors Research Project in Communication and must also maintain minimum GPA eligibility requirements outlined above.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: minimum 120

Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.

Core Courses

¹

Must first complete COMM 200 Communication Theory with a grade of C or better.

²

Must first complete six credits from COMM 300 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, COMM 301 Relational Communication Theory, or COMM 305 Foundations of Intercultural Communication (Mason Core) with a grade of C or better.

Concentration

Students must complete coursework in one concentration. Students may also declare a second concentration. No more than six credits can count between the two declared concentrations and no credits used within the declared concentration(s) can be used to satisfy communication elective credits. Students must declare a concentration before they earn more than 75 credits. Transfer students with 60 or more credits are encouraged to declare a concentration by the end of their first semester. COMM 399 Special Topics in Communication or other special topics courses from other concentrations may be applied toward a concentration when the topic is relevant to the concentration with prior written approval of the undergraduate director.

• Interpersonal and Organizational Communication (IOC)
• Journalism (JNL) 
• Media Production and Criticism (MPC)
• Political Communication (PCOM)
• Public Relations (PR)

Concentration in Media Production and Criticism (MPC)

Electives

¹

COMM 100 Public Speaking (Mason Core) and COMM 101 Fundamentals of Communication (Mason Core) cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

Courses Limited to 10 Credits

Of the 39 credits applied to the major, no more than 10 credits may be in these courses. In addition, no more than 6 credits of COMM 450 Internship in Communication or 3 credits of COMM 452 Media Production Practicum may be applied to the major.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated as writing intensive in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in communication fulfill this requirement by successfully completing COMM 300 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism.

Additional Electives

Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

Upper Level Requirement

Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.

College Level Requirements for the BA Degree

In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).

Philosophy or Religious Studies

¹

Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:

• PHIL 323 Classical Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 324 Modern Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 327 Contemporary Western Political Theory 
• PHIL 393 Humanities College to Career 
• PHIL 460 Senior Seminar in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Additionally, PHIL 253, RELI 235,  RELI 333, and RELI 339 cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core literature requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

¹

The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. 

²

HIST 100 and HIST 125 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

Foreign Language

¹

Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Non-Western Culture

Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)

¹

A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Mason Core

Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

Students who have completed the following credentials are eligible for a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower level) requirement categories. The Integration category (upper level) is not waived under this policy. See Admissions for more information. 

• VCCS Uniform Certificate of General Studies
• VCCS or Richard Bland Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.&S.), or Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.)

¹

Most programs include the writing-intensive course designated for the major as part of the major requirements; this course is therefore not counted towards the total required for Mason Core.

²

Minimum 3 credits required.