Communication Studies Graduate Diploma (GrDip)
Program overview
The Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies provides students with an intensive introduction to the field of communication. This one-year program will give you a deeper understanding of modern media and hands-on experience in video, intermedia and sound production. Our dedicated faculty will guide you through the key research areas in the field, with elective courses such as documentary studies, feminist media studies, new media and ethics and popular culture. You will study the creative and technical aspects of moving images and new digital technologies through a series of interactive production courses. Our facilities include state-of-the-art film and video editing suites, intermedia labs, and sound recording studios. Join a diverse body of young scholars and professionals working to expand their personal qualifications in media production and theory. The city of Montreal also provides numerous opportunities for students interested in taking the internship option during the course.
Program details
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with high standing from a recognized institution in a field other than communication.
- Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the Graduate Admission page for further information on the Language Proficiency requirements and exemptions.
Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits.
18 credits – Core Courses
COMS 505 - Introduction to Communication Theory and History (3 credits)
COMS 506 - In the Field: Methods in Communication Studies and Practice (3 credits)
COMS 510 - Graduate Diploma Seminar (3 credits)
COMS 562 - Media Production: Sound (3 credits)
COMS 569 - Media Production: Moving Images (3 credits)
COMS 570 - Media Production: Intermedia (3 credits)
12 credits – Elective Courses
COMS 507 - Advanced Scriptwriting for Media (3 credits)
COMS 512 - Discourses of Dissent (3 credits)
COMS 513 - Cultures of Production (3 credits)
COMS 514 - Production Administration (3 credits)
COMS 516 - Advanced Topics in Documentary Film and Video (3 credits)
COMS 518 - Cultures of Globalization (3 credits)
COMS 519 - Communications and Indigenous Peoples (3 credits)
COMS 521 - Communication Technologies and Gender (3 credits)
COMS 522 - Perspectives on the Information Society (3 credits)
COMS 523 - Media Art and Aesthetics (3 credits)
COMS 524 - Alternative Media (3 credits)
COMS 525 - Media Forecast (3 credits)
COMS 532 - Communication, Culture and Popular Art (3 credits)
COMS 533 - Semiotics (3 credits)
COMS 534 - Advanced Topics in Film Studies (3 credits)
COMS 535 - Communications, Development and Colonialism (3 credits)
COMS 537 - Race, Ethnicity and Media (3 credits)
COMS 538 - Organizational Communication (3 credits)
COMS 539 - Political Communication (3 credits)
COMS 540 - Acoustic Communication and Design (3 credits)
COMS 541 - Sexuality and Public Discourse (3 credits)
COMS 542 - Advanced Topics in the Photographic Image (3 credits)
COMS 543 - Film Criticism (3 credits)
COMS 544 - Reception Studies (3 credits)
COMS 545 - Television Studies (3 credits)
COMS 546 - Rhetoric and Communication (3 credits)
COMS 547 - International Communication (3 credits)
COMS 548 - Media Policy in Canada (3 credits)
COMS 553 - Communication Ethics (3 credits)
COMS 561 - Communicative Performances and Interventions (3 credits)
COMS 580 - Selected Topics in Communication Studies (3 credits)
COMS 583 - Internship in Communication Studies (3 credits)
COMS 585 - Directed Study in Communication Studies (3 credits)
COMS 586 - Directed Study in Communication Studies (3 credits)
COMS 598 - Advanced Topics in Communication Studies (3 credits)
Chosen in consultation with the Diploma Program Director.
Your completed application will include:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of Purpose should outline (600 words maximum):
- Describe your academic and professional background and how this has led to your decision to apply
- Indicate how this program might advance academic and professional goals
- Identify courses in our program which are of particular interest to you
- Describe what makes you an ideal candidate for this program
- Explain why you are choosing this particular program
- Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.
Please apply online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures.
| DEGREE |
FALL (September) |
WINTER (January) |
SUMMER (May/June) |
| Communication Studies | Diploma | Feb. 15 | n/a | n/a |
Courses
All courses are 3-credit, one-term courses unless otherwise stated.
Core Courses (Group A)
COMS 505 Introduction to Communication Theory and History
This seminar offers an introduction to communication theory, by situating media theories and technology in their historical and cultural contexts. Through lectures, discussions, and selected readings from the works of key theorists, this course explores and evaluates major historical and contemporary approaches to communication theories.
COMS 506 In the Field: Methods in Communication Studies and Practice
Prerequisite: COMS 505.
This course offers an introduction to communication research methods and provides an interdisciplinary approach to the interaction of media, technology, culture, and society.
COMS 510 Graduate Diploma Seminar
This full-year course meets bi-weekly to introduce students to the following topics: communication organizations and their public identities, internships and professional development opportunities, emerging trends in communications research methods and practice. Representatives from industry and faculty are invited to discuss their work and future trends in media studies and practice. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
COMS 562 Media Production: Sound
This course is designed to provide the student with a basic working knowledge of audio systems, both natural and electronic, to understand the various affective and psychological qualities of sound, and how sound may be structured into imaginative aural form. Lectures and Laboratory: average 6 hours per week.
COMS 569 Media Production: Moving Images
This course provides a foundation in the creative, critical and technical aspects of moving images, including an introduction to non-linear editing software.
Note: Students who have received credit for COMS 567 (Television) or COMS 568 (Film) may not take this course for credit.
COMS 570 Media Production: Intermedia
This course provides an introduction to new and developing digital technologies (primarily computer-based media) through historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives on media, culture, and society and includes basic concepts in software operating systems, communication design and digital media creation. Lectures and Laboratory: average 6 hours per week.
For a listing of elective courses please see the Graduate Calendar.
Current research areas include:
- cultural studies
- the nature and conception of audiences
- rhetoric
- the history of communication
- film and documentary production
- film and television studies
- feminist and postcolonial theory
- gender and technology
- media and ICT policy
- religion and media
- international and development communication
- visual studies
- semiotics of landscape and environment
- political communication
- alternative and activist media
- video advocacy
- intermedial art practices
- sound art
- video and media arts
- performance and game studies.
Many students chose to complete an internship for one course credit. More details available here.
