Media Studies (MA)
Master of Arts (MA)
Offered by:
Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Arts & Science
Program overview
The MA in Media Studies will deepen your command of contemporary media culture, history and theory. Emerging technologies and media platforms affect the way that we perceive the world and our place in it. As producers and consumers of different forms of media, we are actively participating in an environment that gives agency to certain individuals and groups over others. Now more than ever, we need academic researchers and creators to examine the social, political and cultural dimensions of various forms of media. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines elements of the humanities, liberal arts, social sciences and fine arts. Our students benefit from an active research culture led by a multitude of faculty research initiatives and creations, and pursue their own interest on topics such as video games, feminist media and Indigenous art.
Program Details
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in communication (or equivalent in a cognate area) with a minimum of 3.00 GPA.
- Experience in media or a media-related field is an asset.
- 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 English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.
Degree Requirements
Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.
Please see the Communication Studies Courses page for course descriptions.
Media Studies MA (45 credits)
| 45 | credits chosen from one of the following options: Media Studies MA Thesis (Option I) Media Studies MA Courses (Option II) Media Studies MA Research-Creation Thesis (Option III) Media Studies MA Major Research Paper (Option IV) |
Media Studies MA Thesis (Option I)
| 12 | credits of Required Courses: |
| 12 | credits of Elective Courses chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the department’s graduate studies committee. If approved by the department’s graduate studies committee, and with the permission of the department concerned, up to 3 of these credits may be taken in cognate graduate courses offered by other departments in the university. |
| 21 | credits: |
Media Studies MA Courses (Option II)
| 9 | credits of Required Courses: |
| 36 | credits of Elective Courses chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the department’s graduate studies committee. If approved by the department’s graduate studies committee, and with the permission of the department concerned, up to 9 of these credits may be taken in cognate graduate courses offered by other departments in the university. |
Media Studies MA Research-Creation Thesis (Option III)
| 12 | credits of Required Courses: |
| 12 | credits of Elective Courses chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the department’s graduate studies committee. If approved by the department’s graduate studies committee, and with the permission of the department concerned, up to 3 of these credits may be taken in cognate graduate courses offered by other departments in the university. |
| 21 | credits: |
Media Studies MA Major Research Paper (Option IV)
| 9 | credits of Required Courses: |
| 21 | credits of Elective Courses chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the department’s graduate studies committee. If approved by the department’s graduate studies committee, and with the permission of the department concerned, up to 9 of these credits may be taken in cognate graduate courses offered by other departments in the university. |
| 15 | credits: |
You may choose one of four options:
Option I
Research and thesis: an independent, supervised thesis project of 20,000 to 25,000 words in length and submitted in written form at the end of the second year.
Option II
Course work only: for students interested in advancing their professional or vocational development.
Option III
Research-creation project: students with significant media production experience can undertake a research-creation project deploying one or more media forms, comprising an original media production or prototype in any genre and a 10,000 word document. The program does not provide media training.
Option IV
Major research paper: an extended 10,000 word essay or project on a topic chosen in consultation with a full-time faculty member.
Your completed application will include:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of purpose (5 pages, double-spaced) and should:
- provide a brief overview of your undergraduate studies and what courses, professors, or scholarly work and theorists were the most influential and/or the most challenging
- detail briefly the type of potential research (thesis or project) you would like to undertake
- identify courses in our program which are of particular interest to you and professors you feel might support your research interests
- recount any work experience (paid or voluntary) that is relevant to your application
- Writing sample (e.g. a research paper or essay from a senior undergraduate course)
- 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) |
| Media Studies | MA | Jan. 15 | n/a | n/a |
Consult the graduate calendar for a complete list of current courses.
Several awards and recruitment bursaries are available for new and current students, including the Communication Studies MA Graduate Scholarship, the Daniel Feist Memorial Scholarship and the Luigi Liberatore Graduate Entrance Scholarship.
Research assistant positions also exist for funded research but cannot be guaranteed. Individual faculty members determine if work opportunities are available based on their own research budgets.
Faculty of Arts and Science Fellowships
The Faculty of Arts and Science supports graduate students by awarding one-year Masters fellowships ($7,000). Other awards available through the faculty include:
- Concordia Merit Scholarship
- Concordia University Graduate Fellowship
- Harriet and Abe Gold Endowment
- Hydro-Quebec Graduate Award
- John W. O'Brien Graduate Fellowship
- Clara Strozyk Scholarship
- Out-of-Province Fee Remission Awards
Consideration for Entrance Awards is automatically part of the admissions process for all new students. We also encourage students seeking admission to our program to apply for funding from external sources in the final year of their undergraduate studies (e.g. FRQSC, SSHRC).
Please also consult Concordia’s graduate funding page and Financial Aid and Awards.
The department’s interdisciplinary faculty are known nationally and internationally for their scholarship. They regularly garner significant grants and fellowships for their contributions to the fields of communications, media studies, media arts, cultural studies and design art. They are also gaining acclaim for ground breaking research situated at the crossroads of fine arts, science and the humanities.
Faculty interests 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
- nuclear culture and history
