Dec 21, 2024

OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2019-20

OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2019-20 [Archived Catalog]

Media Arts and Studies—Games and Animation (B.S.C.)

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Major code BC5370

Scripps College of Communication
The Schoonover Center for Communication
3rd Floor
20 E. Union St.
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.4870
Fax: 740.593.9184
mediaschool@ohio.edu
http://mediaschool.ohio.edu/

Drew McDaniel, Ph.D., Director
Brian Plow, M.F.A., Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies

Program Overview

The School of Media Arts and Studies offers programs of study leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The baccalaureate program is designed to prepare students for careers in the media industries. While pursuing a media degree, students are also actively involved in the liberal arts curriculum found at Ohio University. Coursework in the fine arts, humanities, social sciences, technology, and cultural and communication sciences are all part of this liberal arts foundation that is critical to the success of today’s media professionals. In addition to media production, every one of our students learns media history, media theory, and media business concepts that will allow them to succeed in the modern media world. Students have opportunities to focus in one of five emphasis areas: Media and Social Change; Games and Animation; Music Production and Recording Industry; Screenwriting and Producing; or Integrated Media. Our broad-based curriculum enhances long-term success, which is reflected by our school’s mission statement: the School of Media Arts and Studies prepares well-rounded and proactive individuals to think critically, act creatively and practice ethically in a global media society. With almost 800 undergraduate students and nearly two-dozen faculty members, the School of Media Arts and Studies is proud to play a central role in the Scripps College of Communication Center of Excellence. Strong demand to join the School dictates that we have entry requirements above the university’s requirements.

Media Arts and Studies - Games and Animation (B.S.C.): The Games and Animation emphasis area encourages students to explore the production of computer animation and digital games, while also providing an understanding of the management and leadership roles in these industries.

All students enrolled in MDIA programs must complete core course requirements at the freshman and sophomore levels (MDIA 1010 , MDIA 1020 , MDIA 2010 & MDIA 2011 ), as well as two basic production courses (MDIA 1200 , 1300 , 1400 or 1500 ) and a Global Impact of Media Course in the Junior or Senior year. These courses integrate with courses specific to each program throughout the baccalaureate program. These classroom and laboratory experiences are augmented by a variety of practical experiences, extra-curricular involvement, unique place-based coursework, study abroad opportunities and internships, available to students in each of our undergraduate programs.

Ohio University’s Zanesville, Lancaster and Southern campuses offer an associate’s degree program in electronic media. This program offers a smaller, more intimate setting for the first two years of University coursework. Students participating in the two-year programs at these campuses and who desire to continue their study with the School of Media Arts and Studies will apply for transfer into the School during the spring semester (see transfer policy below). For additional information, see the Electronic Media program in the Regional Higher Education section.

The School of Media Arts and Studies also offers an Honors Tutorial College program for students with outstanding high school records. MDIA freshmen with strong academic records may also qualify.

Admission Information

Freshman Admission

For admission consideration into the School of Media Arts and Studies, all applicants should meet or exceed the following minimum qualifications:

Class Rank: Top 40%
Test Scores: ACT composite score of 23 or SAT 1 Combined math and verbal score of 1060

All students are admitted to Ohio University with a pre-major code of ND5368 for the first year of matriculation. At the end of the first year, students apply to one of the five emphasis areas. All students in the pre-major will be accepted into one of the five emphasis areas; however, not every student will be placed in his/her first choice of emphasis area.

Transfer Policy

Because the School of Media Arts and Studies sets high academic standards and limits enrollment, students from other universities or other programs and campuses at Ohio University must show strong academic performance. An accumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above will be required for consideration. Applications are accepted twice per year by the seventh week of either the fall or spring semester.

In addition, transfer students from outside Ohio University must abide by the policies indicated in the Admissions section of this catalog.

Students transferring into the School must be enrolled for a minimum of one academic year (two consecutive semesters) or their final 32 hours of earned credit in order to graduate from the program.

Further information regarding transfer policy can be found at mediaschool.ohio.edu/transfer.

Internships

Students with majors in the School of Media Arts and Studies are strongly encouraged to undertake an internship. The School and the College have hundreds of professional internship opportunities available to students, with nearly every major media organization in the United States, as well as internationally. Students can receive one hour of credit for an on- or off-campus practicum (MDIA 3910 & 3911 ) as early as the summer following the freshman year. Students may undertake the formal internship (MDIA 4910 ) during the junior or senior year. More information can be found at http://mediaschool.ohio.edu/internships

MDIA 4911 (Internship in LA) is conducted through the Ohio-in-LA program and requires a separate application through Ohio University’s Office of Global Opportunities.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

By using scripts, sound, moving image, and interactivity to create stories through music, games, animation, video, and social media our students learn the pre-production, production, and post-production processes, while continuing to hone the skills needed to analyze the media they are creating. Alumni of the Media Arts and Studies program work in a variety of media industries. They create, analyze, and oversee media for education, entertainment, activism, journalism, or public relations purposes in the corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial media industries.

Requirements

Media Arts and Studies General Requirements

MDIA offers a depth of general requirements along with the University’s breadth of general requirements.

Arts and Humanities

Complete 6 hours of 3000- to 4000-level courses (or 2000-level or above for language courses). Courses include Tier I junior composition with the balance of the hours chosen from African American studies, art, art history, classical languages, comparative arts, dance, English, film, humanities, modern languages, music, philosophy, and theater. Note: Language courses may count for Arts and Humanities or Cross-Cultural Perspectives areas, but not both.

Social Sciences

Complete 6 hours of 3000- to 4000-level courses chosen from anthropology, classical archaeology, economics, history, international studies, management, marketing, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Complete 6 hours of 3000- to 4000-level courses (or 2000-level or above for language courses) chosen from African American studies, classical languages, communication sciences and disorders, communication studies, journalism, linguistics, modern languages, and visual communication. Note: Language courses may count for Arts and Humanities or Cross-Cultural Perspectives areas, but not both.

Media Arts and Studies Core

Complete the following courses with a grade of C (2.0) or better in each course:

MDIA 1010 - The Evolution of Media Credit Hours: 3
(Intended to be taken during first year premajor)
MDIA 1020 - Media and the Creative Process Credit Hours: 3
(Intended to be taken during first year premajor)
MDIA 2010 - Media Analysis and Criticism Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2011 - The Business of Media Credit Hours: 3

Global Impact of Media

Complete one of the following courses:

MDIA 2150 - Media Globalization Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3150 - Global Media Systems Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3172 - Public Media: Past, Present, and Future Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4011 - Media and the Digital Divide Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4015 - Media and Development Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4140 - New Media and Communication Technologies Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4141 - Satellite Media and Communications Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4170 - Media and the Muslim World Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4176 - Technology, Communication, and Culture Credit Hours: 3

Complete courses in the following areas to total 3 hours:

Note: These courses are intended to be taken during the first year premajor.

MDIA 1200 - Audio Production Basics Credit Hours: 1.5
MDIA 1300 - Digital Media Production Basics Credit Hours: 1.5
MDIA 1400 - Video Production Basics Credit Hours: 1.5
MDIA 1500 - Non-fiction Screenwriting Basics Credit Hours: 1.5

Animation, Games, and Storytelling

MDIA 2401 - Digital Game Design Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2500 - Animation I Credit Hours: 3

Complete One of the Following

FILM 2020 - Introduction to Film: Film Analysis Credit Hours: 3
FILM 3430 - Screenwriting Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2201 - Short Form Media Scriptwriting Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2202 - Non-Traditional Storytelling Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2701 - Visual Storytelling Credit Hours: 3

History/Industry

Complete one of the following:

FILM 4310 - Film History I Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2100 - Entertainment Media Law and Finance Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 2110 - Media Theory and Research Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3102 - Media Content Management Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3105 - Audience Research Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3110 - Advanced Media Criticism Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3160 - History of Computer Graphics Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3807 - The Art of Editing Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3810 - Women and the Media Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4600 - The Business of Hollywood Credit Hours: 3

Intermediate/Advanced

Complete two of the following:

FILM 4440 - Media Arts Management Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3303 - Sound for Moving Image Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3401 - Game Development I Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 3500 - Animation II Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4401 - Game Development II Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4405 - Digital Media Capstone Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4500 - Animation III Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4801 - Motion Graphics Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4805 - Compositing Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4705 - Media and Web Delivery Credit Hours: 3
MDIA 4905 - Special Topics in Games and Animation Credit Hours: 3

Total Media Hours

Complete additional media courses to earn a minimum of 39 hours. Media courses comprise all MDIA courses and all EM or FILM courses listed as options in the major. Note that some courses might be listed as options for multiple areas of the major, but a course may only count once in the major (i.e., a course may not be used to fulfill more than one requirement in the major).

MDIA Corollary

Students in the School of Media Arts and Studies are required to complete a corollary of coursework. These courses are outside of the School of Media Arts and Studies and are selected by the student and the student’s academic advisor to enhance the student’s area of interest. The corollary requires a minimum of 21 credit hours from no more than two areas outside of MDIA with at least 12 hours at the 3000 or 4000 level, or completing an advisor-approved minor.