Media Studies Undergraduate Program

Students working together during SOJC Gateway Lab
Bachelor's Degree and Minor in Media Studies

Media is one of the most powerful forces shaping the world today. To successfully communicate with audiences—and participate in cultural conversations around diversity and representation—organizations need to understand the media’s evolution and impact on society.

Students working together during SOJC Gateway Lab

Bachelor's Degree and Minor in Media Studies

Media is one of the most powerful forces shaping the world today. To successfully communicate with audiences—and participate in cultural conversations around diversity and representation—organizations need to understand the media’s evolution and impact on society.

Apply »  |  Degree Requirements »  |  Sample Schedules »  |  Courses »  |  Faculty and Staff »  |  Internships »  |  Visit Us »

Apply » |  Degree Requirements » |  Sample Schedules » |  Courses »  |  Faculty and Staff » |  Internships » |  Visit Us »

Analyze the World with a Media Studies Major

Take a deep dive into the cultural phenomena that fascinate you while building a unique career path around your passions. With a media studies major, you’ll develop the future-proof skills employers want most: critical thinking, analysis, data literacy, collaboration, and problem solving. Forge deep connections with passionate peers in a program that’s designed to foster community while offering the flexibility to follow where your fascination leads you. Become a cultural expert who helps organizations parse cultural debates around social justice and the ethics of emerging media, from police body cams to internet privacy to social media algorithms.

Students sitting in classroom
Group of students sitting around a table
Media Studies student
Media Studies student writing on whiteboard
What You Can Do with a Media Studies Bachelor's Degree

Employers across all industries want critical thinkers who can research, analyze, and collaborate. Our media studies major prepares students for graduate study in the humanities, social sciences, or law, as well as for a wide range of careers, from online content creator and social media coordinator to public servant or content producer. You’ll develop transferable skills that that can help organizations in any industry adapt to an evolving communication landscape.

Explore Jobs & Careers

Learn about SOJC Graduate Programs

Get a Minor in Media Studies

Nearly any student would benefit from a media studies degree. Our program is flexible so you can weave it into your education in a way that works for you. We offer a media studies minor for UO students outside the SOJC.

Learn about the Media Studies Minor

UO School of Journalism and Communication graduate Meg Rodgers
Do Research as an Undergrad

Meg Rodgers ’18 loves TV—especially its strong female characters. Her media studies major helped her turn her passion into a research project. As an undergraduate, she scored two grants to help fund her inquiry into TV’s antiheroines—women who buck stereotypically female traits like patience and humility. Her thesis topic? Why do TV audiences give more grace to antiheroes like Tony Soprano than to antiheroines like Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw?

Read about Meg's Research Findings

Hands-On Learning, Real-World Experience

Students in our program do real research—and not just in the library. Build your portfolio and deepen your understanding of media's role in society as you:

SOJC student Rachel Benner in Ghanaj
UO Student throwing the O
 
What’s It Like to Be a Female Gamer?

In the post-Gamergate era, women represent a growing segment of the gaming community—despite frequent bullying in online spaces. Media studies assistant professor Amanda Cote wants to know why. A gamer herself, Amanda studies gender and representation in video game culture while developing the SOJC’s innovative game studies curriculum. She's also the co-founder of the SOJC's new Esports and Games Research Lab.

Read about Amanda's Research

Amanda Cote stands in front of a projector screen that includes the text "participatory culture" while lecturing to a class of students
What’s It Like to Be a Female Gamer?

In the post-Gamergate era, women represent a growing segment of the gaming community—despite frequent bullying in online spaces. Media studies assistant professor Amanda Cote wants to know why. A gamer herself, Amanda studies gender and representation in video game culture while developing the SOJC’s innovative game studies curriculum. She's also the co-founder of the SOJC's new Esports and Games Research Lab.

Read about Amanda's Research

Claren Walker

What Our Alumni Say

The SOJC taught me the value of relationships and networks and gave me a very pragmatic toolkit that has helped me in the creative field. The ongoing emphasis on creative strategy and storytelling has proved instrumental in my success in the brand and design world.
Claren Walker ’19, Associate Strategist at Porto Rocha

Read a Q&A with Claren

Claren Walker
What Our Alumni Say
The SOJC taught me the value of relationships and networks and gave me a very pragmatic toolkit that has helped me in the creative field. The ongoing emphasis on creative strategy and storytelling has proved instrumental in my success in the brand and design world.
Claren Walker ’19, Associate Strategist at Porto Rocha

Read a Q&A with Claren