Introduction
This pathway trains students to analyze, produce, and strategically shape media and entertainment in the digital age, preparing them for successful careers in a range of creative industries. Students will develop impactful digital storytelling skills, learn to use and assess the impact of new media technologies and techniques on creative work, and cultivate a historical and critical approach to analyzing and creating media that matters to diverse audiences.
Coursework in this pathway introduces students to some of the most relevant and pressing topics in the creative industries, including media history, media representation, popular culture, entertainment industries, cultural policies, global media, social media content creation, platform economies, platform governance, and AI-driven cultural production.
Career Opportunities
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Media Strategy
Communication strategist, creative strategist, content strategist, social media strategist, influencer marketing, social media marketing, brand strategist, cultural consultant, design consultant, media analyst, digital content specialist, digital media campaign manager, media planner.
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Media Production
Creative director, TV producer, music producer, broadcast producer, podcast producer, content production assistant, game designer, social content producer.
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Programming & Audience
Acquisition coordinator, music coordinator, audience coordinator, content programmer, community manager.
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Creator/Performance
Digital content creator, TV host, reporter, commentator, radio host, podcast host.
Meet our Students and Alumni
As a communication major at UIC, classes like Digital Influencers and Digital Journalism have helped me understand how digital messages are actively shaping our culture and society, while simultaneously providing me with tools to amplify true stories impacting communities through a professional lens.
Studying Communication at UIC has provided an expansive landscape for me to dive into my passions in ways that are creative and important. Because of my involvement in UIC radio and my participation as moderator of SAB’s event “An Evening with Jennette McCurdy” in 2022, I was able to see the power in my voice and communication. Those experiences helped me decide that switching my major to communication would be one for the best.
What I’ve learned is that communications isn’t about choosing one career path, it’s about preparing yourself for many. It equips you to adapt, pivot, and grow as your interests evolve. For students who want a major that opens doors instead of closing them, communications is one of the smartest choices you can make. It applies to nearly every industry and teaches you that building and maintaining relationships is one of the most valuable skills you can have in your career.
Build Career Skills
Analyze and Create Impactful Media | COMM 270, COMM 330
Media, Entertainment, and Culture students learn to interpret and analyze media content for real-world impact, including media representations, media campaigns, and social media content, and translate this analysis into creative and persuasive content strategies. In the Digital Influencers class, students analyze successful influencer marketing campaigns, develop a business pitch for influencers, and create content as digital influencers to promote a product or service. In Mass Media and Popular Culture, students create hands-on media content about pop culture, including podcasts and blog posts.
Potential Courses
Students interested in this pathway may select courses from this list to satisfy some or all of their major requirements as well as electives. Choose courses you are most interested in or most relevant to your career direction. Students in the Media, Entertainment, and Culture pathway are not expected to take all of the listed courses.
- COMM 204. Gender and Popular Culture
- COMM 207. The Mass Media and Politics
- COMM 210. Race, Media, and Culture
- COMM 234. History of Television
- COMM 250. Social Media and Society
- COMM 254. Future Television
- COMM 260. Games as Social Technology
- COMM 270. Digital Influencers
- COMM 303. Communication and Culture
- COMM 330. Mass Media and Popular Culture
- COMM 335. Digital Storytelling
- COMM 430. Media, Information and Society
- COMM 460. Visual Communication
- COMM 465. Video Games and Society
- COMM 470. Communication and Music
Student Experiences in Media, Entertainment, & Culture
Featured Student Experience
UIC Radio
Since 2000, UIC Radio has been the official student-led radio station of the University of Illinois Chicago. The station’s main goals are to provide the UIC community with entertainment, information, and education that reflect their diverse interests and experiences. Their programs include a diversity of formats, including music playlist, talk radio, news, and public affairs programming. UIC radio is our community’s creative hub, demonstrating the creativity, cultural insight, and media expertise of UIC’s students. Many of our Communication students play key roles in creating and directing their fantastic programs.
UIC Radio has given me the opportunity to explore a career with a media corporation. In addition to being fun, my weekly shows offer endless possibilities for creativity, and I have also been able to connect my personal experiences with my show, The Fruitbasket, to many of the social concepts taught in my classes.
| BA Communication, 2027
