Media Arts

The Pacific University Media Arts Department believes that media creation is a powerful means of effective civic engagement and positive social change. Critical media consumption and the ability to create effective and ethical media in today’s media-saturated world are at the core of the curricula and classes in the Media Arts. Students in the Media Arts benefit from close faculty mentorship to develop the technical, aesthetic, and organizational skills necessary to become confident producers of media, including films/videos, interactive media, and journalism, and the skills to become informed consumers of media.

The areas of studies in the Media Arts prepare students for careers in a variety of communication and media-related fields including (but not limited to): journalism, film/video production, interactive media production, multi-media writing, communication design, broadcasting, and marketing.

In addition to courses, the department offers many opportunities for majors and non-majors to gain experience collaborating with others in media and communications-related fields. For over 120 years, the student newspaper, The Pacific Index, has provided students with real world newspaper experience. The Pacific University Media Arts student club (PUMA) provides a forum for students to interact and pursue opportunities to enhance their experiences in the department. MAPS (Media Arts Production Services) offers students an opportunity to earn money, while building their skills and resume by using their talents and skills to create videos, print media, etc. for the campus and local communities. The award-winning Pacific University Speech and Debate (Forensics) Team gives students the chance to hone their public speaking skills in the highly competitive world of intercollegiate forensics and compete in national and international competitions. Qualified media arts students are also eligible for internships in professional media outlets and organizations seeking assistance with their media-related endeavors.

Media arts students can pursue a semester abroad studying media production and theory at beautiful York St. John University in York, England.