Media Arts Major

• What is Media Arts?
• What Kinds of Students Major in Media Arts?
• What Courses Do Media Arts Majors Take?
• List of Media Arts Jobs
• What is the Median Salary Range for Media Arts Careers?
• College and University Departments to Consider

What is Media Arts?

The media arts communicate through images and some text to convey ideas. They integrate digital technologies with traditional forms of artistic methods of expression through images. Media Arts includes marketing advertisements, company logos and billboards. A media arts major enters careers in fields such as journalism, broadcasting, video and multimedia production, public relations and advertising. The student’s major encompasses theoretical and social effects of the media and the creative and technical components of the discipline. Beyond their coursework, students are often gain experience through activities related to student-oriented media such as the student newspaper, campus television and radio productions, and yearbooks. Qualified students are may engage in summer internships in professional media. Media arts develops artistic skills with an emphasis on all forms of media, however, computer-aided media are increasingly common. Media arts specialists may create exiting and innovative websites that induce the customer to buy. Majors in this discipline are exposed to up-to-date photography darkroom, modern desktop publishing computers and other equipment used to demonstrate current printing and information dissemination methods. The products of Media Arts are used in institutional and mass media communications.

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What Kinds of Students Major in Media Arts?

Media Arts students have artistic abilities and a technological aptitude. They are able to distill and arrange information to be conveyed via aesthetically pleasing formats to the public. They are concerned with how the elements of style are applied to the conveyance of information. They have a desire to apply art in this manner, to research and apply appropriate communication techniques to layout and production of graphic, advertising, corporate and institutional visual communications. The field of Media Arts is geared toward students who have the spirit of an artist along with the desires of a businessperson. Media arts students are interested in design, color and how to express those ideas through different vehicles.

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What Courses Do Media Arts Majors Take?

The required and elective courses you would take for Media Arts majors vary considerably among institutions. Courses are listed here that are illustrative of the breadth of topics you are likely to experience were you to major in this field.

Color Separation in Printing	Design and Society
Design for Print and Digital Media	Digital Imaging
Digital Photography	Flexography and Screen Printing
Media Arts	Multimedia
Offset Printing Operations	Photography
Visual Technologies	Web Design

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List of Potential Jobs in Media Arts

These professions and professional organizations illustrate the types of positions you might qualify for if you complete this major. Some majors are more directly related to employment than others, however. You should consider the likelihood of employment after graduation carefully, if you do not plan to go on for graduate work in a field. Even with the completion of graduate work in some fields, however, employment is difficult, so you should determine what the prospects are for this or any major. Employment possibilities are often enhanced by the selecting employment-related courses and by the enrollment in second major or in a minor.

Advertising Editor	Artist
Broadcast and Television Production	Corporate Communications Specialist
Digital Color and Imaging Specialist	Graphic Artist
Graphic Designer	Interactive Designer
Marketing Executive	Printing and Paper Salesperson
Public Relations	Publication Development
Publishing Design and Production	Video Production
Website Designer

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What is the Median Salary Range for Media Arts Careers?

U.S. Median Salary(starting):$36,000

U.S. Median Salary(mid-career):$59,400

Note: These numbers are national averages so you could make more or less than these amounts. Actual expected salaries will vary depending on your chosen career path, experience, and even your geographic location. Are you interested in detailed information about the forecasted demand for a particular profession? Are you interested in the estimated salaries such positions are likely to pay? This government Web site allows you to search on a particular job, whether listed here or not, to give you this information.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Colleges and Universities offering majors in Media Arts

MyMajors complete list has 588 schools in the USA with a major in Media Arts.
-View the national listing!

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