The Industry Studies side of the Master of Arts program is led by a small but dynamic faculty who work closely with graduate students as they develop their degree plans. Students are afforded options to create individualized degree plans that fit their academic interests and career goals. Our faculty members are internationally recognized scholars, seasoned media professionals and award-winning media producers. The Industry Studies area is designed for students with an interest in all branches of media industries - inluding film, television, and digital content - with a focsus on media management, economics, globalization, entrepreneurship, distribution, law and regulation, programming, and audience research. The degree is designed with a focus on expanding students' career readiness and options in the media industry or a academia. Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate courses; the program is designed to take approximately two years.
Find out more about admissions or the program, contact Dr Xiaoqun Zhang, Director of Master of Arts program.
1. REQUIRED COURSES
- RTVF 5125: Media Industry Studies
- Either MRTS 5120: Crit/Cult Studies OR MRTS 5121: New Media Theory
2. MINIMUM 9 HOURS OF TRACK-SPECIFIC CRIT/CULT COURSES: (offerings subject to chagne with approval from faculty advisor)
- Media Managment
- Media Economics
- Digital Distribution
- Media Entrepreneurship
- Global Media
- Audience Research
- Media Law & Regulation
- Media Programming
- Media Ethics
- Video Game History
- Broadcast Advertising
- U.S. Television History
- Leadership in Media Organization
- It's Not Just TV, It's HBO
- Media in the 21st Century
3. MINIMUM 9 HOURS OF GRADUATE LEVEL ELECTIVES
These can include up to (but not required):
- 6 credit hours from graduate courses in other departments at UNT as approved by the faculty advisor
- 3 credit hours practicum OR 3 hours internship
- 3 credit hours special problems (with faculty approval)
4. CAPSTONE
The Master of Arts degree offers the option of a written thesis or a comprehensive exam. We strongly encourage students to pursue the thesis option if they are interested in applying to Ph.D. programs.
- Thesis Option (6 hours of thesis enrollment)
- Of the required minimum of 30 graduate hours, 6 hours must be thesis credit. The student must have departmental approval for this option, including the approval of a Media Arts graduate faculty thesis advisor. The student must successfully complete and orally defend a written thesis.
- Comprehensive Exam Option (3 hours of special problems)
- Of the required minimum of 30 graduate hours, 3 hours must be a special problems credit with the successful completion of a comprehensive examination. The student must have departmental approval for this option, including the approval of a Media Arts graduate faculty examination advisor. Students are eligible to complete the exam once they have a degree plan approved and have completed 21 hours of graduate course work.
RECENT STUDENT THESES
Thesis work completed by graduate students in Industry Studies covers topics such as distribution, media management and economics, globalization, audience research, and media regulation. Recent completed theses include:
- Saint Sony: Deliverer of Christian Content for the Evangelical Market - Stephen Patino
- Twitter and Radio News: A Dallas-Fort Worth Case Study - Mark Lambert
- Piracy on the Ground: How Informal Media Distribution and Access Influences Cultures in Contemporary Hanoi, Viet Nam - Anthony Tran
- Down, Set, Like?: A Study of Social Networking and Sports Fandom - Gabe Otteson
- Branded Content: Understanding the Mechanisms of Strategic Messaging in Entertainment Television Formats - Danielle Marie Nicholson
- Diffusion of Location Based Services and Targeting U.S. Hispanics: A Case Study - Jennifer Yepez
- Live from New York and Straight to Washington: An Explorative Study of Internet Audience Perceptions of the Portrayals and Appearances of Presidential Candidates on Saturday Night Live - Paige Thomason Miller
- Social Networking: The Benefits of Twitter for Music Fans and Consumers - Jessica A. Perrilliat
- Tactile Media: Factors Affecting the Adoption of Touchscreen Smartphones among Consumers with Vision Loss - Sapora L. Bradley
- Performance Rights in Sound Recordings: The Impact of the Performance Rights Act on Radio, Records, and Performing Artists - Joy Wright-Harmon
- Evaluating the Content and Tone of Mental Health News Coverage in Market 40: A Content Analysis of Selected Internet Stories from Las Vegas Broadcasting News Outlets - Ashley Conroy
- Attracted to the Medium: An Analysis of Social Behaviors, Advertising, and Youth Culture in the Emerging Mobile Era - Justin M. Battin
- Programming for the Latino Youth: A Content Analysis of Prime Time Television Programs by Three Spanish-laaguage Broadcast Networks - Gabriel Vazquez
- Confronting Convergence: Are Higher Education Administrators Using a Strategic Planning Approach to Mass Communication Curriculum Convergence? - Kristyn L. Huckeba
