This section presents the requirements for programs in:
Program Requirements
Media Production and Design
B.M.P.D. Honours (20.0 credits)
A. Credits Included in the Major (12.0 credits) | ||
1. 2.5 credits in: | 2.5 | |
ITEC 1005 [0.5] | Web Development | |
ITEC 1100 [0.5] | Introduction to Interactive Media Design | |
ITEC 1400 [0.5] | Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving | |
MPAD 1001 [0.5] | Introduction to Storytelling: The Context | |
MPAD 1002 [0.5] | Introduction to Storytelling: The Practice | |
2. 3.5 credits in: | 3.5 | |
ITEC 2000 [0.5] | Multimedia Data Management | |
ITEC 2100 [0.5] | Data Visualization | |
MPAD 2001 [0.5] | Basics of Visual Communication I | |
MPAD 2002 [0.5] | Basics of Visual Communication II | |
MPAD 2003 [0.5] | Introductory Data Storytelling | |
MPAD 2004 [0.5] | Writing for Media | |
MPAD 2501 [0.5] | Media Law | |
3. 3.5 credits in: | 3.5 | |
ITEC 2400 [0.5] | Intermediate Programming | |
ITEC 3100 [0.5] | Immersive Storytelling | |
MPAD 3001 [0.5] | Storytelling and Social Media | |
MPAD 3002 [0.5] | Civic Engagement and Public Institutions I | |
MPAD 3003 [0.5] | Civic Engagement and Public Institutions II: Minor Design Project | |
MPAD 3300 [0.5] | Media Ethics in a Digital World | |
MPAD 3501 [0.5] | Internet and Big Data Law | |
4. 2.0 credits in: | 2.0 | |
MPAD 4000 [1.0] | Capstone Project | |
MPAD 4001 [0.5] | Media Industries Now and Next | |
MPAD 4200 [0.5] | Freelance Media Survival Skills | |
5. 0.5 credit from: | 0.5 | |
MPAD 4300 [0.5] | Special Topic | |
MPAD 4500 [0.5] | Special Topic | |
MPAD 4501 [0.5] | Gender, Identity and Inequality | |
MPAD 4502 [0.5] | Journalism and Conflict | |
MPAD 4503 [0.5] | Journalism, Indigenous Peoples and Canada | |
MPAD 4504 [0.5] | The Media and International Development | |
B. Credits Not Included in the Major (8.0 credits) | ||
6. 8.0 credits in free electives | 8.0 | |
Total Credits | 20.0 |
Information Technology (ITEC) Courses
Web Development
Introduction to Web development. Combining graphics, text, audio, and video to create Web sites; developing different, major working Web sites on an individual basis and in groups, using valid HTML5, cascading style sheets (CSS3), JavaScript and XML structures.
Introduction to Interactive Media Design
Overview of interactive multimedia design: user-centred and web design, mark-up languages, project management, design processes for video games, visual effects in movies, ethics, current trends in the field.
Prerequisite(s): For students not enrolled in CSIT programs.
Lectures three hours a week.
Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving
Introduction to systematic problem solving including defining and modelling problems, testing, debugging and results analysis, numeric methods, data presentations and abstraction, class relationships and program style and documentation.
Lectures/tutorials six hours a week.
Multimedia Data Management
Issues involving the back-end organization of information focusing on databases and database design, server-side scripting, the structured query language (SQL), digital rights management, and watermarking.
Lectures and tutorials five hours a week.
Data Visualization
Web-based data visualization techniques and systems. Good design practices for visualization, tools for visualization of data from a variety of fields, and programming of interactive web-based visualizations focusing on JavaScript, CSS, SVG and the D3 library.
Lectures/labs five hours a week.
Intermediate Programming
Introduction to object oriented programming using C++ language. Topics include detailed study of pointers and structures, inheritance, polymorphism, object-oriented program design, class libraries, user interface objects.
Lectures three hours a week, tutorial three hours a week.
Immersive Storytelling
The craft of digital storytelling, creating compelling online and game-engine packages. Using a variety of narrative formats, interactive tools, and digital content, including blogs and RSS feeds, developing an in-depth story using leading edge technologies and techniques.
Workshop three hours a week.
Media Production and Design (MPAD) Courses
Introduction to Storytelling: The Context
Theories, origins and evolution of story within society as the digital age shapes the way we construct and consume narratives. How stories are conceived through words, sound and images, and how they resonate with and influence audiences.
Introduction to Storytelling: The Practice
Finding and telling stories in engaging ways using text and basic images. Assignments build basic skills in research, interviewing, writing, storytelling, editing and ethics. How to structure and pitch for publication.
Basics of Visual Communication I
Introduction to visual storytelling through video. Students develop editorial and technical skills to produce video stories that include scripting to images. Students will also learn the basics of video shooting on a range of equipment as well as basic video editing skills.
Basics of Visual Communication II
This course expands from video theory and practice to still photography and multimedia projects, with emphasis on hands-on work with a theoretical underpinning, giving students the practical and technical skills to tell stories in multiple formats.
Introductory Data Storytelling
Governments use data for tracking. Numbers guide public policy and can become powerful and important stories. Students will gain a theoretical understanding of the promise and pitfalls of data availability alongside the practical skills needed for powerful data-based storytelling.
Writing for Media
This course tests student baseline skills, then develops writing capabilities tailored to specific media formats. Coursework is based on the principle that the best way to improve technique is through regular writing and timely constructive critiques.
Media Law
A survey of laws that affect the Canadian media. Specific areas include the development of freedom of expression, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and statutory and common law limitations on freedoms of the press, including publication bans, libel and contempt of court.
Prerequisite(s): Second-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Lectures three hours a week.
Storytelling and Social Media
Social media in storytelling. Theory-based lectures, hands-on course modules, discussions and presentations. Students will learn tactics to apply social media for research, gathering information, finding contacts and promoting their own work.
Civic Engagement and Public Institutions I
Expert sources from Canadian institutions discuss covering the economy, justice, environment and security. How public policy is made, the role of the public and how the media analyze information, develop ideas, and produce stories.
Lectures three hours a week.
Civic Engagement and Public Institutions II: Minor Design Project
Group work building on the fall term course. Production of a public institutions mini-project involving the various development stages that will be employed in the final year capstone project, including the creation of a detailed design document to guide group projects.
Media Ethics in a Digital World
An examination of ethical issues relating to production of news and other forms of information content, particularly as they relate to digital environments. Discussion of various approaches to ethical decision-making, application in contemporary settings.
Internet and Big Data Law
The legal use of big data to create content and analyze information. Who owns data; privacy and security implications within a legal landscape fraught with legal concerns and policy challenges.
Lectures three hours a week.
Special Topic
Examination of a topic in storytelling and media not covered in depth in other courses.
Lecture three hours a week.
Co-operative Work Term
Capstone Project
Student groups develop a capstone project beginning with story development and planning, completion of a story design document including project description, research, key vistas and sketches or storyboards. Group presentations leading to final media project at the end of second term.
Prerequisite(s): MPAD 2002, MPAD 3003, ITEC 2100, ITEC 2400 and fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Media Industries Now and Next
Changes in the media, the public’s relationship with the media and how journalists, news organizations and other media players respond. Practical issues and challenges in the professional life of an information producer.
Prerequisite(s): Fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Lectures and discussions three hours a week.
Freelance Media Survival Skills
Preparation for freelancing to publications and production houses. Resumes, finding potential buyers, interviews, establishing and marketing an individual as a business, accounting and management and dealing with taxes and benefits. Pitching stories, ideas and services.
Lectures three hours a week.
Special Topic
Students will choose a topic from a list of journalism options, to be announced each year.
Prerequisite(s): Fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topic
Examination of a topic in storytelling and media not covered in depth in other courses.
Prerequisite(s): Fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
Gender, Identity and Inequality
How social concepts of gender, identity and inequality influence journalism. Theoretical and textual analysis. Historical and contemporary case studies from mainstream and alternative media exploring journalistic expression, professional practices, status and expectations, and cultural representations.
Also listed as JOUR 4501.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
Journalism and Conflict
For as long as there has been conflict between peoples, there have been those who bear witness and recount their observations. This course examines journalism and conflict with an emphasis on journalistic perspectives but also through discussion of interdisciplinary literature and academic research.
Also listed as JOUR 4502.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
Journalism, Indigenous Peoples and Canada
Students will explore how journalism in Canada has been associated with colonialism, be challenged to confront misrepresentation in the news media, and learn to consider new strategies and ethical frameworks for covering Indigenous people in the era of reconciliation.
Also listed as JOUR 4503.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
The Media and International Development
A critical examination of the use of journalism as an instrument of international development, historically and currently. To what extent have these efforts been successful? On what grounds are they justified? In what regard have they been instruments of propaganda.
Also listed as JOUR 4504.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.
Seminar three hours a week.
Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca
Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca
Bachelor of Media Production and Design Regulations
In addition to the requirements presented here, students must satisfy the University regulations common to all undergraduate students including the process of Academic Performance Evaluation (consult the Academic Regulations of the University section of this Calendar).
0000-Level Courses
Students in the B.M.P.D. program may not count any 0000-level courses for credit toward their degree. Such students may, however, be required to take one or more of these courses to replace missing program prerequisites in which case the courses will be set aside as “no credit for degree” (NCD).
Co-operative Education
For more information about how to apply for the Co-op program and how the Co-op program works please visit the Co-op website.
All students participating in the Co-op program are governed by the Undergraduate Co-operative Education Policy.
Undergraduate Co-operative Education Policy
Admission Requirements
Students can apply to co-op in one of two ways; directly from high school or after beginning a degree program at Carleton.
If a student is admitted to co-op from high school, their grades will be reviewed two terms to one year prior to their first work term to ensure they continue to meet the academic requirements after their 1st or 2nd year of study. The time at which evaluation takes place depends on the program of study. Students will automatically be notified via their Carleton email account if they are permitted to continue.
Students not admitted to Carleton University with the co-op option on their degree can apply for admission via the co-operative education program website. To view application deadlines, visit carleton.ca/co-op.
Admission to the co-op option is based on the completion of 5.0 or more credits at Carleton University, the CGPA requirement for the students' academic program as well as any course prerequisites. The articulated CGPA for each program is the normal standard for assessment. Please see the specific degree program sections for the unique admission and continuation requirements for each academic program.
English Language Proficiency
Students admitted to Carleton based on CAEL, IELTS or TOEFL assessments and who are required to take an ESL course must take and pass the Oral Proficiency in Communicative Settings (OPECS) Test. The test must be taken before being permitted to register in COOP 1000. Admission to the co-op program can be confirmed with a minimum score of 4+.
Participation Requirements
COOP 1000
Once a student has been given admission or continuation confirmation to the co-op option s/he must complete and pass COOP 1000 (a mandatory online 0.0 credit course). Students will have access to this course a minimum of two terms prior to their first work term and will be notified when to register.
Communication with the Co-op Office
Students must maintain contact with the co-op office during their job search and while on a work term. All email communication will be conducted via the students' Carleton email account.
Employment
Although every effort is made to ensure a sufficient number of job postings for all students enrolled in the co-op option of their degree program, no guarantee of employment can be made. Carleton's co-op program operates a competitive job search process and is dependent upon current market conditions. Academic performance, skills, motivation, maturity, attitude and potential will determine whether a student is offered a job. It is the student's responsibility to actively conduct a job search in addition to participation in the job search process operated by the co-op office. Once a student accepts a co-op job offer (verbally or written), his/her job search will end and access to co-op jobs will be removed for that term. Students that do not successfully obtain a co-op work term are expected to continue with their academic studies. The summer term is the exception to this rule. Students should also note that hiring priority is given to Canadian citizens for co-op positions in the Federal Government of Canada.
Registering in Co-op Courses
Students will be registered in a Co-op Work Term course while at work. The number of Co-op Work Term courses that a student is registered in is dependent upon the number of four-month work terms that a student accepts.
While on a co-op work term students may take a maximum of 0.5 credit throughout each four-month co-op work term. Courses must be scheduled outside of regular working hours.
Students must be registered as full-time before they begin their co-op job search (2.0 credits). All co-op work terms must be completed before the beginning of the final academic term. Students may not finish their degree on a co-op work term.
Work Term Assessment and Evaluation
To obtain a Satisfactory grade for the co-op work term students must have:
- A satisfactory work term evaluation by the co-op employer;
- A satisfactory grade on the work term report.
Students must submit a work term report at the completion of each four-month work term. Reports are due on the 16th of April, August, and December and students are notified of due dates through their Carleton email account.
Workplace performance will be assessed by the workplace supervisor. Should a student receive an unsatisfactory rating from their co-op employer, an investigation by the co-op program manager will be undertaken. An unsatisfactory employer evaluation does not preclude a student from achieving an overall satisfactory rating for the work term.
Graduation with the Co-op Designation
In order to graduate with the co-op designation, students must satisfy all requirements for their degree program in addition to the requirements according to each co-op program (i.e. successful completion of three or four work terms).
Note: Participation in the co-op option will add up to one additional year for a student to complete their degree program.
Voluntary Withdrawal from the Co-op Option
Students may withdraw from the co-op option of their degree program during a study term ONLY. Students at work may not withdraw from the work term or the co-op option until s/he has completed the requirements of the work term.
Students are eligible to continue in their regular academic program provided that they meet the academic standards required for continuation.
Involuntary or Required Withdrawal from the Co-op Option
Students may be required to withdraw from the co-op option of their degree program for one or any of the following reasons:
- Failure to achieve a grade of SAT in COOP 1000
- Failure to pay all co-op related fees
- Failure to actively participate in the job search process
- Failure to attend all interviews for positions to which the student has applied
- Declining more than one job offer during the job search process
- Continuing a job search after accepting a co-op position
- Dismissal from a work term by the co-op employer
- Leaving a work term without approval by the Co-op manager
- Receipt of an unsatisfactory work term evaluation
- Submission of an unsatisfactory work term report
Standing and Appeals
The Co-op and Career Services office administers the regulations and procedures that are applicable to all co-op program options. All instances of a student's failure during a work term or other issues directly related to their participation in the co-op option will be reported to the academic department.
Any decision made by the Co-op and Career Services office can be appealed via the normal appeal process within the University.
International Students
All International Students are required to possess a Co-op Work Permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada before they can begin working. It is illegal to work in Canada without the proper authorization. Students will be provided with a letter of support to accompany their application. Students must submit their application for their permit before being permitted to view and apply for jobs on the Co-op Services database. Confirmation of a position will not be approved until a student can confirm they have received their permit. Students are advised to discuss the application process and requirements with the International Student Services Office.
Bachelor of Media Production and Design: Co-op Admission and Continuation Requirements
- Maintain full-time status in each study term (2.0 credits);
- Be eligible to work in Canada (for off-campus work)
- Have successfully completed COOP 1000 [0.0]
In addition to the following:
- Registered as a full-time student in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program;
- Successfully completed MPAD 2002 before beginning the first work term.
- Obtained and maintained an overall CGPA of 9.00 or higher.
Bachelor of Media Production and Design students must successfully complete three (3) work terms to obtain the Co-op designation.
Work Term Course: MPAD 3999
Work/Study Pattern:
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Term | Pattern | Term | Pattern | Term | Pattern | Term | Pattern | Term | Pattern |
Fall | S | Fall | S | Fall | S | Fall | *W/S | Fall | S |
Winter | S | Winter | S | Winter | *W/S | Winter | S | Winter | S |
Summer | Summer | Summer | *W/S | Summer | W/S |
Legend
S: Study
W: Work
O: Optional
* indicates recommended work study pattern
** student finds own employer for this work-term.
Degree
- Bachelor of Media Production and Design (B.M.P.D. Honours)
Admission Requirements
First Year
The Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent including a minimum of six 4U or M courses. The six 4U or M courses must include English and one of Advanced Functions or Calculus and Vectors or Mathematics of Data Management. Advanced Functions is recommended.
Advanced Standing
Applications for admission to the second or subsequent years will be assessed on their merits. Advanced standing will be granted only for those courses that are determined to be appropriate.
Co-op Option
Direct Admission to the First Year of the Co-op Option
Applicants must:
- meet the required overall admission cut-off average and prerequisite course average. These averages may be higher than the stated minimum requirements;
- be registered as a full-time student in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program;
- be eligible to work in Canada (for off-campus work placements).
Meeting the above requirements only establishes eligibility for admission to the program. The prevailing job market (and thus the availability of co-op placement) may limit enrolment in the co-op option.
Note: continuation requirements for students previously admitted to the co-op option and admission requirements for the co-op option after beginning the program are described in the Co-operative Education Regulations section of this Calendar.