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Undergraduate Programs in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies

The Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) is a faculty at Western University, previously The University of Western Ontario. FIMS offers programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is an interdisciplinary program, drawing from psychology, sociology, history, english, and law, among other fields of study. The FIMS website states that it is "dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about media, communications, and information technologies", while building students' collaborative, creative, and critical thinking skills.

The faculty currently offers three programs at the undergraduate level: Media, Information and Technoculture (MIT), Media Theory and Production (MTP), and Media and the Public Interest (MPI).

Media, Information and Technoculture (MIT)

Media, Information, and Technoculture is the largest undergraduate program in FIMS, with an enrolment of approximately 900 students. Enrolment is limited to approximately 250 students per year. In MIT, students gain a critical understanding of the theoretical, social and cultural contexts of media, information and technology. Students in MIT are taught to question how media, communication technologies, and information impact people's daily lives and form their understanding of society.

MIT offers both three- and four-year degree programs. Students are able to select elective courses that match their personal interests and career paths. Some of the elective concentrations offered are:

•  Media and Culture in Practice
•  Advertising and Promotional Culture
•  Popular Music and Society
•  News Reporting and Journalistic Practices
•  Cultural Industries
•  The Information Society
•  Media Identity and Diversity
•  The Political Economy of Media
• Virtual Worlds and Interactive Media

Students have the option of combining an MIT degree with a business degree from the Ivey Business School. Upon completing the 5-year program, students earn a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Information and Technoculture, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. MIT previously offered a combined degree with Western's Faculty of Law as a 6-year program, but will discontinue this option as of the 2016/2017 school year.

International exchange opportunities are offered in partnership with approved universities. Students entering or in their third or fourth year of study may apply for an internship. Internships vary from unpaid academic placements, to paid professional placements. 

Media Theory and Production (MTP)

The Media Theory and Production Program is a joint degree/diploma program between FIMS and Fanshawe College. MTP offers students a theoretical background of media critique, combined with hands-on experience in production. MTP is built for students who want to pursue a career in media production but also want the theoretical basis to understand the cultural and social impact of media and communications technologies.

Enrolment in MTP is limited to 80 students per year, where 20 students are accepted into each of the four streams. The streams are Interactive Media Design, Broadcast Journalism, Television Broadcasting, and Radio Broadcasting, and are chosen once students successfully complete their first year of their undergraduate degree. Students enrolled in MTP attend classes on both the Western and Fanshawe campuses. Upon completion of the four-year MTP program, students graduate with a three-year Bachelor of Arts in Media, Information, and Technoculture, and a two-year college diploma from Fanshawe College. 

Students enrolled in MTP are not eligible to apply for internships or international exchanges that are offered by the faculty.

Media and the Public Interest (MPI)

The Media and the Public Interest program is the only program of its kind in Canada. MPI connects issues of media, communication and technologies to social justice issues such as democracy, equity, class, race, and gender. Students examine social movements and how media can be used to further these causes.

Students interested in MPI are admitted into the MIT program for their first year of their undergraduate degree, and apply to MPI during the intent to register period near the end of their first year. The MPI module begins in their second year. Enrolment into MPI is limited to 20 students per year. Students continue to enrol in the required courses for MIT students, but take additional required courses for MPI students.

MPI offers fourth-year students a practicum, where they are given an opportunity to apply media theory learned in the classroom to real world experiences. Students volunteer in a community organization for 4 hours per week, for the span of 10 weeks.

Students in MPI are eligible for exchange and internship opportunities within the MIT program.