May 11, 2026

2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog

Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media, B.S.

Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment
615-898-2695
Zeny Panol, program coordinator
Zeny.Panol@mtsu.edu

An interdisciplinary concentration across the Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media uses the college core and then provides students with options across the college in history, writing, technology, aesthetics, and digital literacy. Students choose an area of emphasis that reflects their professional interests.

NOTE: Majors must complete all major course requirements with a grade of C (2.00) or better.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses

Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media, B.S., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

True Blue Core (TBC)	41 hours
Major Requirements	45 hours*
Minor	15-18 hours
Electives	16-25 hours
TOTAL	120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.

True Blue Core (41 hours)

True Blue Core (TBC) requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

EMC 1020 /JOUR 1020 /RIM 1020 (HSSR)
JOUR 2720 (Info Lit)

Major Requirements (45 hours)

Required (12 hours)

JOUR 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
EMC 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
RIM 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR)
Choose one:
EMC 3650 , RIM 3650 or JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours OR
EMC 4250 or JOUR 4250 - Media Law 3 credit hours OR
IAM 3670 - Digital Media Law and Policy 3 credit hours OR
RIM 3700 - Entertainment Intellectual Property I 3 credit hours
Choose one:
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours OR
RIM 3020 - Commercial Songwriting 3 credit hours OR
VFP 2020 - Scripts for Media 3 credit hours OR
VFP 3020 - Screenwriting I 3 credit hours
JOUR 2720 - Digital Media Practices 3 credit hours (Info Lit) OR
IAM 3210 - Interactive Media Applications 3 credit hours

History, Interdisciplinary Media (3 hours)

Choose one:

ANIM 3000 - History of Animation 3 credit hours
JOUR 4240 - Television, Culture, and History 3 credit hours
JOUR 4510 - Media and Social Change 3 credit hours
PHOT 2000 - History of Photography 3 credit hours
RIM 3000 - History of the Recording Industry 3 credit hours
RIM 3100 - Introduction to Popular Music Studies 3 credit hours
RIM 3200 - History of Country Music 3 credit hours
RIM 3808 - Sampling the Past: Hip Hop History and Culture 3 credit hours
VCOM 2010 - Principles of Media Design and Visual Communication 3 credit hours
VFP 2410 - History of American Television 3 credit hours
VFP 2510 - History of American Cinema 3 credit hours
Approved elective 3 credit hours

Media Technology (9 hours)

Choose three courses for a total of nine (9) hours:

Section F

RIM 3400 - Live Event Technologies 3 credit hours
VFP 1060 - Basic Video Production 3 credit hours
VFP 1080 - Post-Production I 3 credit hours
Approved elective 3 credit hours

Advanced Writing (3 hours)

Choose one:

ADV 3170 - Advertising Copy and Creativity 3 credit hours
EMC 3030 - Electronic Media Advertising 3 credit hours
IAM 3060 - Writing for Interactive Experiences 3 credit hours
JOUR 3090 - Reporting 3 credit hours
JOUR 3430 - Audio Reporting 3 credit hours
JOUR 3530 - Feature Writing 3 credit hours
PR 3360 - Strategic Communication Writing for Public Relations 3 credit hours
RIM 3770 - Publicity in the Recording Industry 3 credit hours
RIM 3780 - Entertainment Reporting and Writing 3 credit hours
VFP 3020 - Screenwriting I 3 credit hours
Approved elective 3 credit hours

Media and Society (3 hours)

Choose one:

ADV 3060 - Issues in Advertising: Sexuality and Gender 3 credit hours
JOUR 3600 - Digital and Media Literacy 3 credit hours
JOUR 4210 - Media and Society 3 credit hours
JOUR 4700 - Mass Media and National Security 3 credit hours
JOUR 4790 - Global News and World Media Cultures 3 credit hours
JOUR 4800 - Seminar in Media Issues 3 credit hours
JOUR 4820 - Race, Gender, and Class in Media 3 credit hours
EMC 3650 - Free Expression, Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours OR
RIM 3650 - Free Expression, Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours
EMC 4850 - Ethics and Mass Communication 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 4850 - Media Ethics 3 credit hours

Area of Emphasis (15 hours)

Choose five courses within a selected area of emphasis.
NOTE: No more than 6 credit hours (2 courses) may have the same prefix, and courses selected from the required course lists may not be reused for the area of emphasis.

Entertainment Media

ANIM 2300 - Introduction to 3D Animation 3 to 4 credit hours
ANIM 2350 - 2D Animation I 3 to 4 credit hours
IAM 3065 - Audiences and Messaging 3 credit hours
IAM 4950 - Advanced Seminar-Interactive Media 3 credit hours
JOUR 3000 - Journalism and Media in the Movies 3 credit hours
JOUR 3590 - Magazine Writing and Editing 3 credit hours
RIM 3100 - Introduction to Popular Music Studies 3 credit hours
RIM 3600 - Survey of the Recording Industry 3 credit hours
RIM 3890 - International Recording Industry 3 credit hours
RIM 4570 - Film Sound Theory and Analysis 3 credit hours
SPM 2100 - Media and Sports 3 credit hours
SPM 3200 - Sports Media Relations 3 credit hours
VFP 2410 - History of American Television 3 credit hours
VFP 2510 - History of American Cinema 3 credit hours
Approved elective 3 credit hours

Entrepreneurial Media

ADV 3020 - Principles of Advertising 3 credit hours
ADV 4230 - Case Studies in Strategic Communication 3 credit hours
EMC 4010 - Media Sales 3 credit hours
EMC 4430 - Management in Cinema and Television 3 credit hours
EMC 4800 - Seminar in Media Issues 3 credit hours *
*Approved Topics: Online Marketing and Search Engine Optimization or Content Strategy and Content Management
ENTR 2900 - Entrepreneurship 3 credit hours
MGMT 3610 - Principles of Management 3 credit hours
PR 2040 - Public Relations Principles 3 credit hours
PR 3400 - Case Studies in Public Relations 3 credit hours
RIM 3690 - International Entertainment Transactions 3 credit hours
RIM 3700 - Entertainment Intellectual Property I 3 credit hours
RIM 4640 - Entertainment Branding 3 credit hours
RIM 4690 - Digital Strategies for the Music Business 3 credit hours
RIM 4700 - Entertainment Intellectual Property II 3 credit hours
Approved elective 3 credit hours

Choose Your Own Path

Five courses
Must follow prerequisites (or have permission of instructor)
Only one course at the 1000/2000 level
No more than 9 credit hours (3 courses) with same prefix
Internship from 1 to 3 credit hours is an option for this path.

Minor (15-18 hours)

Students may minor any University-approved minor. However, minors in journalism, advertising, public relations, visual communication, animation, video/film production, interactive media, media management, photography, or mass communication are recommended.

Electives (16-25 hours)

Curriculum: Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media

Freshman Fall

EMC 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
JOUR 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
RIM 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR)
Written Communication 3 credit hours
Non-Written Communication 3 credit hours
Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
Quantitative Literacy 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Freshman Spring

Media Technology 3 credit hours
History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
Human Society and Social Relationships 3 credit hours
Information Literacy/Elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Fall

Creative and Cultural Expression Literature 3 credit hours
History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours OR
RIM 3020 - Commercial Songwriting 3 credit hours OR
VFP 2020 - Scripts for Media 3 credit hours OR
VFP 3020 - Screenwriting I 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Sophomore Spring

Advanced Writing 3 credit hours
Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
JOUR 2720 - Digital Media Practices 3 credit hours OR
IAM 3210 - Interactive Media Applications 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Fall

Interdisciplinary Meda History course 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Media Technology 3 credit hours
Area of emphasis 3 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 hours

Junior Spring

EMC 3650 /RIM 3650 or JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours OR
EMC 4250 or JOUR 4250 - Media Law 3 credit hours OR
IAM 3670 - Digital Media Law and Policy 3 credit hours OR
RIM 3700 - Entertainment Intellectual Property I 3 credit hours
Area of emphasis 6 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Media Technology course 3 credit hours

Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media, B.S.

Academic Map

Degree Requirements

True Blue Core (41 hours)

Major Requirements (45 hours)

Required (12 hours)

History, Interdisciplinary Media (3 hours)

Media Technology (9 hours)

Section A

Section B

Section C

Section D

Section E

Section F

Advanced Writing (3 hours)

Media and Society (3 hours)

Area of Emphasis (15 hours)

Entertainment Media

Entrepreneurial Media

Choose Your Own Path

Minor (15-18 hours)

Electives (16-25 hours)

Curriculum: Media and Entertainment, Interdisciplinary Media

Freshman Fall

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Freshman Spring

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Fall

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Sophomore Spring

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Fall

Subtotal: 15 hours

Junior Spring

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Fall

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Spring

Subtotal: 13 Hours