Search
  Programs  /  Mass Communication  /  Digital Media

Mass Communication

Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Major: Digital Media

 

The Digital Media Major aims to produce professional, reflective, and responsible digital media specialists who can:

  1.  effectively communicate complex ideas,
  2.  tell immersive stories, 3) create interactive content,
  3.  craft digitally engaging experiences, and
  4.  possess an aptitude for creativity, lifelong learning, and entrepreneurship.

 

The Digital Media students will be able to:

 

  •  Demonstrate solid knowledge and understanding of:
    •  Theoretical aspects of mass communication, including the analysis of organizational environment, publics, messages, and communication tools, strategies, and evaluation.
    •  Concept development/ideation process and the conversion of an idea into a creative digital media product.
    •  The digital media industry and conventional media laws and ethics including intellectual property rights.
  •  Exhibit the skills (creative thinking, ideation, storytelling, script writing, cultural awareness, and technical skills) required for a professional digital media production.
  •  Manifest mastery of software as well as practical skills required in a professional set up or studio-based environment, including live TV productions in News Channels and others and the ability to handle stress/ pressure often found in a production environment.
  •  Demonstrate the ability to embrace new technologies in the digital media realm and skills to analyze, reflect on, and evaluate the project cycle and apply the lessons learnt in their future projects.
  •  Exhibit the abilities to comprehend and analyze information and select from a plethora of available online programs and software to deliver digital content effectively and efficiently within the predetermined timeframe and budget.
  •  Demonstrate the ability to innovate and create a unique product, with the available resources and in accordance with the client requirements, cultural framework and applied laws and ethics.
  •  Exhibit an aptitude and skills to pursue entrepreneurship as a career path.
  •  Exhibit leadership and teamwork qualities while embarking the journey of media production.

 

 

- To be admitted to the UTAS Mass Communication Program, prospective students have to have a minimum score of 60% in the General Education Diploma (GED) and a pass in English and Arabic. Students are selected on a competitive basis.

 

- Students are required to successfully finish the General Foundation Program

 

 

Graduates of Digital Media can work in electronic media (multimedia, animation, web), broadcasting companies and advertising agencies. They can also work in PR and marketing departments of private and public corporations. A growing field offering work opportunities for digital media professionals is education, especially e-learning.

Semester 1

This course aims to develop a conceptual understanding of communication process, communication skills, influences of culture and perception in communication, oral presentation skills and basic writing competence, group and organizational communication, and the effect of language on communication.

The course aims at exploring the interface between the media of mass communication and the Omani society. Offered at an elemental stage in the study of the mass media, it takes a simple approach in describing the historical development of the mass media in Oman, beginning from the inception of the Blessed Renaissance in 1970, and in exploring how various facets of society such as government, business and audience impact on media operations and roles, as well as how the mass media themselves have shaped the Omani society over time. Main issues explored include traditional communication methods, media ownership and functions, media use, regulatory controls, media influence on cultural change, advertising and popular tastes, social and economic influences on media, new communication technologies and media literacy.

This course gives the students an overview of Digital Photography and its applications in Mass Communication. The course provides essential skills in using the DSLR camera, various composition strategies, available light techniques, and basic editing skills to produce professional images. The course enables students to use Mobile Phones too as an alternative to the professional camera with acceptable quality

Semester 2

This introductory course in Public Relations provides an overview of both theory and practice of Public Relations. The students will be introduced to the techniques, tools and types of PR field. It will give a bird's eye view of the various types of activities the PRO has to manage, including organizing PR campaigns and his role in crisis management. The lectures also include the relationship with the media and the techniques of writing for media. The course does not fail to discuss the ethics of PR and the latest trends of the field.

This course introduces the basic concepts of journalism and provides an overview of journalistic profession. Students will have a glimpse of the history and development of journalism. They will also gain an insight into the impact and significance of journalism in the contemporary world. They will learn the functioning of newsrooms, and procedures of news reporting, editing and publishing. With a mix of classroom teaching and writing practices, this course is designed to prepare students of communication to take up journalism as a major in the next semester for further specialization. This introductory course is also important for other majors of communication because of its focus on the basic journalistic writing, an inevitable part of all communication streams.

This course aims to develop a conceptual understanding of the constructed nature of mass media, including aspects of media production, media texts and media reception involved in the production of meaning. It focuses on simplified aspects of the central topics of media studies like understanding of the different genres, how visual images can be used as constructed texts, the role of stereotypes and an understanding of the ratings system and programming as well as gives the students an opportunity to understand the historical emergence of the different forms of Mass media.

This course prepares the students with grounding overviews in areas of advertising process and practices such as Advertising Research (including the study of consumer Behavior), Advertising Strategy (including integrated marketing concepts –IMC), Creative Processes (Copy writing and art direction) and Media Communication

Semester 1

This course is about understanding challenges of intercultural communication, biases, listening within and across cultures, ethics of communication, developing intercultural competence etc. It also examines the causes and significance of intercultural differences in verbal and non-verbal communication.

The course will analyze how meaning is created through the manipulation of images and sound in visual media. It explores the role of codes, symbols, typography, text and color in the construction of meaning and in establishing the audience-auteur relationship. The course critically analyses the conventions of narrative structure, sound editing and cinematography in films besides briefly evaluating the impact of the visual media in global society.

This course provides a grounding in the fundamental theory and practice of visual communication. It attempts to develop the students’ practical skills and explore the technical knowledge required for the creation of imagery in a digital context. It provides a critique of contemporary visual culture, surveying the mechanisms by which meaning is constructed through these images. It also attempts to explore the theoretical approaches to image analysis and applies these approaches to the creation of visual messages.

This course explores the nature of both verbal and non-verbal communication skills in interpersonal and intrapersonal contexts; examines areas like time management skills, assertiveness, self-motivation and raising confidence. The course provides an insight into presentation, public speaking and writing skills with an aim to prepare graduates to face the world outside the campus

Semester 2

This course discusses the historical development of theories of communication. It examines and analyses the social and cultural context for these theories. Critically and analytically assesses the continuing validity of these theories in contemporary society, especially in the era of social media communication.

The course explores various dimensions of ethics and morality, both in principles and practice which is fundamental to media as a conscience keeper in mirroring the society and its role in shaping the discourse on reality we live in. It provides understanding the extent and constraints of ethical framework shaped within the larger social political structures and its manifestation in media narratives reflecting contemporary society. It critically evaluates the role of the media while analytically assessing the link between individual morality and the rights and responsibilities of the media to work within ethical frameworks

This course prepares the students with grounding overviews in areas of Popular Culture namely in Contemporary global media which has its role in the formation and distribution of western popular culture as the mainstream world culture. Defining popular culture as the process by which individual identities are positioned in relation to collective experience through the influence of the media content. This course explores the interchange between popular experience and media representations of identity, community and power

This course will introduce students to the role of Photojournalism in the contemporary global media. Defining Photojournalism as the process by which Journalistic aptitudes are combined with the art of photography through the learning process of the basics of Photography and Photojournalism. The course aims to make the students learn Visual storytelling through a series of photographic images, which are thematically linked to provide a broader perspective. In addition, the course will explore the areas of Applied Visual Aesthetics, Visual readings and Applied Ethics in Photojournalism.

Video production is an entry-level course that will serve as an introduction to basic video/film/audio production. The goal of the course is for the student to develop the ability to capture great video images and audio, and to be able to edit those two elements together to tell a story. This course provides a foundation in the theory and practice of Video Production. It attempts to develop the students’ practical skills and explore the technical knowledge required for telling a story using moving images and sound. Students will learn to handle, operate a video camera and shoot on location

Semester 1

This course introduces debates about the impact(s) of various topical issues in media communication. It fosters a critical understanding of the nature, foundation and importance of these debates. Critically and analytically assesses the claims of competing interest groups and stakeholders.

This course introduces debates about the impact(s) of various topical issues in media communication. It fosters a critical understanding of the nature, foundation and importance of these debates. Critically and analytically assesses the claims of competing interest groups and stakeholders.

In this course students will: learn to use a wide variety or qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze data; be taught to think critically about information and become better information users; and develop research strategies. In this course, the students will be guided to choose topics that are relevant to their future.

The course is designed to develop practical and conceptual skills in interactive digital media production. The course covers the production and assembly of media assets into an interactive piece suitable for a range of delivery modes. Identifies and evaluates a range of non-linear narrative and information structures. Critically evaluates notions of interactivity and the interface in relation to new media forms, in order to generate a range of strategies for interaction and interface design.

Semester 2

The course content of this course will consist of the skills related to writing academic essays, reflective essays, analytical reports, with lots of practice on the aspects related to the major – related writing skills. The digital media major will focus on - How to write a premise and logline Script conventions Different genres of script 3acts story Building the characters, how to make your character live. Writing narration for documentary film.

Explores a variety of media theories in relation to industry standard patterns of 3D modeling. Constructs and fosters an analytical approach to developing and delivering a three dimensional modeling, texturing and lighting project within a variety of genres.

This subject extends and develops ideas, concepts and technical skills in the context of team-based media production workflows. Students further their understanding of the techniques and conceptual skills required for professional and an original digital multimedia piece for a client as part of a project team through a series of seminars, in-class and out-of-class exercises and practical workshops. These skills include, developing a treatment appropriate to the production, devising a project plan, acquiring media, developing and delivering the physical content to a high technical standard within the budgeted time frame. It introduces a set of guidelines for project management, mastering, licensing and distribution. Also it focuses on improving students’ production skills including; shooting, lighting and editing.

The course examines more sophisticated non-linear video editing tools and techniques e.g. QuickTime, AVI, H2.64 and MPEG etc capture and edit. Considers the technical issues and trade-offs when shooting and editing for different video formats. It includes practical authoring work with emphasis on video selection and editing techniques in an interactive environment. The Course develops the creative use of digital video as a storytelling medium for both linear and non-linear narrative.

The course will focus on fostering an appreciation of the language, visual grammar and narrative strategies of cinema, drawing upon film history, theoretical principles and examples of great films from across the world. By means of compelling explanation and illustrative examples, the course will explain how cinema as a visual medium engages in the construction of meaning. Participants will be familiarized with key movements in the history of cinema, the work of leading film-makers, and the aesthetic, creative and social concerns of great cinematic works.

Semester 1

Post production serves as a sequel to production with a more holistic approach entailing editing of video and audio, animation and compositing by applying audio visual effects through computer graphic imagery. Post production as a discipline comprise of a range of myriad applications that significantly contribute to various digital platforms of media communication in effective delivery of narrative or an idea.

This course is about delivering conceptual and practical skills in web design including aspects of scripting and dynamically loading audio, web video, and interactive content. It introduces “best practice” principles of web standards for technology-mix, interface usability and navigation.

This Course is a follow up of Graduation Project 1 (Digital Media) in which the students will produce a short film professionally, based on the proposal they presented earlier in Capstone Project I, demonstrating all the skills they have achieved throughout the study. Also, the ethical issues in the film making will be explored at the advanced level, understanding the various issues involved while producing a film. In addition, the process of formal report writing will be discussed which will look into the production and postproduction phase apart from the students individual experiences while producing the film. The students will also learn how to creatively compile and present their portfolio for better job opportunities.

Semester 2

This course focusses upon Ethics and morality in news and current affairs, structuring of stories, the role and responsibility of a news producer, importance of cooperation and team work in the reporting process, developing an understanding of storytelling and news. This course also helps students in preparing news bulletin while applying the theoretical principles.

New Media Journalism teaches at both a theoretical level and a practical level. This course examines the development of digital technologies and the issues affecting journalists that arise from new media forms such as online news media and blogging. At the practical level, this course covers the writing, editing and website design skills that are relevant to online journalism, including digital photography and image editing. Two software packages, Adobe Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop, are used.

Graduation Project II prepares students for executing a small-scale applied research project related to their respective professional study areas namely, Public Relations, Journalism, and Media Management. Students are required to produce a research-based graduation project report that (i) focuses on real life problems in their respective professional fields in Oman and (ii) are relevant for their professional development. The topic of the dissertation must be pertaining to Omani context. The length of the written dissertation is 6000-8000 words

University of Technology and Applied Sciences
PO Box 74, Al Khuwair, Muscat 133
Sultanate of Oman

 +968 24114008
 UTAS E-mail
 Get Map Direction
 Write to us

 

© 2025 University of Technology and Applied Sciences |