Degree Requirements

Overview

30 Credit Hours | Available in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish

Launch a career that can shape the future. The Master of Science in Global Media and Cultures is a joining program between the School of Literature, Media, and Communication (LMC) and the School of Modern Languages (ModLangs) at Georgia Tech. This unique humanities program merges curricular offerings from both Schools and gives students the opportunity to engage in advanced research and training that combines cross-cultural competence, language acquisition, and media and communications expertise with global and cultural research.

In order to successfully matriculate through the program, students are expected to complete 30 credit hours of coursework. Students will maintain a concentration in one of the available languages, complete a final project, and create a professional portfolio.

Degree Requirements

For detailed information on degree requirements, visit the M.S. GMC catalog page.

• 9 credit hours of required M.S. GMC Core Courses
  • GMC 6001. Global Media Cultures, 3 credits, Fall: Students gain a theoretical grounding in analyzing and navigating cross-cultural and multimedia contexts to assist students in ideating possibilities for their final project. Course themes explore global issues across multiple contexts and forms, with case studies and topics varying based on student interest, current global affairs, and faculty expertise.
  • GMC 6002. Media & Cultural Studies Foundations. 3 Credits, Fall. Overview of the fundamental theories and approaches in the fields of Media Studies and Cultural Studies. Possible topics include structuralism, semiotics, reception, textual analysis, discourse analysis, and mixed methods approaches.
  • GMC 6003. Professional Portfolio. 3 credits, Spring: In this course, students create a portfolio of targeted materials to position themselves for success on the job market and/or in academia. Possibilities for portfolio materials include resumes in English and the language of focus, samples of professional-level work, the development of a professional network, and the compilation of previous work completed by the student.
• 6 credit hours at the 6000-level in LMC, at least one course per semester in Fall and Spring.
• 6 credit hours at the 6000-level in one language offered by ModLangs. (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish), at least one course per semester in Fall and Spring.
• 3 credit hours of electives (6000-level in LMC or ModLangs)
• 6 credit hours of a Final Project, which may include a combination of coursework, an M.S. Thesis, an internship or practicum, or an independent project in LMC or ModLangs in the following Fall.
  • Development of final projects begins throughout the first two semesters. Students are encouraged to complete their projects in the following fall semester. Projects can take a variety of forms based on students’ academic and career interests. Each project must include an applied and reflective component in which students demonstrate the expertise gained in language, media, cultural studies, and communication.

Previous Course Examples

Explore our curriculum by viewing past course offerings within LMC and ModLangs by term in OSCAR. Please note that courses offered are subject to change each semester. Students will work closely with academic program managers to curate their schedules to their needs.

To explore language courses, please search for your target language within the Georgia Tech Course Catalog.

Course Sequence

The following course progressions detail possible expected timelines for students within the program. Please note, students are free to customize semesters to best suit their academic interest, career goals, and timeline.

The degree requirements are adaptable for individualized needs and interests. Each student’s course of study will be designed through dual advising by faculty from each School, according to the following guidelines:

• Required courses, electives, and the culminating project should indicate a clear area of specialization in a linguistic, cultural, thematic, or disciplinary area of inquiry.
• Students must take a minimum of 6 credit hours each in LMC and ModLangs. They may take a maximum of 18 credit hours in one School for their individualized program of study.
• Students may enroll in Internships (domestic or abroad), Language Practicum courses (domestic or abroad), or Intercultural Seminar for up to 6 credits each. In total, students may count no more than 12 credits of courses in these categories toward the degree. 
• 3 credits of elective coursework can be undertaken in another unit, as per approval by graduate advisor.

Final projects are customizable to the student’s desires. Some possible formats for final projects include domestic and international internships, theses, documentaries, translations, animations, service-learning, and other creative works.