Communications, Culture, and Journalism Studies Diploma
Learn the foundations of media and writing, and explore the functions of news and communications media, the history of journalism, and cultural policy and theory.
Communications explores how meaning is made in a range of contexts, including advertising, television, film, popular culture, and the internet. Learn how communication is fundamentally related to the development of self and society and examine how the messages of the contemporary world influence perception of such issues as gender, race, class, and community.
Share this program
Email Print
Campus
- Kelowna
Legend:
- Full program offered
- Partial program offered
Credential
Diploma
Delivery options
Full-Time, Part-Time
- International students eligible
Tuition and fees
2024-25: $4,674.02 per year
-
This program is student loan eligible. View Financial Aid & Awards
-
Fees listed are for first year (two semesters) for a typical, full-time student taking 5 courses per semester. Depending on the courses selected fees may vary.
-
Fees include all mandatory fees: Activity fee, Health & Dental, Student Association fee, Education Technology fee, Development fee.
-
All amounts are approximate and are subject to change.
Program details
The Diploma in Communications, Culture, and Journalism Studies (CCJS) is a two-year interdisciplinary diploma that foregrounds a critical analysis of the mass media as contemporary society's most pervasive agent of political and cultural transformation. Students will explore the social, political, and economic functions of news and communications media, the history of journalism, and cultural policy & theory. Particular attention will be paid to questions of social justice, as well as of identity and constructions of gender, race, class, sexuality, and nationality.
Housed in the Department of Communications, CCJS offers students foundational courses in media theory, writing-intensive courses in Communications and English, and a selection of elective breadth courses from a range of departments --including Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, and Women's Studies.
While students may proceed directly to potential entry-level careers in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, research, writing, publishing, consulting or new media, especially in small markets and independent digital environments, completion of this program is intended primarily to provide students with the liberal arts education necessary for further study.
Key transfer options for graduates of this diploma include:
- Simon Fraser University, Bachelor of Arts, Communication
- University of British Columbia мÓÆÂÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾, Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Studies
- Thompson Rivers University, Bachelor of Journalism
This program is intended primarily to provide students with the education necessary for further study. After transfer and additional study, career options include:
- Journalist
- Communications Coordinator
- Public Relations Specialist
- Marketing Coordinator
- New Media Consultant
- Social Media Manager
This diploma can only be completed in full at the Kelowna campus. A selection of courses is offered at the Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm campuses but a number of specialized courses and second year courses are only offered at the Kelowna campus.
For more information, book an appointment with an Education Advisor.
This diploma can only be completed in full at the Kelowna campus. A selection of courses is offered at the Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm campuses but a number of specialized courses and second year courses are only offered at the Kelowna campus. Depending on course availability and offerings, students may not be able to complete the program in two years, four terms, with five courses per term.
For more information, book an appointment with an Education Advisor.
| Campus | Start date | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Kelowna | Jan. 06, 2025 | |
| Kelowna | Sep. 03, 2025 | |
| Kelowna | Jan. 05, 2026 |
Admission requirements
Regular Applicants: A regular applicant will be a secondary graduate or a secondary school student, or its equivalent, who has or who will complete the requirements for senior secondary graduation, or its equivalent, not less than one month prior to commencement of classes for the semester to which admission is sought - either fall or winter. The following minimum entrance requirements will apply to regular applicants:
-
B.C. secondary graduation, or equivalent.
-
English 12 with minimum 60% or .
Students with a passing grade of less than 60% in English 12, English 12 First Peoples or TPC 12 will be admissible to the first year of the program, subject to the following conditions:
-
Registration is restricted to courses for which the student satisfies the prerequisites. Registration in first-year English courses is, therefore, prohibited.
-
Successful completion of the English entrance requirements within the first year of studies. This may be done in one of the following ways:
-
Successful completion of English 12, English 12 First Peoples or TPC 12 or an equivalent course with a minimum grade of 60%. This may be done concurrently through the College's Adult Basic Education Program or by completing an equivalent course through a distance education program.
-
Mature Applicants: A mature applicant will be at least 19 years of age and will not have attended secondary school on a full-time basis for a minimum period of one year.
Secondary graduation is waived for mature applicants. The English entrance requirements, as stated above, must be satisfied prior to admission. Admission may be granted on the condition that the entrance requirements will be completed prior to the commencement of classes for the semester to which admission is sought - either fall or winter.
Program outline
Year 1
Year 2
The Diploma in Communications, Culture, and Journalism Studies will be granted upon the successful completion of 60 prescribed compulsory and elective credits, as follows: twenty-one credits in Communications credits, nine credits in English, fifteen Breadth credits, nine Arts Electives credits, and six Science credits.
Additional information
View the official Calendar details and policies
Learn more about the department
View the Tuition and fees page
Experience
Join an info session or become a student for a day.
Ask
Have your questions answered by an education advisor or future student facilitator.
Apply
Take the next step and enrol in a program or course at OC.