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This program belongs to the
Centre for Technology, Environment & Design
We are ready for Fall 2020
Lethbridge College provides a flexible learning environment that leverages faculty expertise, the advanced use of technology, and incorporates key experiential learning opportunities. Our approach to teaching and learning, whether on-campus, online or a blended combination of both, is to provide instruction in a way that facilitates interaction and engagement between students and their instructors and with other students in the course and provides opportunities to apply theory to real-world experiences.
- All of our services to students remain available virtually.
- See the minimum technology requirements required to participate in online elements of this program.
- Visit our Student Awards and Financial Aid page for information about COVID-related supports and Lethbridge College's own emergency funding for students.
See the Courses tab below for details on program delivery.
Overview
Whether you envision a future delivering the news, creating the ads or writing the words, the Digital Communications and Media program prepares you for success in any media environment.
As the ways we share and digest information and entertainment change, so do the traditional mediums we rely on. But in the evolving world of media and communications, one thing is certain: no matter how it is delivered, content is key. The importance of social media has grown and communications jobs have blossomed. What we are finding now is journalism, corporate communications, radio, video, photography and graphic production are crossing over more than ever before. Thus, we have developed the next evolution of the program to recognize industry needs.
You’ll learn how to create that content in this two-year Digital Communications and Media program. Reflecting the evolution of the industry, our program incorporates cutting-edge industry trends and the latest equipment and tools into the classroom to ensure your education remains relevant tomorrow.
In the DCM program, you will choose your assignments across the varied areas of journalism, communications, audio, visuals and production to create your own unique career path. This 'choose your own adventure' model will allow you to become a multi-faceted media and communications professional, while practicing relevant industry skills. Through a mix of teaching methods, you will be trained to conduct research, create compelling content, meet deadlines and present it all through the most current delivery methods.
At the end of your coursework, you will enhance your acquired skills through a 150-hour practicum experience working with professional industry mentors.
Your adventure in content creation is yours to explore, yours to discover! Where will your journey take you? Apply today!
Career opportunities
Just like our other grads, you’ll find yourself working with companies like Global TV, CTV, Shaw TV, and a host of Canadian daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and corporations in positions such as:
- Digital/Broadcast Journalist
- Graphic and Information Design
- Photographer/Videographer
- Magazine/Newspaper Content Creator
- Marketing and Advertising
- Media Production Company Owner
- Media/Public Relations
- Radio Host/Producer/Scriptwriter
- Social Media Content Manager
- Story Editor
- Video Editor
- Video Producer/Director/Scriptwriter
Alumni Profile - Meagan Williams
After completing the new Digital Communications and Media program at Lethbridge College in 2016, Meagan Williams was quickly hired as an internal communications officer at the University of Lethbridge. Thanks to the University of Lethbridge for making this video possible.
J-Schools Canada/ÉcolesJ
Lethbridge College’s Digital Communications and Media program is a member of J-Schools Canada/ÉcolesJ, a group of 12 Canadian journalism schools committed to sharing best teaching practices and knowledge to help bolster the quality of journalism education in Canada.
At-a-Glance
For current application status, terms being processed and application deadlines visit the Program Application Status page.
Courses
A blended course is intentionally designed to include continuum of both face to face/on-campus and online delivery. This includes both synchronous (in real-time on a set schedule) and asynchronous learning strategies (learning that does not occur at the same time or same place). Communication, instruction and assessment components of a blended course provide consistent information but go further by enhancing and supplementing each other. Students may complete some of their lessons online and may also be required to come to campus.
Learning does not occur at the same time or same place. Instructor provides materials including online readings, recorded lectures or presentations, posted lecture notes, video content, assignments and exams for online completion. Students access the course materials within a flexible timeframe prescribed by the instructor.
Learning happens in real time. Student and instructors interact and engage with each other in a specific virtual space, through a specific online medium, at a specific time. This can include video conferencing, live chatting, and live-streaming lectures.
No Practicum in Term 1
In the DCM program, you will choose your assignments across the varied areas of journalism, communications, audio, visuals and production to create your own unique career path. This 'choose your own adventure' model will allow you to become a multi-faceted media and communications professional, while practicing relevant industry skills.
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-1150
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1160
|
1.50
|
|
| DCM-1161
|
1.50
|
|
| DCM-1162
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1164
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1166
|
3.00
|
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-1159
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1167
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1169
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1172
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-1173
|
3.00
|
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-2258
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2261
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2262
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2266
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2269
|
3.00
|
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-2268
|
1.50
|
|
| DCM-2278
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2279
|
1.50
|
|
| DCM-2282
|
1.50
|
|
| DCM-2286
|
1.50
|
Please note: Students are required to take 6 credits of electives (2 of 3 courses from the list of approved electives below)
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-2284
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2289
|
3.00
|
|
| DCM-2296
|
3.00
|
Students are required to take 2 of these electives prior to graduation.
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DCM-2280
|
3.00
|
Admissions
Admissions
New students are accepted into the Digital Communications and Media program for the Fall (September) term.
General admission requirements
All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Lethbridge College programs as indicated in the Admissions section of this calendar.
Practicum experience requirements
There is a required practicum component to this program. The college dictates the legal terms and conditions governing the practicum experience.
Mobile learning program
This is a mobile learning program that requires students to purchase a mobile device from Lethbridge College complete with program specific software. Find out more.
Prior learning assessment (PLA)
If you have experience working in this field of study, you may be eligible for prior learning assessment.
Applicants who lack the required academic admission requirements can apply to the Academic Upgrading program to upgrade their academic skills.
Graduation
Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a diploma in Digital Communications and Media.
Your Investment
| Academic Year | Tuition | Fees | Books & Supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $5,250.00 | $953.00 | $3,213.00 |
| Year 2 | $5,775.00 | $1,020.00 | $400.00 |
Our Budget Wizard is a free self-service tool that can help you make sense of your finances and the cost of your education. Give it a try!
- Costs for supplies may vary considerably depending on what students already have or where they purchased their supplies; cost provided is on the moderately high end.
- Students in this program are required to purchase a mobile learning device from the college. Computer cost is approximately $1,700.00 plus a $100 access fee. Check your admissions letter for more details or contact your program and check the Mobile Learning page.
- Students will be charged a medical/dental benefit fee unless they opt out by demonstrating alternative coverage prior to the end of the first week of class.
- Tuition for international students is $14,250 for Year 1 and $16,253 for Year 2. The cost of additional fees, books and supplies is the same for all students.
Notables
Lethbridge College’s Digital Communications and Media program is a member of J-Schools Canada/ÉcolesJ, a group of 12 Canadian journalism schools committed to sharing best teaching practices and knowledge to help bolster the quality of journalism education in Canada.
From the classroom to the industry
Before you even graduate, you'll have worked with the equipment, used the software and already entered the industry.
There’ll be no surprises when you leave our program and enter the workforce. You’ll have worked with the equipment, used the software and already entered the industry before you even graduate. You might even use equipment your future employer doesn’t even have yet – we’ve already started incorporating 360-degree video technology into our curriculum through a partnership with Global Television Network and Mammoth VR.
Of course, you won’t just be learning about the equipment and software, you’ll be using it to produce real content. On campus, you’ll work in our TV studio, radio suites and newspaper production space to create Lethbridge Campus Media. And your hands-on experiences don’t stop there. You’ll be making weekly contributions to Global TV, Shaw TV and Crime Stoppers, and you’ll finish your program off with local radio stations, newspaper publishers, magazine editors or TV stations during a 120-hour practicum.
Hands-on, immersive learning
Showcase your creativity
When you hit the real world of employment, your work is going to be on display for the world – well, at the very least, it’ll be on display for a client. So why shouldn’t it be displayed when you’re in school?
All four programs in the School of Media and Design hold year-end events to provide that very opportunity. Events can vary between programs, but one thing is certain: our students’ portfolios are shared with their peers, their instructors, the industry and the community.
Whether it’s showing off unique and award-winning fashion pieces, a captivating magazine article, a redesigned interior space (with the help of virtual reality) or an innovative Android app, our students’ creativity is showcased to the campus community and the industry.
Experience the realism of the job
If you're going to experience it on the job, why not experience it during your education?
Experience the realism of the job
Crashed cars, stab wounds, victims on the ground, blood and chaos – you’ll experience it all on the job, so why not experience it during your education?
Adding a level of realism to our students’ learning that simply cannot be accomplished in the classroom, we stage a mock disaster every spring. Students have to respond to an unknown situation in real-time, just as they would on the job as first responders, emergency personnel, nurses and members of the media.
Whether they’re facing a car crash, a stabbing or any of the other scenarios our instructors come up with, students have to think on their feet and respond to the situation as they’ve been trained, working cooperatively with others in related professions. It’s an experience that puts everything learned in the classroom to the ultimate test. And it’s an experience students won’t soon forget.
The tecconnect Challenge
Taking a page out of the Dragons’ Den playbook, Lethbridge College partnered with tecconnect to bring students in the Digital Communications and Media and Multimedia Production programs together for a competitive, real-world learning experience. Students have to think on their feet and design on the fly as they get competitive in making deadline-driven creative pitches.
Working in teams of four or five, students brainstorm and design a logo update, a website mock up and three other marketing strategies for a local business – all within five hours. Those additional marketing strategies are based on the areas of expertise within each group and could include things like:
- motion graphics
- animation
- TV or radio commercials
- social media accounts
- virtual reality applications
- smart phone apps
At the end of the day, teams pitch their work to a panel of representatives from Economic Development Lethbridge and the local business community. Students get insight into what clients will expect once they join the workforce. And it’s a great opportunity to show their creativity to and network with local business professionals.
A once in a lifetime opportunity – just for LC students
What do you do when you’re a Lethbridge College alumnus who makes it big in the media industry? Start an internship opportunity exclusive to Lethbridge College students, of course.
Troy Reeb, a 1988 grad of the Communication Arts program, did just that. His generosity and support of the program that kick-started his career in broadcasting has resulted in the creation of an internship that is only available to students in our Digital Communications and Media program. Each year, one lucky student gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a two-week, all-expenses paid internship in a major market newsroom. Read about our most recent intern’s experiences.
A word from those who have walked these halls
A student's perspective
“I’m proud of a lot of things from my time at Lethbridge College, which is really the best part.”
Our job is to equip you for your
“You really do walk away with the skills to be able to hit the ground running in the job market.”
From here to there: alumni updates
Lethbridge College isn’t just a place to go to school – we’re a community that is here to support you from your initial interest in our program through to the moment you cross the stage at Convocation and beyond. Just take a look at where an LC education has taken some of our grads.
Nick Kuhl
After graduating from Lethbridge College, Nick worked at the Leduc Rep for two months, the Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune for almost two years, and the Airdrie City View for another nearly two years. He then started working at the Lethbridge Herald in April 2012. While there, he has covered general assignments, police, courts, city hall and even sports for a few months. He was named city editor in 2015. Nick told Wider Horizons: “One of my favourite parts about working at a newspaper is the potential to cover something different every single day. I also enjoy the challenges and expectations of collaboratively putting together a daily project that will end up reaching thousands of people.”
– From Spring 2016 Wider Horizons
Renee Frechette
“I have met and/or interviewed Miranda Lambert (I cried – don’t judge), Darius Rucker (he made fun of my audio recorder), Hunter Hayes (we compared smart phones), Dean Brody and more. I also interviewed Tom Cochrane on the phone. He asked about me later just before a show we presented, but I was in the crowd. So close, but so far. I awkwardly shook Corb Lund’s hand. I was the 99.7 The Wolf perogie eating champ circa 2011 and am a proud dog mom who makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich.”
– From Winter 2017 Wider Horizons
Rick Lewchuk
Rick, the senior vice-president of creative marketing with CNN in Atlanta, accepted an Emmy for CNN’s promotional work at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in September 2016. The Emmy was won in the category of Best Promotional Announcement. It was for the show The Seventies, a documentary series that ran on CNN in 2016. It was the only Emmy award category recognizing marketing and promotion at that ceremony, which honours excellence in the TV news field. Lewchuk was among the team members recognized for the award-winning campaign. In October 2017, Lewchuk and his team at CNN accepted a second Emmy.
– From Winter 2017 Wider Horizons
Success stories from Wider Horizons
OPENING DOORS AND MINDS: Communications grads share their knowledge and experience working in a rapidly-evolving industry
Lethbridge College Legacies: Georgia Green Fooks
On the Mark: with Sherri Gallant (Communication Arts 1986)
The green screen: your classroom, your workplace
It’s important to know what to expect on the job. And at Lethbridge College, we’re not just giving you an education, we’re training you for a career. That’s why some of your classrooms resemble the workplace. Check out our TV studio, complete with green screen, below.