Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with an Emphasis in Creative Media Online


Prepare for an exciting range of careers in media, such as social platforms, broadcast news and branded content, with this online bachelor’s in mass communications program designed for creatives.

Next Apply Date: 2/23/26
Next Class Start Date: 3/9/26
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Next Apply Date: 2/23/26
Next Class Start Date: 3/9/26

Program Overview


Thrive as a digital content storyteller with the online creative media degree

The A-State Online Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with an Emphasis in Creative Media degree program prepares you for careers in digital content creation and media production. Whether you’re ready to become a journalist, storyteller in film or television, social media influencer, or corporate communications professional, this flexible program will help you achieve your goals.

Learn how to produce engaging content and craft compelling stories through scriptwriting, video editing, audio production and design aesthetics that connect with audiences. Graduate with experience using leading-edge tools and technologies to create high-quality digital projects for a variety of media outlets—from broadcast to online platforms. Discover how AI, data visualization and analytics are driving content strategy and giving creators a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

As you build a portfolio that showcases your creative and technical skillset, you’ll also study media law, management, ethics and entrepreneurship, and complete a professional practicum experience. Earn your bachelor’s in mass communications faster with A-State and study on your schedule—even if you work full time—with convenient, accelerated courses that are available online 24/7.

In this online bachelor’s in mass communications program, you will:

  • Utilize creative critical thinking, concepts, perspectives and theories in the creation, interpretation and evaluation of media messages and practices
  • Create media messages tailored to the audience, purpose and context using clear and appropriate forms of writing, tools, technology and research
  • Embrace free expression to adapt media messages to diverse and global audiences
  • Apply professional ethical principles and practices appropriate for the audience, purpose and context
  • Utilize creative critical thinking, concepts, perspectives and theories in the creation, interpretation and evaluation of media messages and practices
  • Create media messages tailored to the audience, purpose and context using clear and appropriate forms of writing, tools, technology and research
  • Embrace free expression to adapt media messages to diverse and global audiences
  • Apply professional ethical principles and practices appropriate for the audience, purpose and context

With a B.S. in Mass Communications – Creative Media degree, you can explore career opportunities that include:

  • Multimedia Manager
  • Corporate Communications Specialist
  • Video Producer
  • Media Director
  • Multimedia Content Producer
  • Creative Copywriter
  • Multimedia Manager
  • Corporate Communications Specialist
  • Video Producer
  • Media Director
  • Multimedia Content Producer
  • Creative Copywriter

Also available:

A-State offers a variety of undergraduate programs in a convenient online format. You may also be interested in our Certificate in Corporate Media or Certificate in Graphic Communication. Explore our full range of online undergraduate programs.

Per Credit Tuition: $292
Transfer Credits: Up to 90 hours
Credit Hours 120
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Need More Information?

Call 866-621-8096

Call 866-621-8096

Top 10 reasons why you should enroll in a 100% online Undergraduate degree program at A-state — watch this!

Tuition


Learn about the online bachelor’s in mass communications tuition

A-State's online programs are affordable and convenient. You may also qualify for financial aid. Learn more.

The online B.S. in Mass Communications – Creative Media degree program offers the same low, pay-by-the-course tuition to all U.S. residents. All fees are included. Tuition may be subject to change on a yearly basis.

Tuition breakdown:

Per Credit Hour: $292
Tuition Per Course: $876

Transfer your credits for lower tuition

Use our Tuition Estimator to see how affordable your degree could be. Slide the notch to the number of credits you've already earned—which may qualify for transfer credit—to get an estimate of what your degree might cost.

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Transcripts sent from other colleges and universities will be evaluated, and accepted credits will be added to the student's A-State record. The Tuition Estimator is not a guarantee or predictor of the number of credit hours that will be accepted.

You may be closer to Graduation than you think!

A-State-approved credit for prior learning recognizes your previous accomplishments, reducing your tuition costs and time to graduation.

Calendar


Discover program start dates and deadlines

The online bachelor’s in mass communications program is flexible and convenient, featuring accelerated coursework and multiple start dates per year.

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Spring 23/9/262/23/262/23/263/5/263/6/265/1/26
Summer 15/26/265/12/265/12/265/21/265/22/266/26/26
Summer 26/29/266/15/266/15/266/25/266/26/267/31/26

Now enrolling:

Next Apply Date 2/23/26
Start Class 3/9/26

Have questions or need more information about A‑State online programs?

Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from A-State?

Admissions


Review the bachelor’s in mass communications program admission guidelines

A-State Online offers a streamlined admission process for both new students and transfers. Students who are interested in the online B.S. in Mass Communications – Creative Media degree program should review and follow the requirements for admission below.

Admission Requirements:

  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • 2.0 GPA for transferring credits

There are several paths to admittance at A-State:

  • If you have 13 or more transferrable college credit hours, you would be admitted if you have a cumulative college GPA of at least 2.0 on previous college coursework
  • If you have 0-12 transferrable college credit hours and have been out of high school for five years or more, you would be admitted if you:
    • Have a high school diploma or state-approved equivalent
    • Have completed 12 or fewer earned college hours
    • Have never enrolled as a student at A-State
    Note: If you’re admitted as a non-traditional first-time freshman, you may be required to successfully complete a predesignated curriculum of 12 hours (Certificate or Non-Degree). Upon successful completion, you will be transitioned to a degree seeking program.
  • If you have 0-12 transferrable college credit hours and have been in high school within the last 5 years, you would be admitted if you have one of the following:
    • 3.0 cumulative high school grad point average (or GED test score equivalent), OR
    • 19 minimum ACT super score or minimum 990 combined SAT super score, OR
    • Class rank in the top 20% of your graduating class

Application Submission Requirements

Submitting your application takes three easy steps: filling out the application, submitting your documents and paying the application fee.

1. When completing the online application, select “100% online student” and then complete all the steps on the online application.

2. Pay a $30.00 non-refundable application fee.

3. Submit all official college transcripts.

4. Submit official high school transcripts (if applicable).

5. Submit official ACT/ SAT test scores (if applicable).

Note: If you have 0-12 transferable college hours, test scores will still need to be submitted for reporting purposes to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE); however, they are not needed for an admission decision. Accuplacer test scores are an acceptable alternative to ACT/SAT scores.

If you have any questions along the way, call us at 866-621-8096, and we’ll be happy to help.

Document Submission Address

Submit all documents to:

A-State Online
P.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467

Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]

For Non-US Postal Mail Overnight Delivery Only:

A-State Online
c/o Central Receiving
2713 Pawnee St.
Jonesboro, AR 7240

Courses


Explore the creative media degree program’s courses

To earn the bachelor’s in mass communications online, you’ll need to complete 120 credit hours of coursework. The program includes 38 credit hours of general education courses, 27 credit hours of major courses, 28 credit hours of concentration courses and 27 credit hours of elective courses. You can finish faster by transferring previously earned credit hours. Transfer credit hours will be evaluated during the admission process.

Visit the Course Registration page to view the course schedule for this degree.

Students must take all of the following courses.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to journalism and creative media and their necessity in a demo­cratic society; news values; news judgment; basic theories; differences between journalistic and creative writing styles; and new forms of media content based on the Internet and other digital platforms. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An overview of the preparation of digital graphics, photographs and text for publication, and of their interrelationships. Includes applica­tion of current digital publishing software programs. Fall.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Overview of the principles of scriptwriting for creative media, including commercials, corporate videos, television and film programming. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introductory course in live and recorded sound production. Theories and technologies used in audio production for radio, television, film/video, and online delivery. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introductory course that focuses on the basics of creating videos in the field and studio by shooting quality video, recording quality audio, editing raw foot­age into a coherent story or presentation, and sharing finished videos. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to writing news for media outlets with precision, ac­curacy, conciseness, and adherence to AP style and guidelines. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Techniques for print, online, and broadcast media reporting. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Electronic publishing and publica­tion design using desktop publishing software programs. Fall, Spring, Summer.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Legal and ethical limitations and privileges affecting the mass media. Fall.

Students must take all of the following courses.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Introductory experience in the production of live and recorded video productions such as sports, musical performances, special events, or news. Students will develop an awareness of various working roles in media production. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Advanced experiences in the production of live and recorded media productions such as sports, musical performances, special events, or news. Students will develop an advanced awareness of various working roles in media production. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Production and post-production of live and recorded audio for radio, television, film/video, and online delivery. Single and multi-track audio editing, sound effects, and sound reinforcement are covered. Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Intermediate course exploring non-linear editing techniques and practices, as well as the history and theory of film/video editing. Topics include post-produc­tion workflow, video formats and compression, exporting, sound design, color correction, and multicam editing. Fall.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Advanced practical experience in the conceptualization, pre-production preparation, and production of live and recorded video productions such as sports, musical performances, special events, or news. Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Communicating complex information with visually appealing images (charts, graphs, maps, etc.), including processing and cleaning raw data, and effectively communicating data to a multimedia audience.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Entrepreneurial techniques and skills including business finance, client interaction, and ethics that can be applied across multiple media-based contexts and platforms. Fall, Spring, Summer.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the field and function of media production for business and nonprofit organizations. The course addresses client contact, budgeting, analy­sis of production problems, design and writing of scripts for promotion, training and news in corporate and industrial settings. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Practical experience relevant to students in Creative Media Production. Fall, Spring.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Development and production of graphics for video, televi­sion, and internet-based media. Fall.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 2
Capstone portfolio of revised student work. Fall, Spring.

You must take 27 hours of electives to satisfy the 120 credit hours required for this program. Courses may be chosen with the assistance of an advisor and per your degree plan. Electives can come from any courses offered so long as prerequisites are met.

You must take the following courses.

First-year course

You must take the following Making Connections course. If you transfer in more than 12 credit hours, you will not be required to take the Making Connections course. You may replace that 3-hour course with a 3-hour elective course.

First-Year Course (3 hours)
UC 1013

Communication Requirement (6 hours)
ENG 1003
ENG 1013

Mathematics Requirement (3 hours)
Students must take one of the following or any MATH course that requires MATH 1023 as prerequisite
MATH 1023
MATH 1043
STAT 2003

Fine Arts and Humanities Requirement (6 hours)
ART 2503
MUS 2503
THEA 2503
ENG 2003
ENG 2013
PHIL 1103

Social Sciences Requirement (9 hours) 
Students in this program must take MDIA 1003 and one of HIST 2763, HIST 2773 or POSC 2103, plus one additional from the following for a total of three courses/9 credit hours.
ANTH 2233
ECON 2313

ECON 2323

ECON 2333

GEOG 2613
HIST 1013
HIST 1023
POSC 1003
PSY 2013
SOC 2213

Life Science Requirement (4 hours)
BIOL 1003 with BIOL 1001 lab
BIOL 1063 with BIOL 1001 lab
BIO 1503 with BIO 1501 lab
BIO 2013 with BIO 2011 lab
BIO 2103 with BIO 2101 lab
BIO 2203 with BIO 2201 lab

Physical Sciences Requirement (4 hours)
CHEM 1013 with CHEM 1011 lab
CHEM 1043 with CHEM 1041 lab
GEOL 1003 with GEOL 1001 lab
PHSC 1203 with PHSC 1201 lab
PHYS 1103 with PHYS 1101 lab
PHYS 2034
PHYS 2054

Departmental Requirement (3 hours)
COMS 1203

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