Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies

We are proud to announce that we have attracted some of the best minds to teach at the university. Our professors will expose students to all aspects of media and its relationship with politics, globalization and popular culture. They will dwell on the rise of new media, the arts, the nature of the audiences, and communications management.

The Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies curriculum is unique, with focusing the large majority of its courses focusing on the regional media industry. The School regularly screens local and international films and invites media professionals ranging from producers, directors and actors to screenwriters, and editors to interact with our students in presentations and workshops. The program consists of two majors: Digital Production and Storytelling (DPST) and Journalism (JOUR), both of which begin at the Freshman level with fundamental concepts, theories, and media ethics and culminate in final projects and internships at reputable media firms in the UAE.

The DPST major graduates aims at training media professionals ready to produce original and creative content for television and film. The curriculum systematically trains students in the crafts of Digital Production and Storytelling. During From their Sophomore year onward, Junior and Senior years, students are taught Writing, Directing, and Production. These combine standard practices with techniques unique to this region, with the aim to respond to the need for professional talent in the rapidly evolving local and regional market. The theoretical and practical aspects of developing documentaries are taught in the Senior year. Students learn as well how to use media for public service and social welfare, while developing their own voices with new media, blogs, and social networking skills.

The Journalism major aims at training reporters, presenters, editors, and non-fictional storytellers for TV, newspapers, magazines, internet, and radio in all their formats. Students focus on the essentials of writing non-fiction stories for various media platforms. In their Junior and Senior years, they elaborate on reporting stories in various contexts and familiarize themselves with the workings of the professional news room. The school focuses on both form and content: Students are introduced to the basics of graphic design to develop an intelligent eye towards the visual presentation of their work, while learning about specific topics engaging the contemporary political arena in the Middle East. In addition, JOUR students join their DPST classmates in learning about the theoretical and practical aspects involved in the critique and production of documentary film and television projects.

The Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies program at the American University in Dubai prepares practitioners and scholars to work in twenty-first century media. Graduates will be proficient in areas ranging from ethics and media policy to writing and production skills. They will be committed to providing the public with media content that meets local and regional needs and is global in outlook and standard.