Students are eligible to acquire the International Media Certificate when they complete a total of 18-19 credit hours. IAFS majors must take two required courses, and CMCI majors must take three required courses. Students should fulfill the remaining credit hours through interdisciplinary elective courses as indicated in Lists A and B. 

View requirements

Additional List B Course Elective Options (not listed on the University Catalog)
For IAFS majors only

• COMM 3340 Political Communication—3 credits
• JRNL 2001 Fundamentals of Reporting Technologies—3
• JRNL 3202 Covering Political Campaigns—3
• JRNL 3401 Sociology of News—3
• JRNL 4401 News and Public Perception—3

Additional courses that deal with media may be approved at the discretion of the CMCI co-director. Contact advisor Susan Avila for referral. Additional courses that deal with international affairs may be approved at the discretion of the International Affairs co-director. Contact Assistant Director Katherine Rousseau for referral.

Apply for the International Media Certificate by completing this online form, below. Please fill in the appropriate fields, upload the required materials and press submit. The IMC allows students majoring in International Affairs at the University of Colorado to explore careers in international reporting, advertising, strategic communication, and entertainment, while CMCI majors will acquire the context and perspective necessary to work in global and international jobs.

Apply here!

The International Media Certificate is a program for undergraduate students jointly operated by the College of Media, Communication and Information and the International Affairs program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Faculty and researchers have international experience in media studies, print and broadcast journalism, communication, and advertising and public relations. Among the faculty are leading researchers on critical media studies, communication, political economy of media and international communication.

Administration

• Assistant Director Katherine Rousseau, International Affairs Program
• Assistant Director of Academic Advising Susan Avila, College of Media, Communication and Information

Professors

• Professor and Director Thomas Zeiler, International Affairs Program
• Associate Professor Hun Shik Kim, College of Media, Communication and Information

Are students in all majors eligible to apply for admission?
No. This certificate is restricted to students majoring in International Affairs and all majors in the College of Media, Communication and Information.

When can I apply?
After you:

• have completed 30 hours of college coursework
• have also completed six credits of courses in their major and
• have a minimum of a 2.75 overall GPA at CU-Boulder

Does meeting the minimum admission requirements guarantee admission?
No, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. A faculty committee of one faculty member from each unit (the Director of IAFS and the CMCI Co-Director for IMC) will review complete applications each term. The committee may also recommend fewer total acceptances than the 20 maximum if the applicant pool is not adequate in any given year.

In the event that the faculty committee finds more qualified students from one discipline or the other, the committee may recommend that more students be taken from that discipline and fewer from the other, still resulting in a total of 20 students.

How can I find out if this type of program is for me?
If you are a CMCI student who wants to check out International Affairs courses to see if you are interested, consider enrolling in PSCI 2012 Introduction to Comparative Politics—3, PSCI 2223 Introduction to International Relations—3, or GEOG 1962 Geographies of Global Change—3. If you decide to enter the IMC program, any one of these three courses would count toward the certificate.

If you are an IAFS student, it is not possible to take any of the certificate’s required CMCI courses without first being accepted into the IMC Program. However, to get a feel for beginning Journalism, you might wish to enroll in JRNL 2000 Writing for the Media—3. If you decide to enter the IMC program, this course would count toward the certificate. 

How do I know I have been accepted into this Certificate program?
You will receive an email from the certificate director in your major confirming your acceptance.

How do I know my progress towards the award of the Certificate?
Students who have been accepted to the Certificate are responsible for ensuring that they complete the requirements for the certificate.

How do I get the Certificate after graduation?
You will apply for it to the certificate director in your major with evidence you have met all requirements when you apply for graduation. It will appear on your transcripts two months after your bachelor’s degree is awarded. The Certificate will be mailed to the address you specify; expect it eight to 12 weeks after commencement.

Can I apply for this Certificate after I have graduated from another university or CU campus?
No.

May I take courses that count for this Certificate on a pass-fail basis?
No. All required courses must be taken for a letter grade, not pass/fail.

Are course requirements strictly enforced?
Yes. Certificate co-directors in IAFS and CMCI must give prior approval for use of Education Abroad and Independent Study credits.

Have additional questions?
If after reviewing this site you still need additional information, please e-mail the CMCI advisor Susan Avila or International Affairs Program Assistant Director Katherine Rousseau.

The International Media Certificate is designed to facilitate completion of the required 18-19 credit hours without any extra courses or time to graduate. Please familiarize yourself with this website and keep the following tips in mind to get the most out of the program:

• Find courses that count twice. Compare the list of IM Certificate-approved courses with core and elective curriculum or requirements in your major. If possible, plan to take courses that count for both at once.
  • International Affairs majors: identify courses that overlap with your IAFS major requirements, including List A classes and two of the required CMCI classes, MDST 3201 and JRNL 4411.
• ​Make sure you can take the three required courses (9-10 credit hours) at CU Boulder. For CMCI majors, IMC requirement #1 allows students to choose one of four options (IAFS 1000, PSCI 2012, PSCI 2223, or GEOG 1962). Required course #2 is MDST 3201 Media, Culture and Globalization. Required course #3 is JRNL 4411, International Media and Global Crises—offered in SPRING ONLY.
  • International Affairs majors, your two required IMC courses are MDST 3201 (Functional Area I for the IAFS major) and JRNL 4411 (Functional Area IV for the IAFS major).
• Consult the list of IMC-approved electives when registering every semester:
• Keep an eye out for possible course substitutions. For the 12 hours of elective credit, you may suggest upper-division international or CMCI courses from the CU Boulder catalog if you find a relevant course you’d like to take that is not already listed on the IM Certificate website. To suggest an upper-division international course to be considered for IM Certificate credit, send a formal email request to International Affairs Program Assistant Director Katherine Rousseau. To propose an upper-division CMCI elective for possible IM Certificate credit, email your request to Susan Avila.
• Remember that some of your IM Certificate electives can be taken as study abroad courses. Make sure to get approval in advance for any courses you intend to take when abroad. For courses related to international issues, please contact Katherine Rousseau for approval. For courses related CMCI, please contact Susan Avila.
• If you wish to pursue independent study related to Certificate curriculum, please remember that a maximum of 3 credit hours of independent study can be applied toward the IM Certificate. Follow the same steps for approval in advance as listed above.
• Attend the reception / advising information session held once a year for all IM Certificate students.
• Check in with any questions. Feel free to email Susan Avila or Katherine Rousseau anytime you would like to go over your progress toward the Certificate and make sure you’re on track to complete all requirements by graduation. This is particularly important during your last three semesters.