Building a Career in Entertainment and Media Systems Design in Canada

Education Prerequisites

The professionals must have undergone specialized education and possess relevant hands-on experience in the creation and distribution of video and audio projects for environmental installations and mobile networks.

In addition to this, employers expect these media professionals to be well-versed in digital content creation, developing applications for wireless devices, produce and manage other innovative media products. They are also expected to possess a sound knowledge of robotics, programmable logic controllers, electronics, sensors, media analytics and network technology.

Although the job opportunities for media professionals are brighter than ever but job market has also grown more competitive than before. Those interested in working in fields related to digital content creation and production must develop a set of design skills and capabilities in media production and media engineering and should be able to lead collaborative teams of technologists.

Other Requirements

In addition to formal education and hands-on experience, the professionals must possess sound analytical, decision making, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They are also expected to have strong communication and interpersonal skills along with an ability to assess, develop, manage and execute a media technology project.

Media Education Programs in Canada

Several Canadian colleges offer postgraduate media studies courses to students. However, not all may offer them required exposure and hands-on experience, which is essential for seeking employment post graduation.

Centennial College’s entertainment and media systems design is considered as one of the most prestigious media education program in the country. This is because the program provides students with a project-based learning environment that focuses on analytical and decision making skills on real world challenges. It offers students much required hands-on lab and a 15-week industry field placement at a media technology company or interactive design firm.

The one-year graduate certificate program covers a wide range of subjects, including media engineering, video production and sound design, visual design, design for web and mobile devices, media electronics, computer systems and networks, software programming fundamentals, physical computing, product development, automated control systems, web programming, media informatics, content management and portfolio production.

Students of this program are required to participate in team and individual projects guided and assessed by industry entrepreneurs. This helps them put their learning into practice and gain industry contacts that can be used as references at the time of finding employment after the completion of the program.

Enrolling in a Media Education Program

Interested students need to submit an application form along with a university degree or college diploma certificate in a field related to engineering, technology or media. Candidates with partial post-secondary education (minimum two-years at the university) with relevant work experience in a media related field are also considered for the program. In addition to this, all applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their work, an updated resume and a letter of intent at the time of submitting the application.