Information and Media Literacy Minor
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The Information and Media Literacy Minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major program with a group of related courses that provide a systematic, focused, and critical introduction to information and media literacies. The core courses together with electives provide students with an understanding of the processes, dynamics and societal implications of the production and dissemination of information and media and skills for their judicious evaluation, consumption, and productive use.
IML Minor is offered to UCLA undergraduates who will take core courses that together with electives will provide them with an understanding of the processes, dynamics and societal implications of the production and dissemination of information and media and skills for their judicious evaluation, consumption, and productive use.
Program Overview
The Department of Information Studies and the Department of Education together are uniquely positioned to offer the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor given their emphasis on critical research related to digital systems and focus on transformational pedagogy and research.
The Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor content will include information and media literacy fundamentals, digital citizenship, impact of social media and technology on societies and cultures, potential weaponization of social media, the digital divide, effective research strategies, and ethical and legal issues in information and media.
The minor builds upon existing courses and strengths in information and media literacy, especially those that emphasize the digital format, that are currently offered at the graduate and undergraduate levels in both departments and upon recent courses related directly to information and media literacy and data ethics.
The goal of the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor is to provide upper-division undergraduates of any major the opportunity to:
- Analyze and describe how and why information and media are constructed and shared, including analyses of the influence on information and media of political, social, cultural, and ideological forces and identity markers of race, class, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and immigration and citizenship status.
- Distinguish among facts, opinions, research studies, and advertisements and think critically regarding how these serve as evidence, as well as the quality of information in both historical and contemporary contexts and regardless of medium.
- Probe and discuss the economic, legal, labor, social, and geopolitical issues and implications associated with creation, access to, management, manipulation, reproduction, and use of information and media.
- Identify fundamental concerns and strategies associated with the teaching of information and media literacy and the cultivation of appropriate pedagogical skills in different formal and informal settings.
- Identify the roles played by information and media literacy in social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion concerns locally, nationally, and globally.
- Contribute towards the creation and presentation of information and media that advance a more just, equitable and humane society and nation.
- Develop effective researching strategies, evaluate the advantages and limitations of information researching tools and databases, and select multiple appropriate information sources to meet specific informational research needs—academic, personal and in the workplace.
Minor Application
The Winter 2025 application for Spring 2025 admission will open on January 6, 2025 and close on January 17, 2025 at 5pm. Late applications will not be accepted.
Minor ApplicationTo gain admission to the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor, students must apply to the program.
Admission Process
The online application for students is available in Fall, Winter, and Spring. We do not accept applications in the Summer. The application process will be for admission into the minor for the following term. For example, the Fall 2023 application is for admission into the minor effective Winter 2024.
After submitting the online application, students will be notified via MyUCLA Messages about the results of their application. Students who are offered admission to the minor will be sent their offer letter via MyUCLA Message Center along with the required admission forms.
Admission Timeline
- Internal Application Opens – First Day of the Quarter
- Internal Application Due – Friday of Week 2 at 5pm
- Admission Notices are Released – Friday of Week 3
- Admission notices are sent via MyUCLA Messages between 8am and 5pm
- For Admitted Students Only: Required Admission Forms Due – Friday of Week 4
- Required admission forms must be submitted via MyUCLA Messages
Students who are offered admission to the minor must return the required admission forms by the deadline indicated in the offer letter to accept the offer of admission. If we do not receive the required forms via MyUCLA Messages by the deadline, the offer of admission will be rescinded.
If a student does not successfully complete all parts of the admission process during an admission cycle, they will not be added to the minor and their admission offer will be voided. The student may apply in future admission cycles as long as they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.
Students are responsible for making sure that all requirements and deadline are met if they want to obtain admission into the minor in Information and Media Literacy.
Application Requirements
To be be eligible to apply for the minor, students must:
- Have at least Sophomore standing
- Complete ONE lower-division or upper-division core course from the approved list with a letter grade of “B” or better before applying for the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor (Select from INF STD 10, INF STD 20, INF STD 30, INF STD 115, or INF STD M121/EDUC M121)
- Have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher.
- Be in Good Academic Standing
- Not be beyond the Spring of their third year of study as a freshman admit or beyond the Spring of their first year of study as a transfer admit
The latest a student can submit an application for the minor is during the Spring of their third year of study as a freshman admit or the Spring of their first year as a transfer admit.
Department Note: The Information and Media Literacy Minor is not open to students that are declared as an Education and Social Transformation Major or Education Studies Minor.
Students must follow the program of study provided at the time of admission to the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor Program. The IML Minor requires the completion of SEVEN courses from the approved list of courses for the minor. Successful completion of the minor is indicated on the transcript and diploma.
Information and Media Literacy Minor Requirements
2 Lower-Division Core Courses
- INF STD 10 – Information & Power
- INF STD 20 – Digital Cultures & Society
- INF STD 30 – Internet and Society
2 Upper-Division Core Courses in IS/EDUC
- INF STD 115 – Introduction to Information Literacy
- INF STD M121/EDUC M121 – Introduction to Media Literacies
3 Upper-Division Courses in IS and EDUC from the approved list
- EDUC 105C – Comparative Educational Policies and Practices
- EDUC 107A – Race, Class, and Education Inequality in the US
- EDUC 109A – Globalization and Learning
- EDUC 109B – Global Citizenship Education
- EDUC 126 – Language, Literacy, and Academic Development
- EDUC M131C – Culture, Communications and Human Development Research Group Seminars
- EDUC 133 – Literacy in Society
- EDUC 137 – Critical Digital Media Literacies
- EDUC 144 – Pedagogies of Global Citizenship Education
- INF STD 118 – Data and Ethics in Society
- INF STD M135/EDUC M135 – Environmental Justice through the Lens of Media and Education
- INF STD 180 – Special Topics
- INF STD 199 – Directed Research in Information Studies
Other Minor Requirements
- All courses for the minor must be taken for a letter grade.
- All courses must be taken at UCLA.
- All courses for the minor must be a minimum of 4 units.
- Courses cannot be repeated for credit.
- At least 20 units of coursework for the minor must be used exclusively for the minor.
- All courses for the minor must be completed with an average GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Minor Related Policies
- Successful completion of the minor is indicated on the transcript and diploma.
- A maximum of 8 units of contract courses (195-199) may be applied to the minor.
Minor Checklist
The minor checklist includes the minor requirements as well as a comprehensive list of approved courses for the Information and Media Literacy Minor. Please note that some courses may have course requisites that must be met in order to enroll in the course.
View the Information and Media Literacy Minor Checklist
Course Substitutions
Students may submit a petition to apply a course that is not on the approved list toward the minor requirements. The request will be reviewed by the faculty committee to determine if course will be acceptable.
Please note that these petitions are not guaranteed approval and may be denied. A maximum of one course substitution may be approved for the upper-division requirements for the minor.
For more information about the petition process, please reach out to a Ed&IS Undergraduate Advisor/Counselor.
Tentative Course Schedule
The Tentative Course Schedule is compiles the projected course offering by the Education Department for the upcoming academic year. The final list of course offerings for the term are officially published on the schedule of classes on the Registrar’s Office website 1-2 weeks before enrollment begins for the term.
View the Tentative Course Schedule for 2024-2025
Important Notes
- The course offerings, meeting times, and locations are subject to change by the department without notice. Please refer to the schedule of classes on the Registrar’s Office website for the most up-to-date information about a course.
- Final course offerings for a given term are confirmed when the schedule of classes is officially released via the Registrar’s Office website.
- Use the Information and Media Literacy Checklist to determine which courses will count towards the program.
Course Description
The course descriptions for Education and Information Studies courses can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.
Education Course Descriptions
Information Studies Course Descriptions
Information Studies Courses
Information Studies undergraduate courses open to students during first and second pass. Some courses may require instructor consent for enrollment.
Education Courses
For Information and Media Literacy Minors
- Second Pass enrollment available for the following Education upper-division courses only: 105C, 107A, 109A, 109B, M121, 126, M131C, 133, M135, 137, 144
Students not affiliated with any undergraduate programs in the School of Education and Information Studies
- All restrictions on Education upper-division courses (except EDUC 180 and EDUC 181) will be lifted at 8:00 am on the day following the last second pass enrollment appointment time so any students may enroll in any remaining open seats
Permission to Enroll (PTE) Policy
Education Courses—For undergraduate courses, Education Department faculty will not issue PTE numbers except for classes where the enrollment is restricted to instructor consent. Students may place themselves on the wait list of full sections.
Petition Forms
All the SE&IS petitions forms are PDF documents that undergraduate students may complete and submit to our office. Please make sure that all your documents are legible before submitting your forms.
Some forms may require additional signatures from instructors or other departments. Please review your petition form and make sure to obtain all required signatures before submitting your form.
If you are unsure of what type of petition form you need to submit or have questions about the petition process, please see a SE&IS Undergraduate Advisor/Counselor or send a message via MyUCLA Message center.
SE&IS Petitions FolderPetition Submission
Rename your documents to include your name, UID, and petition type before submitting them.
- Last Name, First Name (UID)—Petition Type
- Example: Bruin, Joe (000000000)—Minor Substitution
Submit the completed forms and all necessary documents via MyUCLA Message Center. Please note that you must log in to MyUCLA when submitting your petition. Any anonymous submissions will not be accepted. Once received, our office will reply to the message confirming receipt of your petition.
Petition Results
The results of your petition will be posted on your MyUCLA Petitions page after the department has completed reviewing your request. We will NOT send a MyUCLA Message with the results. It is the student’s responsibility to check the MyUCLA Petitions page.
All petitions submitted to our office are NOT guaranteed approval and petitions may be denied.
All petitions typically take 10-15 business days to be reviewed unless otherwise noted on the petition form. Petitions are reviewed in the order they are submitted.
I have questions about the Information and Media Literacy Minor. Who can I talk to?
Elaine Dolalas, Vanessa Hermoso, and Stephanie Gauthier are the undergraduate Education counselors for the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies. You can reach out to them via MyUCLA Message Center (Academic Counseling Unit: Information Studies) or you can see them during their Virtual Drop-In Advising hours.
When should I apply to the Information and Media Literacy Minor?
You should apply as soon as you know the Information and Media Literacy Minor is something you would like to do and will be able to complete. We recommend applying as soon as you meet the admission requirement for the IML Minor. You can apply during your sophomore or junior year.
Please note that students must apply to the Information and Media Literacy Minor by the Spring of their 3rd year as a freshman admit or the Spring of their first year as a transfer admit. More information about the admission process can be found in the Admission section of the minor website.
How do I apply to the Minor?
You need to submit an online application after you have met all the admission requirements. The link to the online application will be available at the top of this web page and on our department’s social media on the first day of the quarter. Please note that you can only apply for the Minor during the Fall, Winter, and Spring. We do not accept applications during the Summer.
What happens after I submit my application?
An Undergraduate Advisor will review your application for completeness. A week after the application deadline, you will receive your admission letter and Plan of Study form via MyUCLA Message Center. The Plan of Study form must be complete and returned to the department via MyUCLA Message Center by Friday of Week 4 to be officially admitted into the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor.
A Plan of Study is a form in which you list the courses taken for the Minor, courses in progress, and courses you are going to take to complete the requirements.
Failure to submit the Plan of Study form by the deadline will be considered a rejection of the offer of admission to the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor. Eligible students may re-apply in future admission cycles.
How do I enroll in courses for the Minor?
As an Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor student, you will have priority enrollment for most courses that meet program requirements. Please review the “Undergraduate Course Enrollment Rules” section of this website for details.
If you are NOT an Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor student and would like to take Information Studies and Education courses, you will have to wait until the enrollment restrictions are lifted. Information about when the enrollment restrictions will be lifted can be found under the Undergraduate Course Enrollment Rules section.
How will the Information and Media Literacy (IML) Minor be awarded?
The Minor in Information and Media Literacy will appear on your diploma and transcripts after your degree is conferred. Degrees are typically conferred 2-3 months after you complete your last term for your degree.
What happens if I apply to the Minor, but then I cannot complete the requirements?
Prior to applying, students should make sure they will be able to complete all the requirements by the time they graduate, but if for some reason they are not able to complete the requirements once they are already in the program, they can drop the Minor.
Nothing will show on your transcript until the Minor is completed.
Please reach out to an Undergraduate Advisor via MyUCLA Messages or during the weekly drop-in hours to request to remove the minor from your academic record.
I am part of the Education and Social Transformation Major or Education Studies Minor, can I apply for the Information and Media Literacy Minor?
No. The Information and Media Literacy minor is not open to students in the Education Studies Minor or the Education and Social Transformation major.
If you complete the admission process for the Education and Social Transformation major or the Education Studies minor, we will assume that you are no longer interested in the Information and Media Literacy minor and remove it from your academic record.
