Accreditation for the B.A. in Media Production
The Bachelor of Arts in Media Production is offered by the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication. High Point University’s SACSCOC accreditation includes the degree and the media production minor.
Reels and Credits From the First Year
Studios, networks and agencies hire on reels and credits. HPU media production students crew productions from their first year, complete four semesters in the Video Production Agency and finish with a Senior Production Experience that goes in their portfolio.
FAA Drone Certification
Two drone courses prepare students to earn their FAA commercial drone pilot license, a credential employers can verify.
The Nido R. Qubein School of Communication
The program sits in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, a community of more than 750 scholars and producers in eight disciplines. Students learn from professionals in residence including Byron Pitts, co-anchor of ABC News Nightline and HPU’s Journalist in Residence, and Joe Michaels, director of NBC’s Today show for 22 years and HPU’s Broadcaster in Residence.
University Accreditation
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been continuously accredited since 1951. SACSCOC has granted HPU Level V status, which authorizes a university to award doctoral degrees.
What Media Production Graduates Say About Their Education
Media production graduates describe the mentors and opportunities that shaped their careers.
Emmy Beck-Aden
NBCUniversal Page Program
“HPU provided me with unmatched opportunities, resources and mentors. HPU instills confidence in students to pursue their passions and purpose through inspiration and collaboration. The Office of Career and Professional Development’s friendly, supportive staff were very helpful in giving advice and sharing words of encouragement throughout my job search.”
Cam Christie
Operations Technician, New England Sports Network. Sports Media major, Media Production minor.
“From directing and producing live broadcasts with HPU Sports Link on ESPN+ to helping launch new projects like Panther Pregame, I was trusted with real responsibility early on. … Professor Michaels inspired my passion for directing, pushing me to grow as a leader and storyteller in live production.”
Alexa Franklin
Digital Content Specialist, Casual Furniture World
“One of my most impactful moments at HPU was when I passed my FAA exam for a remote pilot license to fly drones. … Taking the drone class was an optional challenge I pursued to advance my career goals, and having an encouraging professor by my side reinforced the supportive, success-driven environment at HPU.”
Joe Michaels, Broadcaster in Residence
Joe Michaels, an eight-time Emmy Award winner, directed NBC’s Today show for 22 years and mentors HPU media production students as Broadcaster in Residence.
Virtual Production
HPU media production students take courses in virtual production and augmented and extended reality. The studio’s 24-foot virtual production wall tracks camera position and lens data to place actors inside realistic 3D environments, the workflow used in feature films and network programming.
A Network-Grade Studio
Students learn in a 2,000-square-foot, four-camera 4K broadcast studio with DMX-controlled lighting, and they can check out more than 40 cinema-style camera kits for their own projects.
School of Communication Student Awards
Each spring, the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication honors students for leadership, scholarship, professional engagement, service and communication. In 2025, Lucy Rimmel, a media production and entrepreneurship and strategic communication double major, received the Outstanding Scholarship award, and Jack O’Donnell, president of HPU Vision, received the Outstanding Service award. See every award winner.
Media Production Program Ranking
College Factual ranked High Point University #4 in its 2027 Best Radio, Television & Digital Communication Schools in North Carolina list, the category that includes media production. The list weighs graduation rates, earnings after graduation, affordability and program focus. HPU also ranks #10 in the Southeast Region.
Recognition for Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research named High Point University the recipient of its 2025 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments, judged against CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
High Point University Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2027 ranks High Point University #1 for Most Innovative Schools and #3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities in the South. HPU also ranks #1 in its category for Earnings by Major, a new U.S. News factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
The Princeton Review’s Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition ranks High Point University #3 for Best-Run Colleges, #3 for Best College Dorms and #3 for Most Beautiful Campus. HPU is the only university in North Carolina ranked in the top 5 for all three.
Niche’s 2027 rankings place High Point University #1 in North Carolina for Best College Campuses, Best College Dorms and Best College Food, and #8 in North Carolina for Colleges with the Best Professors.
Measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers standards, 99% of HPU’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days, 13 points above the national average.
Student and Alumni Honors
Media production students and graduates have won film festival awards, an Emmy and HPU’s Extraordinary Leader honor.
Doll in the Dark
Best Student Short Film, Direct Monthly Online Festival
Media production major Grey Rich made the short horror film with School of Communication classmates. It also won an Award of Merit from the One Reeler Film Festival and an honorable mention from Global Shorts.
The Source
Best Student Film in Paris and Best Director, Couch Film Festival
Ben Frondorf, a popular culture and media production major, won Best Director at the Couch Film Festival, and the film was nominated for Best Long Short and Best Cast in Toronto. Media production faculty also selected Ben for the Excellence in Media Production Award.
The One Per Cent
Award of Excellence, BEA Festival of Media Arts
Media production faculty member Jim Goodman produced and directed this original film with School of Communication students as producers, director of photography, editor and screenwriter. It won in the faculty/student category.
Meredith Beck
Emmy Award, WGHP Fox 8
Meredith, an electronic media and film alumna and executive producer at WGHP Fox 8, won an Emmy for the NASCAR special “Comeback Track: Returning to North Wilkesboro.”
Jack O’Donnell
HPU Extraordinary Leader
A popular culture and media production major and president of HPU Vision, Jack interned with CNN’s photography team at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Xuan “Dynasty” Rui
HPU Extraordinary Leader
A media production and entrepreneurship and philosophy double major, Dynasty served as co-president of Interfaith United and president of the Global Student Association and presented original research at High-PURCS 2024.
Explore Media Production at High Point University
See the courses media production majors take and where HPU graduates go next.
Curriculum & Research Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Professor Rob Powell at [email protected].