Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mass Communication Major, B.S. (Journalism Concentration)


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College of Arts and Sciences


Department of Mass Communication


Journalism Concentration


Box 70669
Phone: (423) 439-7676
Web address: http://www.etsu.edu/mcom

Journalism teaches you multimedia production, sharpens your writing and gives you behind-the-scenes access to the world. Our students learn the watchdog role of the media and the importance of a free press, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Students learn the craft through hands-on assignments in our technology-rich skills classes. We emphasize news writing, with a strong focus on compelling digital storytelling. Instruction includes visual skills in photography, videography, and online production. Faculty and instruction keep pace with today’s ever-changing media landscape, equipping students with the tools they need.

Journalism graduates land jobs in many media fields. News media professionals work at newspapers, websites, magazines, radio/TV news stations, nonprofit organizations, corporate media offices, and government agencies. Journalists are also finding careers in the burgeoning social media world.

To complete the B.S. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Journalism, a student must complete a total of 120 credit hours of course work. In addition to the University’s General Education requirements and the B.S. degree requirements, students must complete 39 hours in Journalism. At least 72 hours of a student’s degree must be completed in non-mass communication courses (i.e., courses that do not begin with MCOM, ADVR, JOUR, PUBR or RTVF). Students must also complete a minor in a department of their choosing. A 2.0 grade point average must be obtained in the major, the minor, overall, and in all courses taken at ETSU in order to graduate. Prior to graduation, students must also complete a major field test in addition to the standard University exit examination.

Advising

Students with 0-59 earned credit hours:

Contact the Center for Advisement and Student Excellence (CASE) to schedule an appointment with your advisor. Visit the CASE website (http://www.etsu.edu/cas/case/) or call (423) 439-5602.

Students with 60 or more earned credit hours:

Contact Dr. Dan Brown [brownd@etsu.edu; (423) 439-4171] for advising.

Transfer Students

Transfer students majoring in journalism should contact the chair of the department for advising as soon as possible. This will ensure that the student’s previous work will be coordinated efficiently with ETSU requirements.

Transfer students may transfer up to 12 hours from other institutions toward the completion of the B.S. in the Journalism concentration. This means that at least 27 credits in the Journalism concentration must be completed at ETSU.

For general information about the department or courses, contact Dr. Stephen Marshall, Chair [marshals@etsu.edu; (423) 439-7575].

General Program Information


To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements established by ETSU, by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels outlined in the following list:

University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements


Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120


College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements


Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Some requirements must be taken in addition to the General Education Core, whereas others specify which courses from the General Education Core must be taken.

Mathematics Specified General Education Core: MATH 1530  or MATH 1910  as specified by major.
   
Natural Sciences Eight (8) credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science from the following:
  1. ASTR 1010  and ASTR 1020 
  2. BIOL 1010  /BIOL 1011  and BIOL 1020  /BIOL 1021  
  3. BIOL 1110  /BIOL 1111  and BIOL 1120  /BIOL 1121  or BIOL 1130  /BIOL 1131 
  4. CHEM 1110  /CHEM 1111  and CHEM 1120  /CHEM 1121 
  5. GEOL 1040 /GEOL 1041  and GEOL 1050 /GEOL 1051 
  6. PHYS 2010  /PHYS 2011  and PHYS 2020  /PHYS 2021  or PHYS 2110  and PHYS 2120 
  * Higher-level laboratory courses in these departments also meet this requirement.
   
Philosophy of Science PHIL 2640 
   
Reasoning PHIL 2030  or SPCH 2320 

 

TBR General Education Requirements: 41 - 42 Credit Hours


Listed below are the categories and courses specified under TBR General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a TBR General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major,  only those courses are listed under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
 

Communication


9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.

Written Composition


Complete both of the following: 

Oral Communication


Note: Other courses from this block are acceptable, but this course satisfies the Reasoning requirement for the BS degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Humanities and Fine Arts


9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.

Humanities


Note: Other courses from this block are acceptable, but this course satisfies the Philosophy of Science requirement for the BS degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.

History


6 credits, consisting of both of the following:

Natural Sciences


Eight (8) credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science from the following*:

Mathematics


Students will enroll in the appropriate general education math course during their first calendar year of enrollment at ETSU. Students required to complete learning support in mathematics must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of MATH 1530  during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading or writing. Students needing learning support in reading or writing in addition to learning support in math should enroll in MATH 1530-Lxx immediately upon completing their other learning support requirements. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/

Complete one of the following:

Journalism Concentration: 39 Credit Hours


Minor: 18-24 Credit Hours


All students seeking a B.S. in the Journalism concentration must complete a minor. Consult with the department in which you intend to obtain a minor for requirements and advising.

Electives: 9-19 Credit Hours


Depending on the number of credits required for your minor and your general education requirements, you will need to take between 9 and 19 credit hours of your choosing to reach your 120 credit graduation requirement.

Graduation Requirements


Graduation in this major/concentration requires a minimum of 120 credits, including General Education requirements, CSCI 1100 , college degree requirements, major requirements, and minor requirements.

Passing the CSCI 1100 proficiency test produces no credit, but satisfies the graduation requirement (see http://http://www.cs.etsu.edu/academics/proficiency). If the total credits from these areas are less than 120 credits, students may use free electives to complete the requirement.

Additional Information


Click here to view the Journalism, B.S. Suggested Course Sequence .

Teaching Program Information


There is currently no teacher certification program offered in conjunction with the Journalism concentration.

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