Mass Communication Major, B.A. (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.A. 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.A. 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.

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

For additional information about the Journalism concentration, students should contact the Department of Mass Communication (phone: 423-439-7676, email: communicationdept@etsu.edu). If you wish to seek advising about a Journalism degree, you should consult the How to Contact Your Advisor website. (www.etsu.edu/advisement/continuingstudents/default.aspx#Find).

To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements put forth 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. Please follow the format below:

University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements

• Degree and Graduation Requirements 
• Completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours is required.
• CSCI 1100 or the proficiency exam
• Proficiency Intensive Course Requirements
• California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)  (Senior Exit Exam)
• Additional Requirements for Transfer Students
• Second Bachelor Degrees
• Double Majors/Double Degrees

Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) 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.

Below you will see 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, we only list those courses under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
 

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

Complete both of the following: 

Complete one of the following:

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

Complete one of the following: 

Complete one of the following:

Complete one of the following:

6 credits, consisting of two of the following: 

6 credits, consisting of both of the following:

8 credits, consisting of two of the following (some require labs which are listed directly after the lecture):

(Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences must select 8 credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science. Please see listing in College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements for options.)

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:

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

Depending on the number of credits required for your minor and your general education requirements, you will need to take between 6 and 16 credit hours of your choosing to reach your 120 credit graduation requirement.

A course rotation is not yet available for this concentration. Please contact the Department of Mass Communication for information about course offerings each academic year.

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