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

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


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs by Type (Majors, Minors, Pre-Professional Studies, etc.)

College of Arts and Sciences


Department of Mass Communication


Journalism Program Information


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), and at least 65 of those 72 hours must be taken in the liberal arts.

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.A. 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.A. Degree Requirements


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.

Foreign Languages Completion of a foreign language course numbered 2020 or above with a grade of C- or better * **
   
Mathematics Specified General Education Core: MATH 1530  or MATH 1910 
   
Non-U.S. History 3 credit hours

 

* International Students whose native language is not English, and whose admission to ETSU requires them to take a standardized test of English as a foreign language (e.g., TOEFL), may substitute scores that meet the admission requirements for the foreign language requirement.
** Consult the Literature and Language Department’s placement policy listed at  www.etsu.edu/cas/litlang/documents/foreignlanguagerequirement.pdf and in the listing for Foreign Languages in this catalog.

 

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


Complete one of the following:

Humanities and Fine Arts


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

Humanities Electives


History


6 credits, consisting of both of the following:

Natural Sciences


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.)

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.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

Electives: 6-16 Credit Hours


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.

B.A. Foreign Language Requirements


The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of at least one foreign language course with a number of 2020 or higher with a grade of at least C-. Students may need prerequisites that could include courses numbered 1010, 1020, and/or 2010 to prepare for success in 2020.

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.A. Suggested Course Sequence .

Teaching Program Information


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

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs by Type (Majors, Minors, Pre-Professional Studies, etc.)