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5. College of Communication

Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders

To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements, the college graduation requirements, and the special requirements, core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements below.

Special Requirements

To enroll in upper-division communication sciences and disorders courses, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be dropped from upper-division communication sciences and disorders courses, normally before the twelfth class day. This requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average.

In addition, a student with a major in communication sciences and disorders must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University's core curriculum, described in chapter 2, as well as the prescribed work for the Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders that is listed below. In some cases, a course required for the BSCSD may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Prescribed Work

  1. Three semester hours in English or rhetoric and writing in addition to the courses required by the core curriculum.
  2. Two courses with a writing flag or a substantial writing component. Courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements. A partial list of these communication and culture courses is given in this chapter; a complete list is available in the college's Office of Student Affairs before registration for each semester and summer session. The courses are also identified in the Course Schedule.

  4. Students must demonstrate fourth-semester-level proficiency in a foreign language. Courses taken to meet this requirement may not be taken on the pass/fail basis.

    Students who enter the University with a foreign language deficiency must take the first two semesters in a foreign language without degree credit to remove the deficiency.

    The usual course sequence is 406 or 506, 407 or 507 or 508K, 312K, and 312L. For some languages, different course numbers are used; such courses may be counted toward this requirement if they are designed to provide first-semester-level through fourth-semester-level proficiency. Coursework in American Sign Language may be used to fulfill this requirement. Credit may be earned by examination for any part of the sequence.

    An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment or the department concerned for information on testing.

  5. At least thirty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework.
  6. No more than twelve semester hours of transfer credit in communication sciences and disorders may be counted toward the degree.
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours. No more than thirty-six semester hours in one field of study may be counted toward the degree.

Special Emphases in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Students majoring in communication sciences and disorders may specialize in speech/language pathology, audiology, or education of the deaf/hearing-impaired. After completing the necessary undergraduate coursework, they may seek the graduate degrees that are required for professional accreditation by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (for those in speech/language pathology and audiology) or the Council on Education of the Deaf (for those in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired). Students in speech/language pathology and audiology who wish to practice in Texas must be licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services; those in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired must be certified by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification.

Major Requirements

  1. Students specializing in speech/language pathology must complete at least thirty-four semester hours of coursework in communication sciences and disorders; those specializing in audiology must complete at least thirty-eight hours; those specializing in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired must complete at least thirty-one hours. For students in all three specializations, fifteen hours of this coursework must be upper-division. No more than thirty-eight semester hours of coursework in communication sciences and disorders may be counted toward the degree. Coursework in American Sign Language may not be used to satisfy requirement 1 and is not included in the thirty-eight hours allowed for the degree. The following courses are required:

    1. Speech/language pathology: Communication Sciences and Disorders 306K, 311K, 313L, 318K, 118L, 341, 350, 358, 358S, 367K, 371, and 373.
    2. Audiology: Communication Sciences and Disorders 306K, 311K, 313L, 318K, 118L, 341, 350, 358, 358S, 367K, 371, 373, 378, and 178L.
    3. Education of the deaf/hearing-impaired: Communication Sciences and Disorders 308K, 311K, 313L, 314L, 318K, 118L, 341, 360M, four sections of 175K, and five additional semester hours of upper-division coursework in communication sciences and disorders.
  2. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside communication sciences and disorders. However, no student may count toward the degree more than forty-four semester hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework.
  3. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in a foreign language. Students in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired are encouraged to take American Sign Language.
  2. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.

First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.

Second Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:

    1. English 316K and any three-semester-hour course in English or rhetoric and writing.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
  2. Communication Sciences and Disorders 306K (for students in speech/language pathology or audiology) or 308K (for students in education of the deaf/hearing-impaired) and other lower-division courses in communication sciences and disorders recommended by the student's adviser.
  3. Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Third and Fourth Years

  1. Two courses with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
  2. Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
  3. The remaining courses listed as major requirements.
  4. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies

To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements, the college graduation requirements, and the special requirements, core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements below.

Special Requirements

Students may take no more than nine hours of communication studies coursework, including transfer work, before they have declared a major in communication studies. Exceptions may be made for students who have officially declared a communication studies minor with their colleges. Students minoring in communication studies may take only the number of hours required for the minor.

To enroll in upper-division communication studies courses, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be dropped from upper-division communication studies courses, normally before the twelfth class day. This requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average.

In addition, a student with a major in communication studies must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.

A student majoring in communication studies may not register for more than nine semester hours of communication studies in one semester or summer session.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University's core curriculum, described in chapter 2, as well as the prescribed work for the Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies that is listed below. In some cases, a course required for the BSCommStds may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Prescribed Work

  1. Three semester hours in English or rhetoric and writing in addition to the courses required by the core curriculum.
  2. Two courses with a writing flag or a substantial writing component. Courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements. A partial list of these communication and culture courses is given in this chapter; a complete list is available in the college's Office of Student Affairs before registration for each semester and summer session. The courses are also identified in the Course Schedule.

  4. Students must demonstrate fourth-semester-level proficiency in a foreign language. Courses taken to meet this requirement may not be taken on the pass/fail basis.

    Students who enter the University with a foreign language deficiency must take the first two semesters in a foreign language without degree credit to remove the deficiency.

    The usual course sequence is 406 or 506, 407 or 507 or 508K, 312K, and 312L. In some languages, different course numbers are used; such courses may be counted toward this requirement if they are designed to provide first-semester-level through fourth-semester-level proficiency. Credit may be earned by examination for any part of the sequence.

    An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment or the department concerned for information on testing.

  5. At least thirty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework.
  6. No more than twelve semester hours of transfer credit in communication studies may be counted toward the degree.
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours. No more than thirty-six semester hours in one field of study may be counted toward the degree.

Major Requirements

  1. At least thirty but no more than thirty-six semester hours of communication studies. At least fifteen hours must be in upper-division coursework. Each student must complete one of the following tracks:

    1. Corporate Communication

      1. Communication Studies 306M, 313M, and 332K.
      2. Six semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 310K, 316L, 350M, 352, 370K, 371L, and 372K.
      3. Fifteen additional semester hours of communication studies.

    2. Human Relations

      1. Communication Studies 306M and 332K.
      2. Nine semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 314L, 315M, 334K, 344K, 354, 355K, 357, 358, and 371K.
      3. Fifteen additional semester hours of communication studies.

    3. Political Communication

      1. Communication Studies 306M and 332K.
      2. Nine semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 317C, 332, 340K, 342K, and 370K.
      3. Fifteen additional semester hours of communication studies.
  2. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside communication studies. However, no student may count toward the degree more than forty-two semester hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework.
  3. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in a foreign language.
  2. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.

First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.

Second Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:

    1. English 316K and any three-semester-hour course in English or rhetoric and writing.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
  2. Lower-division communication studies courses recommended by the student's adviser.
  3. Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Third and Fourth Years

  1. Two courses with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
  2. Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
  3. The remaining courses listed as major requirements. Students should note that some upper-division courses have a series of prerequisite courses that takes up to three semesters to complete.
  4. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Bachelor of Journalism

To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Journalism, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements, the college graduation requirements, and the special requirements, core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements below.

Areas of Study

Journalism courses are divided broadly into skills and studies courses and more narrowly within these two categories according to their level and probable writing content. Not all courses are offered every semester.

Studies courses (numbered 310–314 and 360–369): Journalism 310, 310K, 360, 361E, 362E, 363, 364E, 366E, 367E

Studies courses that may have a substantial writing component or a writing flag (numbered 340–349): Journalism 340C, 347S, 348S, 349T

Skills courses (numbered 315–319): Journalism 315, 316

Introductory skills courses (numbered 320–329): Journalism 320D, 321C, 322D, 325, 327

Open skills courses (numbered 330–339): Journalism 330, 331, 331K, 131P, 334, 335, 336, 338, 339D. In general, these courses are open to all students who have completed the skills core (Journalism 315 and 321C) and either 320D (print, photojournalism, and multimedia majors) or 322D (broadcast news majors).

Intermediate skills courses (numbered 350–359): Journalism 353D, 355, 359T

Advanced skills courses (numbered 370–379): Journalism 370K, 371K, 372D, 373D, 374D, 375, 376D, 377D, 379, 379P

In addition, courses are divided into the school's four areas of professional concentration: broadcast news, multimedia journalism, photojournalism, and print journalism. The print concentration is divided into three sequences: newspaper reporting and writing, magazine writing and editing, and copy editing and design.

Courses in each concentration have prerequisites appropriate to their skill level; prerequisites may include testing, an interview, or other procedures in conjunction with the school's application process. Information about these additional requirements is available from the School of Journalism adviser.

Special Requirements

Students who seek to study journalism are admitted to the University as prejournalism majors. To continue in the major, each student must be admitted to the concentration in broadcast news, multimedia journalism, or photojournalism, or to one of the three sequences—newspaper reporting and writing, magazine writing and editing, and copy editing and design—within the concentration in print journalism. The student should apply for admission to a concentration or sequence while taking or upon completing Journalism 315. Admission decisions for each concentration or sequence are made by the head of that area.

A student may not take any upper-division journalism course except Journalism 320D unless he or she has been admitted to an area of concentration or a sequence.

To enroll in upper-division journalism courses, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be unable to register for upper-division courses. This requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average.

The student must complete at least eighty semester hours outside journalism. At least sixty-five hours must be in liberal arts and natural sciences.

A score of at least 45 on the College of Communication Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test and a score of at least 29 on the School of Journalism Word Processing Test are required for admission to most journalism courses. Students will be unable to register for these courses if they have not passed the tests.

A student majoring in journalism may not register for more than nine semester hours in journalism in one semester or summer session. The director or associate director may make exceptions to this rule for seniors who need additional journalism courses in order to graduate on time.

Any student enrolled in a journalism course who does not attend the first class meeting or laboratory session may be dropped from that course.

A student with a major in journalism must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.

Additional information about the journalism special requirements is available from the School of Journalism online or at (512) 471-1845.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University's core curriculum, described in chapter 2, as well as the prescribed work for the Bachelor of Journalism that is listed below. In some cases, a course required for the BJ may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Prescribed Work

  1. Three semester hours in English or rhetoric and writing in addition to the courses required by the core curriculum.
  2. Two courses with a writing flag or a substantial writing component. Courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements. A partial list of these communication and culture courses is given in this chapter; a complete list is available in the college's Office of Student Affairs before registration for each semester and summer session. The courses are also identified in the Course Schedule.

  4. Students must demonstrate fourth-semester-level proficiency in a foreign language. Courses taken to meet this requirement may not be taken on the pass/fail basis.

    Students who enter the University with a foreign language deficiency must take the first two semesters in a foreign language without degree credit to remove the deficiency.

    The usual course sequence is 406 or 506, 407 or 507 or 508K, 312K, and 312L. For some languages, different course numbers are used; such courses may be counted toward this requirement if they are designed to provide first-semester-level through fourth-semester-level proficiency. Credit may be earned by examination for any part of the sequence.

    An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment or the department concerned for information on testing.

  5. At least thirty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework.
  6. No more than twelve semester hours of transfer credit in journalism may be counted toward the degree.
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours. No more than thirty-six semester hours in one field of study may be counted toward the degree, except as indicated under "Major Requirements" below. Photojournalism students are encouraged to take a three-semester-hour survey or history course in the visual arts. Such a course may be a prerequisite to photojournalism courses.

Major Requirements

  1. Broadcast news, multimedia, and print journalism students must complete at least thirty-three but no more than thirty-six semester hours in journalism. Photojournalism students must complete thirty-six semester hours.
  2. The studies core, Journalism 310 and 360, and the skills core, Journalism 315 and 321C, are required of all journalism majors. Students must complete the skills core before taking most open, intermediate, and advanced skills courses.
  3. At least six semester hours chosen from the following studies courses: Journalism 310K, 340C, 347S, 348S, 349T, 361E, 363, 364E, 366E, 367E. These courses must be completed in addition to those for the student's concentration or sequence listed in requirement 4 below.

  4. Skills courses required for the student's concentration or sequence:

    1. Broadcast news: Journalism 322D, 353D, 372D, and a three-hour journalism course with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
    2. Multimedia journalism: Journalism 320D, 331, 334, 349T (Topic: Writing for Online Publications), and an advanced skills course.
    3. Photojournalism: Journalism 316, 320D, 325, 336, 355, and either 370K or 371K.

    4. Print journalism:

      1. Newspaper reporting and writing sequence: Journalism 320D, 327, 330, and either 373D or 374D.
      2. Magazine writing and editing sequence: Journalism 320D, 327, 330, 347S, and either 373D, 374D, or 377D.
      3. Copy editing and design sequence: Journalism 320D, 330, 336, and 377D.
  5. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside the School of Journalism. No more than forty-two hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework may be counted toward the degree.
  6. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum. Students who plan to concentrate in photojournalism are encouraged to take courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics to fulfill the natural science areas.
    3. Courses in a foreign language.
  2. Journalism 310.
  3. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.
  4. Students who plan to concentrate in photojournalism are encouraged to take Journalism 316 in their second semester.

First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.

Second Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:

    1. English 316K and any three-semester-hour course in English or rhetoric and writing.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
  2. Journalism 315 and additional coursework to fulfill the major requirements. Students may take Journalism 320D if they have met the prerequisite.
  3. Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Basic courses in accounting and computer sciences are especially recommended.

Third Year

  1. Two courses with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
  2. Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
  3. Journalism 321C and 360 and additional coursework to fulfill the major requirements. Students who are required to take Journalism 320D are strongly encouraged to do so as soon as they have been admitted to an area of concentration or a sequence.
  4. Upper-division electives chosen to support the major.

Fourth Year

  1. Upper-division electives chosen to support the major.
  2. Any remaining major requirements. All students must complete at least one advanced skills course.

Bachelor of Science in Public Relations

To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements, the college graduation requirements, and the special requirements, core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements below.

Part of the prerequisite for some advertising and public relations courses is consent of the instructor received prior to registering. To be able to register for such a course, a student must first ask for and receive the instructor's consent. The student may be invited to an interview with the instructor or may be asked to provide supporting materials, such as an application or an essay. The student is responsible for knowing the deadline to apply. Consent forms are available online and in the Department of Advertising.

Special Requirements

To enroll in upper-division public relations courses, a student must have completed Advertising 318J in residence with a grade of at least B and must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill these requirements will be dropped from upper-division public relations courses, normally before the twelfth class day. The grade point average requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average. Students may enroll in Advertising 318J no more than twice.

In addition, a student with a major in public relations must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree and a grade of at least C in each course counted toward the major requirements; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University's core curriculum, described in chapter 2, as well as the prescribed work for the Bachelor of Science in Public Relations that is listed below. In some cases, a course required for the BSPR may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Prescribed Work

  1. Rhetoric and Writing 309K, 309S, or 310.
  2. Two courses with a writing flag or a substantial writing component. Courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements. A partial list of these communication and culture courses is given in this chapter; a complete list is available in the college's Office of Student Affairs before registration for each semester and summer session. The courses are also identified in the Course Schedule.

  4. Students must demonstrate fourth-semester-level proficiency in a foreign language. Courses taken to meet this requirement may not be taken on the pass/fail basis.

    Students who enter the University with a foreign language deficiency must take the first two semesters in a foreign language without degree credit to remove the deficiency.

    The usual course sequence is 406 or 506, 407 or 507 or 508K, 312K, and 312L. For some languages, different course numbers are used; such courses may be counted toward this requirement if they are designed to provide first-semester-level through fourth-semester-level proficiency. Credit may be earned by examination for any part of the sequence.

    An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment or the department concerned for information on testing.

  5. Statistics and Scientific Computation 306, completed in residence. This course also meets the core curriculum mathematics requirement.
  6. Twelve semester hours of coursework in business, preferably three hours in marketing, three hours in management, three hours in accounting, and three hours in either legal environment of business or finance. At least six of the twelve hours must be in upper-division coursework. Marketing 338 may not be counted toward this requirement.
  7. At least thirty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework.
  8. No more than twelve semester hours of transfer credit may be counted toward the major requirements given below.
  9. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours. No more than thirty-six semester hours in one field of study may be counted toward the degree.

Major Requirements

  1. At least thirty-six but no more than forty-two semester hours of coursework, of which at least twenty-four hours must be upper-division. The following courses are required:

    1. Advertising 318J, 344K, 345J, Public Relations 317, 319 or 331, 348, 350, 352, 367, and 377K. The student must complete Advertising 318J in residence with a grade of at least B.
    2. Six additional hours in public relations, advertising, and journalism, preferably chosen from Advertising 378, Public Relations 378, and Journalism 327.
  2. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside advertising and public relations. The following are preferred: Communication Studies 306M, 313M, 332, 367 (approved topics), Journalism 363; a list of approved topics of Communication Studies 367 is available from the public relations adviser. No student may count toward the degree more than forty-eight hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework.
  3. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree and no course to be counted toward major requirement 1 above may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in a foreign language.
  2. Advertising 318J and Public Relations 317.
  3. Additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.

First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.

Second Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306; English 316K; and Rhetoric and Writing 309K, 309S, or 310.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
  2. Public Relations 319.
  3. Statistics and Scientific Computation 306.
  4. Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Basic courses in writing are especially recommended.

Third Year

  1. Two courses with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
  2. Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
  3. Public Relations 348, Advertising 344K, 345J, Marketing 320F, and additional coursework to fulfill the major requirements.
  4. Upper-division electives chosen to support the major. Public relations majors normally emphasize writing courses, such as those in English, journalism, and liberal arts; public speaking courses, such as those in communication studies; psychology; marketing; and/or management.

Fourth Year

  1. The remaining courses listed as major requirements.
  2. Upper-division electives chosen to support the major.

Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film

To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements, the college graduation requirements, and the special requirements, core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements below.

Special Requirements

To enroll in upper-division radio-television-film courses, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be dropped from upper-division radio-television-film courses, normally before the twelfth class day. The grade point average requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average.

In addition, a student with a major in radio-television-film must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.

To enroll in some upper-division radio-television-film courses, the student must earn specific grades in prerequisite courses. In addition, enrollment in a few upper-division courses requires the consent of the instructor. The radio-television-film consent process is described below; complete course prerequisites are also given later in this chapter.

It is not recommended that a student majoring in radio-television-film register for more than nine semester hours in radio-television-film in one long-session semester or more than six semester hours in a summer session.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University's core curriculum, described in chapter 2, as well as the prescribed work for the Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film that is listed below. In some cases, a course required for the BSRTF may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Prescribed Work

  1. Three semester hours in English or rhetoric and writing in addition to the courses required by the core curriculum.
  2. Two courses with a writing flag or a substantial writing component. Courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses that fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements. A partial list of these communication and culture courses is given in this chapter; a complete list is available from the college's Office of Student Affairs before registration for each semester and summer session. The courses are also identified in the Course Schedule.

  4. Students must demonstrate fourth-semester-level proficiency in a foreign language. Courses taken to meet this requirement may not be taken on the pass/fail basis.

    Students who enter the University with a foreign language deficiency must take the first two semesters in a foreign language without degree credit to remove the deficiency.

    The usual course sequence is 406 or 506, 407 or 507 or 508K, 312K, and 312L. For some languages, different course numbers are used; such courses may be counted toward this requirement if they are designed to provide first-semester-level through fourth-semester-level proficiency. Credit may be earned by examination for any part of the sequence.

    An extensive foreign language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment or the department concerned for information on testing.

  5. At least thirty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework.
  6. No more than twelve semester hours of transfer credit in radio-television-film may be counted toward the degree.
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours. No more than forty-two hours in radio-television-film and no more than thirty-six hours in any other single field may be counted toward the degree.

Major Requirements

  1. At least thirty but no more than forty-two semester hours of radio-television-film, of which at least eighteen hours must be upper-division. All students must take Radio-Television-Film 305, nine additional hours of lower-division coursework, and two courses chosen from the following: Radio-Television-Film 330K, 331J, 331K, 331M, 331N, 331P, 334, 335, 342, 342T, 345, 347C, 348, 359, 359S, 365, 365M, 369, and 370.

    Each student may design an individual program to fulfill requirement 1 by choosing from one or more of the principal areas described in the section "Areas of Study" below.

  2. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside the department. However, no student may count toward the degree more than forty-eight hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework.
  3. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.

Areas of Study

The program in radio-television-film is designed to prepare students for careers in media research, creative writing, and various production fields. It is also intended to train students to analyze the role in society of communication media and technologies.

To meet these goals, the department offers a multidisciplinary curriculum. The three principal areas of study are production, screenwriting, and media studies. Students in media studies may focus on critical and cultural studies, ethnic and minority studies, gender and sexuality studies, mass communication, international communication, or communication technology and policy.

Each student's program of study is planned by the student and the adviser to meet the student's academic and professional goals. Since upper-division courses in each area require specific lower-division prerequisites, students should choose their lower-division courses with care. The following are the upper-division radio-television-film courses in each area, and the prerequisite lower-division courses. Complete course prerequisites are given later in this chapter.

  1. Production

    1. Radio-Television-Film 331L, 337, 337P, 338, 340, 341, 341C, 343, 344, 346, 346C, 351, 366, 366D, 366K, 367K, 367L, 367P, 368, 368S, and 376. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305, 317, 318, and three additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.

    2. Radio-Television-Film 331Q, 331R, 331T, 344M, and 351C. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305, 318 or 319, and six additional semester hours chosen from Radio-Television-Film 309, 314, 316, 317, 318, and 319.

      Students who plan to take production courses should be aware that these courses may require five to ten hours of independent production or studio time each week in addition to the class meetings listed in the Course Schedule. All costs of production, such as the cost of film and film processing, actors' fees, and location fees, are borne by the student. The cost of most equipment is covered by tuition.

  2. Screenwriting: Radio-Television-Film 333 and 369. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305, either 314 or 316, and six additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.

  3. Media studies

    1. Critical and cultural studies, ethnic and minority studies, gender and sexuality studies: Radio-Television-Film 331K, 335, 345, 359, 365 (Topic 4: History of United States Latino Media), 365 (Topic 5: Latin American Media), 365 (Topic 7: Narrowcasting), and 370. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305, either 314 or 316, and six additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.
    2. Communication technology and information policy studies: Radio-Television-Film 331J, 331M, 331N, 331P, and 342T. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305, 309, and six additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.
    3. Mass communication, international communication: Radio-Television-Film 330K, 334, 342, 347C, 348, 365 (Topic 2: Latino Audiences), 365 (Topic 3: Mass Media and Ethnic Groups), 365 (Topic 6: Latinos and Media), and 365M. Prerequisite lower-division courses: Radio-Television-Film 305 and nine additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.

  4. Options for independent study

    • Radio-Television-Film 330L, Internship in Film and Electronic Media
    • Radio-Television-Film 336, Special Projects in Radio-Television-Film
    • Radio-Television-Film 178, Radio-Television-Film Internship
    • Radio-Television-Film 378H, Honors Tutorial Course

    Prerequisites for these courses vary; they are given later in this chapter and in the Course Schedule.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:

    1. Rhetoric and Writing 306.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in a foreign language.
  2. Radio-Television-Film 305 and one of the following: Radio-Television-Film 309, 312C, 314, 316, 316M.
  3. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.

First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.

Second Year

  1. The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:

    1. English 316K and any three-semester-hour course in English or rhetoric and writing.
    2. Courses to be counted toward the history, government, social science, mathematics, and natural science areas of the core curriculum.
    3. Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
  2. Two lower-division courses in radio-television-film, including those that are prerequisite to the area(s) in which the student plans to take upper-division courses.
  3. Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Third and Fourth Years

  1. Two courses with a substantial writing component or a writing flag.
  2. Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
  3. Two upper-division radio-television-film courses to be counted toward requirement 1 of the major requirements.
  4. Twelve to twenty-four semester hours of upper-division coursework in radio-television-film.
  5. Enough additional coursework to raise the student's course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.

Undergraduate Catalog, 2008-2010

page 2 of 4 in Chapter 5

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