Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies

Overview

The Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies is an interdisciplinary degree spread across three faculties. It offers students a critical perspective on media industries and practices and a range of flexible and transferable skills that will prepare graduates for informed engagement with professionals in media and communications fields and may provide employment opportunities in digital communications, media, advertising and journalism.

The degree is structured around a major which consists of a set of core subjects that provide context for, and linkages with, the specialisations offered by the degree. The specialisations offer students the chance to engage with more specific applications of the theoretical elements provided by the major. One of the strengths of the degree is the chance it gives students to engage with a particular area of interest which they can complement by taking other subjects offered by the Faculty and the University. Students with an interest in Journalism, for example, find subjects in Politics are often relevant. Students with an interest in marketing find subjects offered by the Commerce Faculty relevant.

The Major

The major for this degree is a prescribed major of 56 credit points which means that students need to complete every subject in the list below. Depending on how students plan their degree, they can also take a double major, combining the major prescribed for this degree and another taken from the Faculty of Arts or another faculty provided they meet the requirements for the requirements of the major.

Specialisations

The degree offers four specialisations: Advertising and Marketing, Digital Communication, Journalism and Screen Studies. Students must take at least one of these specialisations to meet the requirements of the degree but can take more than one of the specialisations if they so wish.

Electives

Students can make up the 144 credit points for the degree by taking subjects as electives. These may include subjects within the specialisations or by taking subjects from those offered by Arts or other faculties provided they meet any prerequisites required.

Minors

Minors, which often supplement the specialisations studied, will also be credited to the degree.

Honours

See separate entry for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

The Faculty of Arts Honours Handbook can be accessed as a PDF document from the Faculty of Arts home page at: http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/

Advanced Standing

Information about Approved Credit Transfer Arrangements is available at

www.uow.edu.au/handbook/advancedstanding/

Entry Requirements / Assumed Knowledge

NSW HSC entry through UAC

Students apply through UAC and satisfy the UAI requirement for the year of application.

Assumed Knowledge: Any two units of English.

Other Secondary Qualifications

Students with secondary qualifications outside NSW will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Tertiary Qualifications

Applications will be considered from students with the following tertiary qualifications:

A completed Two-year Diploma or Advanced Diploma from TAFE or another accredited institution;

Not less than one-sixth of a Bachelor degree from an approved University;

Other tertiary courses approved by the University of Wollongong.

Overseas Qualifications

Students with tertiary qualifications obtained overseas will be considered provided that they satisfy University's minimum admission requirements.

Alternative Entry (Domestic applicants)

STAT test

UAP

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alternative entry program

Course Requirements

To qualify for award of the degree of Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies course code 798 a student must complete a total of at least 144 credit points.

The 144 credit points shall include:

a) the subjects prescribed for the major in the degree with a pass or better grade in the 300 level subjects prescribed for the degree;

b) one of the specialisations offered in the degree;

c) not more than 60 credit points in 100-level subjects.

Students may count no more than 24 credit points of PC (Pass Conceded) or PR (Pass Restricted) grades towards the 144 required for the degree.

Where a double major is taken, both shall meet the requirements of the majors as prescribed by the faculty. A candidate for course code 798 who has registered for two major studies, for which there are common subjects at any level may count one subject twice towards the requirements of the major studies, but may only count the credit points once towards the credit points required by the course.

Subjects taken in minor studies cannot be cross counted towards either the major or any of the specialisations taken as part of the degree.

Course Program

All students enrolled in the degree must complete the following subjects:

Specialisations

Advertising and Marketing

This specialisation will provide students with an understanding of markets, and how these may be reached by manipulating the “marketing mix”, the core elements of marketing practice. A focus on the psychology of consumers as decision-makers provides a foundation for the management of the “marketing communication mix”, the various channels through which goods and services are promoted and advertised in the marketplace. The subjects in the stream cover the theory and practice of marketing in both national and international contexts. These subjects are taught by the Faculty of Commerce.

The Advertising and Marketing specialisation is made up of the 36 credit points including MARK101, MGMT110 and 24 credit points from the subjects listed below:

Notes:

(a) Students undertaking the Bachelor of Communication and Media - Bachelor of Commerce who are taking Marketing as their major in the Commerce component of the degree cannot take the Advertising and Marketing specialisation in the BCM component.

(b) *Students undertaking the Bachelor of Communication and Media - Bachelor of Commerce and who find that these subjects are prescribed in the core of their Commerce degree should consult the School of Management and Marketing for appropriate replacement subjects, and have these subjects approved by the Head of the School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication in the Faculty of Arts.

Digital Communication

This specialisation examines new media industries and investigates new forms of communication in the digital era. These include an understanding of video and game culture, cyber culture and its relationship to globalisation.

The Digital Communication specialisation is made up of 36 credit points including DIGC101, DIGC102 and at least 24 credit points from the subjects listed below:

Journalism

The Journalism specialisation is designed to develop basic journalism skills to complement the conceptual knowledge of media process in the BA Communication and Media Studies program. Instead of looking at journalism from three separate media - print, radio and television - the sequence focuses on media convergence based on the practical foundation of generic print media techniques. The teaching approach focuses on learning by doing.

The Journalism specialisation is made up of the following subjects:

Screen Studies

Students specialising in Screen Studies will gain experience in media content analysis, and will be introduced to the history of film and television production in Australia and the United States. In addition, they will become familiar with the key policy and theoretical issues raised by the globalisation of broadcast media. This specialisation will offer students a chance to develop advanced skills in research and critical analysis of the screen media.

Major Study

The specialisation in Screen Studies is made up of 32 credit points chosen from the subjects below:

Double Degrees with Communication and Media Studies

The following double degree programs are available to suitably qualified students of the Faculty of Arts. The Faculty of Arts administers the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Commerce and the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Science.

For course codes 760 and 796 students should consult the relevant faculty.

Last reviewed: 1 August, 2008