Contemporary Media and Journalism (B.A., B.S.)

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41 MAJOR HOURS, 128 DEGREE HOURS

Departmental/Program Requirements for the Major

All students must complete a University-recognized minor or complete 18 credit hours in approved breadth courses–courses outside the MCOM major, but which support the major. Typically, students choose breadth classes in business, speech, art, computer science, and English, but other choices are available.

Students must have a grade of “C” or better in all Contemporary Media & Journalism courses applied to the major.

All majors must complete 87 credits outside of the Department of Contemporary Media and Journalism, with 65 of those credits in the liberal arts and sciences.

Pre-Contemporary Media and Journalism Status

USD students desiring to major in Contemporary Media and Journalism are admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences as pre-contemporary media and journalism students. The Department of Contemporary Media and Journalism is a professional program at the sophomore, junior and senior levels, and students are not ordinarily admitted to major status until after the completion of the pre-contemporary media and journalism prerequisites. These prerequisites are:

Prerequisite Coursework

Complete the following 12-15 hours of coursework, which may also satisfy USD general core requirements:

ENGL 101 - Composition I (C)
MCOM 151 - Introduction to Mass Communication (C)
SPCM 101 - Fundamentals of Speech (C)
ENGL 203 - English Grammar
Or
Pass the Departmental Grammar Exam with a 70% or better
An Advanced Composition Course

Note:

Must receive a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 203.

Pre-Mass Communication Course Grades

Have no outstanding pre-mass communication course grades of D, F, or I.

Disciplinary Action

Have no pending disciplinary action.

Contemporary Media and Journalism Core Curriculum

Required Courses for All Contemporary Media and Journalism Majors (11 hours)

Experiential Core (At least 2 credits)

Specialization Areas

Students must choose at least one of the following four areas of specialization and complete all required courses in that specialization area:

Advertising (30 hours)

Advertising is a very popular course of study in the Department of Contemporary Media and Journalism. Students learn to plan campaigns and create graphic materials. USD sponsors a chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

Specialization Requirements

Electronic Media (30 hours)

The Department of Contemporary Media and Journalism has a rigorous program of study for individuals wishing to pursue careers in radio, television, cable, or any of the new electronic media industries that employ audio and video skills. We have a radio station, cable TV station, state of the art digital editing systems, TV studio, and much more.

Specialization Requirements

Additional Requirements

In addition to the 2 Credits of Experiential Core Requirements, the Electronic Media Specialization requires an additional 3 Credits of one or both of the following for a total of 5 Credits:

Journalism (30 Hours)

The journalism sequence prepares students to become journalists. Students learn to research, write, and layout materials, and to create broadcast news stories. The department requires students to learn both print and broadcast journalism skills. Later the student can concentrate in one or the other if they wish. USD has excellent facilities for studying journalism. It is the home of the Allen H. Neuharth Center for Excellence in Journalism and the weekly newspaper, the Volante. The department has an excellent video production facility for the study of broadcast journalism.

Specialization Requirements

Public Relations (30 Hours)

Public Relations graduates work in many different industries. There are PR agencies, but alumni also work in hospitals, for universities, in government, and in a variety of different types of businesses. They prepare press releases and other publications, and help to manage an institution’s public image. USD has a chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, and PR students network with practicing public relations professionals.