Mass Communications, B.A.J.M.C.
Admissions
Entrance Requirements
Freshman Students
In order to be admitted to a program of study in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, freshmen must meet all University admission requirements. In order to continue in the program, each student must attain a minimum USC GPA of 2.50 upon completion of 30 degree-applicable hours. Credit received for remedial work is not counted toward the 30 hours.
Transfer Students
A student desiring to transfer to the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, from either another college of the University or another institution, must have a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.50 on all work attempted. Transfer students from other institutions must take at least half the journalism and mass communications course work in residence at the University of South Carolina Columbia. Other journalism and mass communications courses from those institutions may be used as journalism and mass communications electives at the discretion of the SJMC administration. No more than 12 semester hours of journalism and mass communications related courses from non-ACEJMC-accredited institutions will be applied toward the journalism and mass communications degree.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
See School of Journalism and Mass Communications for progression requirements and other regulations.
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-44 |
| 2. College Requirements | 12-15 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 13-29 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 48 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-44 hours)
CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-7 hours)
AND
- select any other approved CC-ARP course
SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)
Two approved Carolina Core Scientific Literacy courses, including one laboratory course
GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language (except Latin or Ancient Greek) equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in 122. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.
GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)
Select one US History course from the following:
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
- any CC-GSS course
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course
INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course
VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course
- 1
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
2. College Requirements (12-15 hours)
Foreign Language (0-3 hours)
- only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency
History (3 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| European Civilization from Ancient Times to the Mid-17th Century | ||
| European Civilization from the Mid-17th Century | ||
| Introduction to South Asian History | ||
| Introduction to the Civilization of the Islamic Middle East | ||
| Introduction to East Asian Civilization | ||
| Introduction to African History | ||
| Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Civilization | ||
| Science and Technology in World History | ||
| Introduction to Latin American Civilization | ||
| Conquest, Colonization, and Captivity: A Cultural History of the Americas from 1441 to 1888 | ||
| History of Asian Art | ||
| Film and Media History | ||
| German Culture and Civilization | ||
Social Science (3 hours)
- JOUR courses used to fulfill College Requirements may not also be used in the major.
-
Course List Course Title Credits Select one of the following: 3 Any CC-GSS courseSports Activism and Media Social Media and Society Law and Ethics of Mass Communications Internet and Social Media Law Media, Sports and Race Media and Youth Hip Hop, Media and Society Race, Gender, and Class in Mass Media Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media Sports Media and Society Sports Media Ethics Diversity Topics in Mass Media Study Abroad in Journalism and Mass Communications
-
Social or Behavioral Science (3 hours)
- JOUR courses used to fulfill College Requirements may not also be used in the major.
- Any course from HIST- History; POLI- Political Science; AFAM- African-American Studies; ANTH- Anthropology; COLA- College of Liberal Arts; CRJU- Criminal Justice; GEOG- Geography (except GEOG 545 and GEOG 546); LASP-Latin American Studies; POLI- Political Science; PSYC- Psychology; SOCY- Sociology; SOST- Southern Studies; WGST- Women and Gender Studies, or any one of the following JOUR courses:
-
Course List Course Title Credits Sports Activism and Media Social Media and Society Law and Ethics of Mass Communications Internet and Social Media Law Media, Sports and Race Media and Youth Hip Hop, Media and Society Race, Gender, and Class in Mass Media Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media Sports Media and Society Sports Media Ethics Diversity Topics in Mass Media Domestic Study Away in Journalism and Mass Communications
Additional SJMC Requirements (3 hours)
Select any one of the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Principles of Marketing | ||
| Principles of Management |
3. Program Requirements (13-29 hours)
Minor (0-18 hours) optional
A minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study.
Courses used to fulfill minor requirements may not be used to fill other degree requirements, except the Founding Documents Requirement (FND). Some FND courses may be applicable to some minors in some cases.
If a minor course is also required for another component of the student's degree, the College will approve an appropriate alternate course, ensuring that a unique, appropriate course fulfills each requirement.
Requirements for all minors currently offered at USC are available in the Programs A-Z section of the Undergraduate Academic Bulletin.
All courses used in the minor must be passed with a C or higher.
Electives (13-29 hours)
A minimum of 120 degree-applicable credits are required to complete the degree. After all other degree requirements are complete, general electives will fulfill any remaining hours required to reach 120 degree-applicable credits. Courses of a remedial or developmental nature are not applicable to the degree and may not be used to fulfill general elective or any other degree requirement.
4. Major Requirements (48 hours)
A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses
Major Courses (33 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JOUR 101 | Media and Society | 3 |
| JOUR 291 | Writing for Mass Communications | 3 |
| JOUR 303 | Law and Ethics of Mass Communications | 3 |
| or JOUR 304 | Internet and Social Media Law | |
| Foundational courses requirement: | 9 | |
| History and Philosophy of the Mass Media | ||
| Theories of Mass Communications | ||
| Race, Gender, and Class in Mass Media | ||
| Culturally-competent elective course requirement. Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Media, Sports and Race | ||
| Hip Hop, Media and Society | ||
| International Mass Communications | ||
| Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media | ||
| Diversity Topics in Mass Media | ||
| Advanced course requirement. Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Freedom, Responsibility, and Ethics of the Mass Media | ||
| Mass Media Criticism | ||
| Health Communication: The Science and Practice | ||
| Environmental Communication: The Science and Practice | ||
| Public Opinion and Persuasion | ||
| Internship in Mass Communications | ||
| Capstone Portfolio Course | ||
| JOUR 415 | Mass Communications Capstone Portfolio | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 33 | |
Major Electives (15 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Five JOUR electives of the students' choice: at least 3 hours and no more than 6 hours must be from the skills courses below. | 15 | |
| Live Television Sports Production | ||
| Toolkit for Concept Development | ||
| Toolkit for Brand Communication: Creative Execution | ||
| Graphics for Visual Communications | ||
| Photography for Visual Communications | ||
| Introductory Reporting and Writing and Introductory Reporting and Writing Lab | ||
| Editing | ||
| Social Media and Mobile Journalism | ||
| Podcasting and Audio Production | ||
| Digital Signage | ||
| Creative: Strategy to Execution | ||
| Advanced Public Relations Writing | ||
| Media Relations | ||
| Sports Announcing | ||
| Multimedia Sports Storytelling | ||
| Informational Graphics | ||
or JOUR 442 | Advanced Graphics for Visual Communications | |
| Video for Visual Communications | ||
| Multimedia for Visual Communications | ||
| Design of Online Content | ||
| Studio and Location Lighting for Still Photography | ||
| Photojournalism | ||
| Sports Journalism | ||
| Power Producing | ||
| Power Producing Lab | ||
| Business Reporting and Writing | ||
| Reporting and Writing About the Economy | ||
| Advanced Creative Advertising | ||
| Brand Communications Practicum/Competitions | ||
| Interactive Communication Strategies | ||
| Publication Writing and Design | ||
| The Bateman Team | ||
| Advanced Magazine Article Writing | ||
| Motion-Based Graphics for Visual Communications | ||
| Magazine Article Writing | ||
| Editorial and Opinion Writing | ||
| Reporting Public Affairs | ||
| Broadcast Announcing | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Concentration in Sports Media (12 hours) Optional
Students may choose to complete a concentration in sports media. The sports media concentration may be used to fulfill 12 hours of the major elective requirements.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JOUR 391 | Sports Media and Society | 3 |
| Select three elective courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Jobs in the Sports Media | ||
| Sports Activism and Media | ||
| Special Topics in Sports Media | ||
| Live Television Sports Production | ||
| Social Media for Sports Media | ||
| SEC Football and Sports Media | ||
| Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media | ||
| Super Bowl Commercials | ||
| Sports Announcing | ||
| Multimedia Sports Storytelling | ||
| Sports Journalism | ||
| Power Producing | ||
| Power Producing Lab | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.