Sports Media, B.A.
The Sports Media, B.A. program provides educational opportunities for those wishing to become practitioners in sports media, which is one of the fastest growing areas of mass communications. The program is focused on sports content creation and is tailored to meet the education needs of graduates who wish to work in the broad sports media industry, including fields in electronic and print journalism, advertising, public relations, visual communication, and other assorted mass communications positions. Those skills are combined with a critical and theoretical approach to studying sports media, including critically examining the role of sports in society.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct research, gather information, write clearly and correctly and present relevant sports news or at a professional level.
- Students will understand the ethical concepts, legal implications, considerations, and practices that guide the mass media professions within sports.
- Students will apply basic numerical and statistical concepts and methods appropriate for the communications professions.
- Students will understand the history of the sports media, the diversity of groups in a global society in relations to communications and the role of the sports media in society.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to apply tools and technologies appropriate for the production, editing and presentation of visual, aural, textual, or other media content.
- Students will think critically, creatively, and independently; evaluate their own work and the work of others for accuracy, fairness, clarity, style, and correctness.
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 major course work in residence at the University of South Carolina.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-43 |
| 2. College Requirements | 0 |
| Program Requirements | 47-59 |
| Major Requirements | 30 |
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.
Requirements (120 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core (31-43 hours) | ||
| CMW - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written 1 | ||
| ENGL 101 | Critical Reading and Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Rhetoric and Composition | 3 |
| ARP - Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Statistical Reasoning | ||
| Statistics and the Media | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Elementary Statistics for the Biological and Life Sciences | ||
| Elementary Statistics for Business | ||
| CC-ARP course(s) (Select one) | 3 | |
| SCI - Scientific Literacy | ||
| Select two of the following, including one laboratory course: | 7 | |
| GFL - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language | ||
| Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 110 or 121 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score. | ||
| CC-GFL course(s) | 0-6 | |
| GHS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking | ||
| One U.S. History selected from the following: | 3 | |
| United States History to 1865 | ||
| United States History since 1865 | ||
| American Founding Documents | ||
| The Practice of Public History | ||
| Introduction to Southern Studies: The Twentieth Century | ||
| GSS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences | ||
| CC-GSS course(s) | 3 | |
| AIU - Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding | ||
| CC-AIU course(s) | 3 | |
| CMS - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component 2 | ||
| CC-CMS course(s) | 0-3 | |
| INF - Information Literacy 2 | ||
| CC-INF course(s) | 0-3 | |
| VSR - Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility 2 | ||
| CC-VSR course(s) | 0-3 | |
| 2. College Requirements (0 hours) | ||
| No college-required courses for this program. | ||
| 3. Program Requirements (47-59 hours) | ||
| Supporting Courses (15 hours) | ||
| Data Analytics: | ||
| ISCI 434 | Introduction to Knowledge Discovery | 3 |
| or ISCI 560 | Data Visualization | |
| Business/Finance/Management: | ||
| Select 6 hours from the following: | 6 | |
| Survey of Accounting | ||
or ACCT 225 | Introduction to Financial Accounting | |
| Introduction to Economics | ||
or ECON 221 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
or ECON 222 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Finance and Markets | ||
or FINA 363 | Introduction to Finance | |
| Principles of Marketing | ||
| Principles of Management | ||
| Management in Data Driven Organizations | ||
| Planning and Sustaining Digital Projects | ||
| Sport and Entertainment Marketing | ||
| Sport and Entertainment Business and Finance | ||
| Sales in Sport and Entertainment Business | ||
| The Business of Esports | ||
| Law: | ||
| JOUR 303 | Law and Ethics of Mass Communications | 3 |
| or JOUR 304 | Internet and Social Media Law | |
| or SPTE 240 | Business Law | |
| or SPTE 320 | Sport and the Law | |
| Additional Professional Courses: | ||
| Select one additional course from any of the courses listed in the categories above | 3 | |
| Electives (32-44 hours) | ||
| The Sports Media curriculum includes 32-44 hours of electives, depending on how students fulfill the Carolina Core requirements. Courses used to satisfy the elective requirement, which may include additional JOUR Major Electives, must be approved by the Sports Media advisor. | 32-44 | |
| 4. Major Requirements (30 hours) 1 | ||
| Major Courses (27 hours) | ||
| JOUR 101 | Media and Society | 3 |
| JOUR 291 | Writing for Mass Communications | 3 |
| JOUR 391 | Sports Media and Society | 3 |
| JOUR 445 | Team Media for Sports Media | 3 |
| Diversity and Social Issues in Sports Media: | ||
| JOUR 243 | Sports Activism and Media | 3 |
| or JOUR 307 | Media, Sports and Race | |
| or JOUR 345 | Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media | |
| Sports Media Literacy and Context: | ||
| Select 6 hours of the following: | 6 | |
| Jobs in the Sports Media | ||
| Social Media for Sports Media | ||
| SEC Football and Sports Media | ||
| Sports Media Ethics | ||
| Super Bowl Commercials | ||
| Sports Media Skills: | ||
| Select 3 hours from the following: | 3 | |
| Live Television Sports Production | ||
| Toolkit for Concept Development | ||
| Toolkit for Brand Communication: Creative Execution | ||
| Publication Writing and Design | ||
| Graphics for Visual Communications | ||
| Photography for Visual Communications | ||
| Media Analysis | ||
| Public Relations Writing | ||
| Media Relations | ||
| Sports Announcing | ||
| Multimedia Sports Storytelling | ||
| Sports Journalism | ||
| Capstone Portfolio Course: | ||
| JOUR 470 | Sports Media Capstone | 3 |
| Major Electives (3 hours) | ||
| Select 3 hours from any JOUR or SPTE course | 3 | |
- 1
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
- 2
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.
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.