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

  1. Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct research, gather information, write clearly and correctly and present relevant sports news or at a professional level.
  2. Students will understand the ethical concepts, legal implications, considerations, and practices that guide the mass media professions within sports.
  3. Students will apply basic numerical and statistical concepts and methods appropriate for the communications professions.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-43 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) 

SCI– Scientific Literacy (7 hours)

GFL– Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 110 or 121 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.

GHS– Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours) 

One US History course selected from the following:

GSS– Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours) 

AIU– Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

CMS– Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

INF– Information Literacy (0-3 hours)

VSR–Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility (0-3 hours)

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 (0 hours)

No college-required courses for this program.

3. Program Requirements (47-59 hours)

Supporting Courses (15 hours)

Course Title Credits
Data Analytics
Select three hours of the following:3
Introduction to Knowledge Discovery
Data Visualization
Business/Finance/Management
Select six hours of the following:6
Survey of Accounting
Introduction to Financial Accounting
Introduction to Economics
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
and Principles of Macroeconomics
Finance and Markets
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
Select three hours of the following:3
Law and Ethics of Mass Communications
Internet and Social Media Law
Business Law
Sport and the Law
Additional Professional Courses
Select one additional course from any of the courses listed in the categories above3
Total Credit Hours15

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.

4. Major Requirements (30 hours)

A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses.

Major Courses (27 hours)

Course Title Credits
JOUR 101Media and Society3
JOUR 291Writing for Mass Communications3
JOUR 391Sports Media and Society3
JOUR 445Team Media for Sports Media3
Diversity and Social Issues in Sports Media
Select three hours of the following:3
Sports Activism and Media
Media, Sports and Race
Gender, Sexuality, and Sports Media
Sports Media Literacy and Context
Select six 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 three hours of the following:3
Live Television Sports Production
Toolkit for Concept Development
Toolkit for Brand Communication: Creative Execution
Graphics for Visual Communications
Photography for Visual Communications
Media Analysis
Public Relations Writing
Media Relations
Sports Announcing
Multimedia Sports Storytelling
Sports Journalism
Publication Writing and Design
Capstone Portfolio Course3
Sports Media Capstone
Total Credit Hours27

Major Electives (3 hours)

Course Title Credits
Select 3 hours from any JOUR or SPTE course3
Total Credit Hours3

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.

Sports Media, B.A.