Journalism and Mass Communication
Cheryl Mann Bacon, Chair Phone: 325-674-2296 Faculty Majors: Advertising/Public Relations (BS) Minors: Advertising/Public Relations The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The department offers the Bachelor of Science degree. Majors in journalism and mass communication may concentrate in one of three programs: advertising/public relations, multi media or convergence journalism. The department also cooperates with the Department of Art and Design to offer the Bachelor of Arts interdisciplinary degree in graphic design/advertising. A minor in advertising/public relations, digital media, journalism or media studies may be added to other majors outside the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. IntroductionThe journalism and mass communication curriculum is message focused, technology driven and committed to convergence in order to prepare students for service in media, agencies, corporations and institutions that use mass communication. Course work in the department carefully balances theoretical and practical information about journalism and mass communication. The curriculum is designed to help students master analytical processes, writing, technology, and the theoretical, historical, ethical and legal foundations of their major field choices. State-of-the-art laboratories and a faculty that balances strong academic and professional preparation complement the unique purposes of the university and the department. Student media operated by the department are KACU-FM, a National Public Radio affiliate; KUF-TV, a Class A TV station; ACU Videoworks, a television production facility; the Optimist, a twice-weekly All-American student newspaper; Optimist Online, and a student-run advertising/public relations agency. Together, The Optimist, its online and mobile versions, KUF-TV and KACU-FM comprise the JMC Network. All of these operations have access to up-to-date computer and electronic technology so the graduate is proficient in contemporary media operations. Professionally oriented student organizations supplement the students’ preparation. Available are the Advertising Club, affiliate of the American Advertising Federation; Kappa Tau Alpha, national honor society for journalism and mass communication students; the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter, affiliate of PRSA; a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists; and a student chapter of the Broadcast Education Association. All majors are strongly encouraged to be active members of at least one of the professional societies or associations. Study Abroad Expectations All students are encouraged to participate in ACU’s Study Abroad program. Classes offered at Study Abroad sites vary depending on the site. Academic advisors can assist students in planning ahead for their Study Abroad experience and should be consulted during the freshman year. Bachelor of Science Degrees (BS)Admission Requirements Degree plans in each field include both academic and practical experience. In addition to on-campus media experience, students are required to do an internship. They have the opportunity to work in internships at the Abilene Reporter-News, local radio and television stations, local advertising agencies or public relations departments. Summer internships have been done by recent graduates in Washington, D.C., Nashville, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Shreveport, St. Louis, Austin, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Seattle and Chicago. |
ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS (BS)
BS: ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS DEGREE PLAN (JAPR) | |
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS | |
Please see the University Requirements section of this catalog. | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
Journalism and Mass Communication Core JMC 100 Media Issues JMC 102 Creating Media Messages JMC 201 Introduction to Visual Media JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 342 Publication Design JMC 488 Communication Law (writing-intensive course) JMC 495 Internship Total Journalism and Mass Communication Core Advertising/Public Relations JMC 239 Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 321 Student Media/Agency Lab (2 semesters required; one must be with AD/PR agency) JMC 347 Principles of Public Relations JMC 348 Principles of Advertising JMC 492 Ad/PR Campaigns Total Advertising/Public Relations Core JMC Elective |
3 3 3
3 4 3 1 20
3
0 3 3 3 12 3 |
| ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS SELECTION | |
Choose two of the following courses (note prerequisite requirements): JMC 223 Convergence Reporting I JMC 389 Public Relations Writing JMC 390 Ad Creativity and Copy Writing JMC 391 Ad/PR Media Planning TOTAL |
6 |
| SUPPORT FIELD | |
Concentration (must be in single field or category) Choose from: business (MGMT, ACCT, FIN, IS, BLAW), English, peace and social justice studies, political science, psychology, science (BIOL, CHEM, ENVR, PHYS), or sociology. Lower level selections Advanced selections TOTAL |
6 15 |
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT HOURS REQUIRED FOR JAPR MAJORS* | |
PSYC 120 Introduction of Psychology or SOCI 111 Introduction to Sociology MKTG 320 Principles of Marketing MKTG 344 Marketing Promotion or MGMT 330 Management and Organizational Behavior TOTAL 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours *COBA hours may be included in the 15-hour support field or be included in the 18-hour elective block. |
(3)¹ 3
3 6 |
| ELECTIVES | |
Minimum (maximum of 3 hours may be JMC) |
10 |
TOTAL MAJOR HOURS |
72 |
| OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | |
Minimum GPA in major Minimum GPA for graduation Minimum liberal arts and sciences hours Minimum advanced hours Minimum total hours Courses numbered 0** do not count in minimum hours required for degree. |
2.00 2.25 65 33 128 |
| BS: CONVERGENCE JOURNALISM DEGREE PLAN (JOCJ) | |
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS | |
Please see the University Requirements section of this catalog. | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
Journalism and Mass Communication JMC 100 Media Issues JMC 102 Creating Media Messages JMC 201 Introduction to Visual Media JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 342 Publication Design JMC 488 Communication Law (writing-intensive course) JMC 495 Internship Total Journalism and Mass Communication Core Journalism JMC 223 Convergence Reporting I JMC 321 Student Media Lab Two semesters of JMC 321 required, one must be on the student newspaper. JMC 324 Convergence Reporting II Total Journalism Core Choose 12 hours from the following courses: JMC 111 Announcing JMC 233 Introduction to Photography JMC 239 Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 260 Television Studio Production JMC 333 Photojournalism JMC 341 Copy Editing JMC 360 Television Field Production JMC 405 Visual Portfolio JMC 438 Broadcast News JMC 449 Opinion Writing JMC 450 Feature Writing
JMC Elective
PSYC 120 Introduction of Pyschology or SOCI 111 Introduction to Sociology TOTAL 41 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours |
3 3 3
3 4 3 1 20
3 0
3 6 12
3
(3)1 41
|
| SUPPORT FIELD | |
Concentration Choose from: business (MGMT, ACCT, FIN, IS, BLAW), English, peace and social justice studies, political science, psychology, science (BIOL, CHEM, ENVR, PHYS), or sociology. Lower level selections Advanced selections TOTAL |
9 6 15 |
| ELECTIVES | |
Minimum (maximum of 3 hours may be JMC) |
16 |
TOTAL MAJOR HOURS |
72 |
| OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | |
Minimum GPA in major Minimum GPA for graduation Minimum liberal arts and sciences hours Minimum advanced hours Minimum total hours Courses numbered 0** do not count in minimum hours required for degree. |
2.00 2.25 65 33 128 |
| BA: CONVERGENCE JOURNALISM DEGREE PLAN (JOCJ) | |
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS | |
Please see the University Requirements section of this catalog. | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
Journalism and Mass Communication JMC 100 Media Issues JMC 102 Creating Media Messages JMC 201 Introduction to Visual Media JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 342 Publication Design JMC 488 Communication Law (writing-intensive course) JMC 495 Internship Total Journalism and Mass Communication Core Journalism JMC 223 Convergence Reporting I JMC 321 Student Media Lab Two semesters of JMC 321 required, one must be with JMC Network. JMC 324 Convergence Reporting II Total Journalism Core Choose 12 hours from the following courses: JMC 111 Announcing JMC 233 Introduction to Photography JMC 239 Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 260 Television Studio Production JMC 333 Photojournalism JMC 341 Copy Editing JMC 360 Television Field Production JMC 405 Visual Portfolio JMC 438 Broadcast News JMC 449 Opinion Writing JMC 450 Feature Writing
JMC Elective
PSYC 120 Introduction of Psychology or SOCI 111 Introduction to Sociology FLFR, FLGE, FLLA, or FLSP 221, 222 Sophomore English Literature TOTAL 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours |
3 3 3
3 4 3 1 20
3 0
3 6 12
3
(3)¹ 6 3 50 |
| SUPPORT FIELD | |
Concentration Choose from: business (MGMT, ACCT, FIN, IS, BLAW), ethnic and Lower level selections Advanced selections TOTAL |
9 6 15 |
| ELECTIVES | |
Minimum (maximum of 3 hours may be JMC) |
7 |
TOTAL MAJOR HOURS |
72 |
| OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | |
Minimum GPA in major Minimum GPA for graduation Minimum liberal arts and sciences hours Minimum advanced hours Minimum total hours Courses numbered 0** do not count in minimum hours required for degree. |
2.00 2.25 65 33 128 |
CONVERGENCE JOURNALISM/MULTIMEDIA WITH TEACHER CERTIFICATION (BS)
| BS: CONVERGENCE JOURNALISM/MULTIMEDIA TEACHER CERTIFICATION DEGREE PLAN (JMCT) | |
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS | |
Please see the University Requirements section of this catalog. | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
Journalism and Mass Communication JMC 100 Media Issues JMC 102 Creating Media Messages JMC 201 Introduction to Visual Media JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 342 Publication Design JMC 488 Communication Law (writing-intensive course) Total Journalism and Mass Communication Core Journalism JMC 223 Convergence Reporting I JMC 233 Introduction to Photography JMC 239 Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 317 Electronic Media Principles JMC 321 Student Media Lab One semesters of JMC 321 required, one must be within the JMC Network. Total Journalism Core Choose 6 hours from the following courses: JMC 260 Television Studio Production JMC 324 Convergence Reporting II JMC 333 Photojournalism JMC 341 Copy Editing JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 364 Media and Religion JMC 449 Opinion Writing JMC 450 Feature Writing
SOCI 111 Introduction to Sociology TOTAL 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours |
3 3 3
3 4 3 19
3 3 3 3 0
12 6
(3)1 37 |
| PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS | |
EDUC 211 Educational Foundations and Multicultural Perspectives EDUC 221 Educational Psychology EDUC 412 Secondary Curriculum and Media EDUC 432 Secondary Management and Methods EDUC 490 Student Teaching READ 322 Reading in Secondary Content Areas SPED 371 Teaching Students With Special Needs (writing-intensive course) TECH 210 Technology in Education TOTAL 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours |
3 (3)1 3 3 6 3
3 3 24 |
| ELECTIVES | |
Minimum |
11 |
TOTAL MAJOR HOURS |
72 |
| CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION TO TEACHER EDUCATION | |
In accordance with Texas state law, the ACU Teacher Education Program has established the following criteria for admission to Teacher Education. Before taking more than 6 hours EDUC a student must first be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. To be admitted to the Teacher Education Program, a student must:
English Language Proficiency Requirement for International Students: International students with primary languages other than English must demonstrate English language proficiency by the following: Obtain an official TOEFL score of at least 600 (computer-based score of 250, iBT of 100). Any exemptions or modification to the above requirements due to special circumstances must be requested through the chair of the Department of Teacher Education. All requests will be reviewed and must be approved by the Teacher Education Admissions and Review Committee. In addition, admission to teacher education is not the final step in the process. In order to remain in the program the prospective teacher must continue to meet the GPA requirement (2.75). Approval to take Education Block classes (411/412 and 431/432) and to enroll in student teaching must be obtained from the Teacher Education Admissions and Review Committee before enrolling in those classes. Additional requirements for maintaining program admission status:
Note: A candidate who does not have an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher may be conditionally admitted to the program if all other admissions criteria are met and if all of the following are true:
| |
| OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | |
Minimum GPA in major Minimum GPA for graduation Minimum liberal arts and sciences hours Minimum advanced hours Minimum total hours Courses numbered 0** do not count in minimum hours required for degree. |
2.00 2.25 65 33 128 |
| BS: MULTIMEDIA DEGREE PLAN (JMM) | |
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS | |
Please see the University Requirements section of this catalog. | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
Journalism and Mass Communication JMC 100 Media Issues JMC 102 Creating Media Messages JMC 201 Introduction to Visual Media JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 342 Publication Design JMC 488 Communication Law (writing-intensive course) JMC 495 Internship Total Journalism and Mass Communication Core |
3 3 3
3 4 3 1 20 |
Multimedia JMC 239 Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 321 Student Media/Agency Lab (2 semesters required; one must be with JMC Network) JMC 317 Electronic Media Principles Total Multimedia Core Multimedia Menu (choose 12 hours) JMC 260 Television Studio Production JMC 310 Interactive Media or JMC 351 Electronic Publishing JMC 352 Advanced Digital Media JMC 360 Television Field Production JMC 390 Ad Creativity and Copy Writing JMC 405 Visual Portfolio
JMC Elective TOTAL |
3
0 3 6 12
3 41 |
| SUPPORT FIELD | |
Concentration Choose from: art, communication, computer science, English, ethnic and women’s studies, marketing, political science, psychology or sociology. Lower level selections Advanced selections TOTAL |
9 6 15 |
| ADDITIONAL SUPPORT HOURS REQUIRED | |
ART 105 Two-Dimensional Design ART 351 Basic Visual Communication PSYC 120 Introduction of Psychology or SOCI 111 Introduction to Sociology TOTAL 1 Hours (in parenthesis) may also fulfill university requirements and are not included in total major hours |
3 3
(3)1 6 |
| ELECTIVES | |
Minimum (maximum of 3 hours may be JMC) |
10 |
TOTAL MAJOR HOURS |
72 |
| OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | |
Minimum GPA in major Minimum GPA for graduation Minimum liberal arts and sciences hours Minimum advanced hours Minimum total hours Courses numbered 0** do not count in minimum hours required for degree. |
2.00 2.25 65 33 128 |
This 18-hour minor is designed to provide digital media support for all types of majors - particularly in careers that require message presentation comprising digital photography and video; presentation graphics; computer-assisted training; and desktop, CD, DVD and World-Wide Web publishing. The program is managed by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, but a maximum of two courses may be substituted from other departments to give the minor an interdisciplinary flavor. Before being admitted to a program, a student must satisfy the requirements listed in the ACT/SAT Placement Information section of this catalog. Before enrolling in JMC 102, Creating Media Messages, a student must make a score of 70 or higher on the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Exam, or have an SAT verbal score of 550 or an ACT English score of 24 |
| DIGITAL MEDIA MINOR (DGME) | |
Digital media minors may take the required JMC classes without meeting the prerequisites of JMC 100 and JMC 102. All other prerequisites will apply. Freshmen and sophomores may take JMC 233 or 260 after completing JMC 201, but they cannot take an advanced course until their junior year. Digital Media Core: JMC 201, 233 or 260, 310, 342, 451 and 488 Substitution from other departments: Students may petition to substitute one or two computer-based courses that are relevant to this minor and that fit the individual student’s needs. TOTAL Note: The minor advisor may be able to waive prerequisites for some courses within this minor. | 12-18
0-6 18 |
Other Minors in Journalism and Mass Communication Before being admitted to a program, a student must satisfy the requirements listed in the ACT/SAT Placement Information section of this catalog. Before enrolling in JMC 102, Creating Media Messages, a student must make a score of 70 or higher on the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Exam, or have an SAT verbal score of 550 or an ACT English score of 24. |
| OTHER MINORS | |
Advertising/Public Relations (Ad/PR) JMC 239; 347 or 348; 389, 390 or 391; Total |
18 21 |
Convergence Journalism (JOCJ) |
18 |
Media Studies (JMMS) |
18 |
TOTAL Note: The minor advisor may be able to waive prerequisites for some courses within these minors. |
18 |
Course Descriptions Please see the Course Descriptions section of this catalog. Courses offered by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication include those with the following designation: JMC. These courses are the JMC core: JMC 100, 102, 201, 310 or 351, 342, 488, 495. |
