Media Communication, Bachelor of Science: Strategic Communication Emphasis
Student Learning Outcomes
(Based on Department Goal 1: Offer a marketable and professionally credible program.)
- Students will display critical thinking skills, conveying complex ideas related to current issues and ethical expectations of mass media and related disciplines.
- Students will write with clarity and organization utilizing the proper format, writing mechanics and audience focus, in a manner that is professionally competitive for an entry-level position in the discipline.
- Students will demonstrate technological expertise related to the specific emphasis area that is professionally competitive for an entry-level position in their discipline.
- Students will demonstrate command of subject, organization of thoughts, and skill at interpersonal communication in front of an audience.
Outcomes Assessment Activities
Student success is measured through a variety of methods that include classroom writing samples, portfolios of student work, professional internship evaluations, exit interviews, student employment upon graduation, and alumni feedback.
Each graduating senior creates an academic portfolio of all salient work or projects completed while in the department. Department faculty review and evaluate a selection of portfolios to assess student learning.
The Mass Communications Department and Center for New Media requires that the academic portfolio demonstrate a pattern of sustained academic growth and development of the major and minor, appropriate to the student's emphasis area.
The academic portfolio should reflect the quality and level of intellectual and scholarly work undertaken by the student while in the department, relative to the qualitative, quantitative, ethical, legal and aesthetic dimensions of the field. The appropriateness of the content is dictated by the student's emphasis area and is prescribed by the individual's adviser.
The Media Communication Specific Requirements for the Major Core
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MC 101 | MEDIA AND SOCIETY | 3.0 |
| MC 215 | MEDIA WRITING & STORYTELLING | 3.0 |
| MC 245 | PRINCIPLES OF AUDIO & VIDEO PRODUCTION | 3.0 |
| MC 338 | MEDIA & DIVERSE CULTURES | 3.0 |
| MC 411 | MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS | 3.0 |
| MC 493 | SEMINAR | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
General Requirements
- Majors are required to complete a 39 credit curriculum which includes:
- 18 credit Core
- 12 credit Emphasis area
- 9 credits of Applied coursework
- Successful Media Communication majors will demonstrate sufficient knowledge, comprehension and analytical skills by the ability to evaluate specific communication events in the proper context of their emphasis area.
- Students majoring in Media Communication must achieve a C grade or better in all MC courses, both required and elective, to be eligible for graduation. Students who earn below a C in MC courses will be required to repeat them to achieve the 2.0 requirement for graduation in the major.
- Each faculty member will keep, in the department’s central file, a set of course outlines or syllabi that list the objectives and skills achieved during the term. This central pool of materials describes the detailed expectations and accountability elements for the MC major on a course-by-course basis.
- Consistent with general CSU Pueblo policy, no student enrolled in MC courses may accumulate unexcused absences, or arrive late for scheduled classes without faculty consultation.
- The Media Communication department believes that grades are valid quantitative indicators of student performance. Students’ GPAs in the major or minor will be used by emphasis area advisors for both formative and summary evaluations of majors and minors.
- While it is necessary for Media Communication majors and minors to meet the minimum GPA standards set by the department and the University, it is expected that graduates will exceed these standards.
- MC 101 MEDIA AND SOCIETY (3.0 c.h.), does not fulfill a social science general education requirement for Media Communication majors.
Specific Requirements for the Emphasis in Strategic Communication
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MC Courses | ||
| MC 317 | ADVERTISING STRATEGIES | 3.0 |
| MC 321 | CRISIS COMMUNICATION | 3.0 |
| MC 422 | PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES | 3.0 |
| MC 430 | STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS | 3.0 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
MC Applied Electives
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MC 211 | DIGITAL PUBLISHING | 3 |
| MC 222 | BROADCAST NEWS WRITING | 3.0 |
| MC 232 | WEBSITE DESIGN | 3.0 |
| MC 233 | SCRIPT WRITING | 3.0 |
| MC 350 | ADVANCED MEDIA LAB | 2-3 |
| MC 432 | VIDEO DOCUMENTARY | 3.0 |
| MC 490 | SPECIAL PROJECTS | 1-3 |
| MC 494 | FIELD EXPERIENCE | 3-9 |
| MUS 110 | MUSIC AND AUDIO PRODUCTION I | 2 |
| ART 274 | DIGITAL ART I | 3 |
| ART 276 | PHOTOGRAPHY: CREATIVE LIGHTING | 3 |
| ART 374 | DIGITAL ARTS: TIME BASED MEDIA | 3 |
| ENG 305 | TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC REPORT WRITING | 3 |
Note: Prerequisites may exist with some courses and Media Lab is required of all majors.
Co-curricular Requirements
The thrust of the Media Communication Department is pragmatic; therefore, all majors must enroll in a minimum of one 3 credit lab. Faculty have discretion in curriculum, programming and enrollment of all media labs.
- TODAY online newspaper and print magazine (print and online editorial, photography, audio/video, advertising)
- KTSC-FM on-campus radio station (studio and field production, programming, promotion, talent)
- RMPM on-campus media production
Students may earn a maximum of 9 credits in media labs.
Students desiring internships must have a 3.0 grade point average in their Media Communication courses. Internships are not required, are most often reserved for majors, and are at the discretion of the faculty advisor. Students may earn a maximum of 9 hours of internship credit.
General Education
The general education requirement for graduation includes a total of 35 semester credits in two categories: Skills Component and Knowledge Component. Please see the General Education Requirement section under Academic Policies for more information.
Planning Sheet
Disclaimer: The Planning Sheet is designed as a guide for student's planning their course selections. The information on this page provides only a suggested schedule. Actual course selections should be made with the advice and consent of an academic advisor. While accurately portraying the information contained in the college catalog, this form is not considered a legal substitute for that document. Students should become familiar with the catalog in effect at the time in which they entered the institution.
Note: In addition to requirements for the major and general education, students must complete either:
- Any minor degree program listed in the catalog other than their major; or
- 18 credit hours outside of the major.
Students may not use the same credits to satisfy requirements for both major and minor degrees, or use credits taken to satisfy general education requirements.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 101 | Rhetoric & Writing I | 3 |
| MC 101 | Media and Society | 3 |
| General Education | 6 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 102 | Rhetoric & Writing II | 3 |
| MC 210 | ||
| General Education | 10 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| MC 201 | ||
| General Education | 13 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| MC 220 | ||
| Elective 6 credits must be Media Communication course. | 12 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Elective 6 credits must be MC course. | 15 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective 6 credits must be MC course. | 15 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| MC 411 | Media Law and Ethics | 3 |
| Elective 9 credits must be MC course. | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MC 493 | Seminar | 3 |
| Elective 9 credits must be MC course. | 13 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 111 | |