Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies

Testamur Title:	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies
Abbreviation:	BCM
Home Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Course Duration:	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Total Credit Points:	144
Delivery Mode:	On campus (Face-to-face)
Starting Session(s):	Autumn/Spring
Campus:	Wollongong
UOW Course Code:	798
UAC Code:	753109 (Journalism) 753110 (Screen Studies) 753111 (Advertising and Marketing) 753113 (Digital Communication)
CRICOS Code:	045471G

Overview

The Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies degree is a course that offers students a critical perspective on media industries and practices and a range of flexible and transferable skills that will prepare graduates for informed engagement with professionals in media and communications fields and may provide employment opportunities in the fields of Communications, Media, Advertising and Journalism.

The Major

The major for this degree is prescribed. This means 56 credit points as specified in the course program set out below.

Specialisations

The degree also offers four specialisations: Advertising and Marketing, Digital Communication, Journalism and Screen Studies. Students must take at least one of these specialisations but can take more than one of the specialisations if they so wish.

Electives, Other Majors and Minors

Students can make up the remaining credit points needed for the degree by taking subjects from Arts or from other faculties provided they meet any prerequisites set for the subjects. Majors and Minors taken will also be credited to the degree.

Honours

Honours is a fourth year of study that students can undertake provided they meet the requirements set out later in this Handbook (see Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies Honours).

Credit Transfer

Please see General Course Rules for more Information: http://www.uow.edu.au/about/policy/UOW058680.html

Entry Requirements / Assumed Knowledge

NSW HSC entry through UAC

Students apply through UAC and satisfy the ATAR (previously UAI) requirement for the year of application.

Assumed Knowledge: Any two units of English.

Other Secondary Qualifications

Students with secondary qualifications outside NSW and without an ATAR will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Tertiary Qualifications

Applications will be considered from students with the following tertiary qualifications:

A completed Two-year Diploma or Advanced Diploma from TAFE or another accredited institution;

Not less than one-sixth of a Bachelor degree from an approved University;

Other tertiary courses approved by the University of Wollongong.

Overseas Qualifications

Students with tertiary qualifications obtained overseas will be considered provided that they satisfy the University's minimum admission requirements.

Alternative Entry (Domestic applicants)

STAT test

UAP

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alternative entry program

Course Requirements

To graduate with a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies students must complete a minimum of 144 credit points. The 144 credit points must include the prescribed major of 56 credit points and at least one of the specialisations. No more than 60 credit points (or ten subjects) can be taken at 100 level.

Course Program

All students enrolled in the degree must complete 56 credit points from the following subjects:

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session
Core: All students enrolled in the degree must complete the following subjects (40 credit points):
BCM 100	Introduction to Media and Cultural Studies	6	Spring
BCM 101	New Media: Histories, Industries, Practices	6	Autumn
BCM 102	Understanding Audiences	6	Autumn
BCM 106	Media, Ethics and Law	6	Spring
BCM 200	Media Events and Rituals	8	Spring
BCM 224	Politics and the Media	8	Spring
Core: All students enrolled in the degree must complete two of the following 300 level subjects (16 credit points):
BCM 301	History of Media and Communications	8	Spring
BCM 335	Electronic Cultures	8	Autumn
BCM 388	Globalising Media: Asian Screen Cultures	8	Autumn

Specialisations

Advertising and Marketing

This specialisation will provide students with an understanding of markets, and how these may be reached by manipulating the “marketing mix”, the core elements of marketing practice. A focus on the psychology of consumers as decision-makers provides a foundation for the management of the “marketing communication mix”, the various channels through which goods and services are promoted and advertised in the marketplace. The subjects in the stream cover the theory and practice of marketing in both national and international contexts. These subjects are taught by the Faculty of Commerce.

The Advertising and Marketing specialisation is made up of 36 credit points including MARK101, MGMT110 and 24 credit points (12 at 300 level) from the subjects listed below.
MARK101	Marketing Principles	6	Autumn/Spring
MGMT110	Introduction to Management	6	Autumn/Spring
and at least 24 credit points from the following subjects:
MARK205	Introdutory Marketing Research	6	Autumn
MARK217	Consumer Behaviour	6	Autumn
MARK270	Services Marketing	6	Spring
MARK301	Internet Applications to Marketing	6	Spring
MARK333	Marketing Communications & Advertising	6	Autumn
MARK343	International Marketing	6	Autumn

Notes:

(a) Students undertaking the Bachelor of Communication and Media - Bachelor of Commerce who are taking Marketing as their major in the Commerce component of the degree cannot take the Advertising and Marketing specialisation in the BCM component.

Digital Communication

This specialisation examines new media industries and investigates new forms of communication in the digital era. These include an understanding of video and game culture, cyber culture and its relationship to globalisation.

The Digital Communication specialisation is made up of 36 credit points including DIGC101, DIGC102 and at least 24 credit points from the subjects listed below.
DIGC101	New Media Communication	6	Spring
DIGC102	Methods of Research in Media and Communication Studies	6	Autumn
and at least 24 credit points from the following subjects:
DIGC201	Game Culture: Video and Computer Games as Communication Form	8	Autumn
DIGC202	New Media and Globalisation: Cyber-economies/Cyberculture	8	Spring
DIGC301	Advertising and Promotional Culture	8	N/O 2010
DIGC302	Special Topics/Projects in Digital Media	8	Spring

Journalism

The Journalism specialisation is designed to develop basic journalism skills to complement the conceptual knowledge of media process in the BA Communication and Media Studies program. Instead of looking at journalism from three separate media - print, radio and television - the sequence focuses on media convergence based on the practical foundation of generic print media techniques. The teaching approach focuses on learning by doing.

The Journalism specialisation is made up of the following subjects:

Core
JOUR101	Introduction to Print News writing	6	Spring
JOUR202	Feature Writing	8	Autumn
One of
JOUR311	Newsroom Practice	8	Autumn/Spring
JOUR302	Directed Study/Practice	8	Spring
Two from
JOUR203	Journalism and Society	8	Autumn
JOUR205	Professional Writing 1: Writing for Organisations	8	Autumn
JOUR301	Investigative Reporting	8	Autumn
JOUR305	Professional Writing 2: Editing and Publication	8	Spring

Screen Studies

The convergence of media forms - as content circulates through cinemas, televisions, computers and mobile phones -- poses new questions about traditional media such as television and film. Our relationship to the screen has also changed, as 'viewers' turn into creative users of media content. The screen studies specialisation offers students the opportunity to investigate screen-based media from multiple angles, exploring the industries that produce screen media, the policies that regulate it and the audiences that consume it. From postcards to pixels, from film to YouTube, you will gain experience in reading the languages of images across different media platforms and have the chance to expand your knowledge of how screen media work in both Australian and international contexts.

The specialisation in Screen Studies is made up of 32 credit points, including at least 8 at 300 level, chosen from the subjects below:

200 level
MACS225	Australian Content: Media, Narrative and Celebrity	8	Autumn
MACS230	The Image	8	Spring
MACS288	World Cinemas	8	Spring
HIST291	Film and History	8	Autumn
300 level
MACS310	On Location: The Place of the Media Audience	8	Spring
MACS333	Screen Genres	8	Autumn

Double Degrees with Communication and Media Studies

The following double degree programs are available to suitably qualified students of the Faculty of Arts. The Faculty of Arts administers the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Commerce and the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Science.

For course codes 760 and 796 students should consult the relevant faculty.

UAC Code	UOW Code	Home Faculty	Course Name
751210	760	Law	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Laws
751350	794	Arts	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Arts
751351	795	Arts	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Commerce
751352	796	Creative Arts	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Creative Arts
751353	797	Arts	Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies - Bachelor of Science
751354	1819	Arts	Bachelor of International Studies - Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies