Academics
Undergraduate Program
B.A. IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATION & MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM
The Department of Journalism and Digital Communication offers approximately 25 courses each semester varying in content from the highly technical and field-specialized to an essential liberal arts orientation. The program introduces students to the theories, principles, and problems of communications, emphasizing the concept of freedom of information as the cornerstone of constitutional democracy and preparing students for future leadership roles in communications media. Journalism, with the role-related responsibility of providing citizens information for self-governance, serves as the core of our mission. But the Department recognizes the importance of educating practices for responsible mass communication throughout virtual and physical world settings.
Our students acquire skills and aptitudes to succeed in today’s expanding world of news, including Web-based, interactive, digital journalism. Classes blend theory and practice to explore legal rights and ethical responsibilities while teaching students to cover the news and produce other material for mass communication under realistic deadlines and conditions. Seniors graduate with a diverse portfolio of professional work and the confidence to compete for a challenging range of jobs as reporters, editors, photojournalists, video storytellers, news researchers, page designers for print and on-line publications and organizations. Students also build skills for entrepreneurial mass communication initiatives.
The Department of Journalism and Digital Communication operates our own working newsroom: the Neighborhood News Bureau, which provides educational opportunities for students and service to the community.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE B.A. IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATION & MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM
To be admitted as a major in Digital Communication and Multimedia Journalism, students must have completed general education requirements or a minimum of 45 hours with a 2.75 minimum overall grade-point average, including ENC 1101 and 1102 with a grade of “C” or higher (no “C-”) in each. All three courses in the pre-core curriculum (MMC 2100, MMC 3602* and VIC 3001) must be completed with a minimum grade of “C” before any other course in the major may be taken. Students failing to achieve a minimum grade of “C” in MMC 2100, MMC 3602 and VIC 3001 will not be allowed to major in the Department. A 2.5 GPA in major coursework is required for graduation.
The major requires nine hours of pre-core curriculum courses (MMC 2100, MMC 3602 and VIC 3001) and 35 hours that include required and selective sequence courses in the Department, for a total of 44 hours. Six hours in writing courses (in addition to MMC 2100) are a part of the graduation requirement.
Students must take a minimum of 72 hours in courses outside the Journalism Department, with no fewer than 65 of those hours in the basic Liberal Arts and sciences. (Liberal Arts courses are listed in materials available from the undergraduate adviser at the Academic Advising Center.) No more than 44 hours of courses in the major may be applied toward the bachelor’s degree.
Digital Communication and Multimedia Journalism majors taking more than 44 hours of coursework in the content areas of journalism and media studies, regardless of the departments in which those courses are listed, must add those to the hours required for graduation, which may result in raised tuition fees.
At least 22 hours of courses must be taken in residence (online or on-campus) within the JDC department at USF. All material submitted by students, such as assignments in writing, reporting, editing, photography and digital newsgathering or production classes, is assumed to be available for publication or broadcast. The Department of Journalism and Digital Communication publishes material on our web pages and submits material to professional and campus affiliates.
Sign Language may be used as an option by Digital Communication and Multimedia Journalism majors to fulfill the language requirement.
Most courses have prerequisites, as specified in catalog course descriptions (these prerequisites are separate from the State-mandated Common Prerequisites for program admission listed in the USF catalog). The major takes at least four semesters to complete. Some courses are offered only during the day or evening once each academic year. Students are assigned faculty advisers within the Department to ensure that students are making progress toward graduation.
PREREQUISITES (STATE-MANDATED COMMON PREREQUISITES)
Transfer students wishing to become majors in Digital Communication and Multimedia Journalism should complete the A.A. degree at a Florida state community college. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education Requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university. If students transfer without an A.A. degree and have fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the students must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.
A maximum of nine semester hours in mass communication courses will be accepted from a community college or other lower-level program toward a degree in journalism at USF. It is suggested that the nine hours include the equivalent of the department core curriculum. Approval by an academic adviser is required.
All students should also be aware of the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.
Students should complete 18 semester hours outside the mass communication curriculum and beyond the 36 hours of General Education requirements prior to entering the university or becoming a major. If these courses are not taken at the community college, they must be completed at USF before the degree is granted. A grade of “C” is the minimum acceptable grade. Students are encouraged to complete the following prerequisites, or major, support, or elective courses if available, during the program of study at the community college or in the freshman/sophomore years, and when feasible in General Education/Gordon Rule courses.
- English Composition (minimum grade of “C”) (6 credits)
- MMC 3602 Mass Communications and Society (3 credits)
Prior to being admitted to the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication, a student must:
- Complete a minimum of 45 semester hours including all General Education requirements and six hours of English composition (with a minimum grade of “C”)
REQUIRED COURSEWORK FOR THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATION & MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM MAJOR
Pre-Core Curriculum 9 hours
- MMC 2100 Writing for the Mass Media (3)
- MMC 3602 Mass Comm & Society (3)
- VIC 3001 Introduction to Visual Communication (3)
Foundation Core 9 hours (taken concurrently with Professional Core and Electives)
- MMC 4200 Communications Law (3)
- MMC 4203 Media Ethics (3)
- JOU 3346C Multimedia Reporting (3)
Professional Core 11 hours (taken concurrently with Foundation Core and Electives)
- JOU 2100 Beginning Reporting (3)
- JOU 3101 Advanced Reporting (3)
- JOU 4188 Neighborhood News Bureau (3)
- JOU 4950 Senior Seminar (3, to be completed within final 3 semesters of study)
Electives 15 hours (taken concurrently with Professional Core and Foundation Core)
Digital Skills Electives
- MMC 3734 Social Media (3)
- MMC 3140 Web Publishing (3)
- MMC 4936 Data Visualization (3)
- MMC 4936 Intro to Blogging (3)
- MMC 4936 Telling Stories with Data (3)
Food & Travel Journalism Electives
- MMC 4936 Food in the Media (3)
- MMC 4936 Food Writing (3)
- MMC 4936 Sizzling Images (3)
- MMC 4936 Study Abroad Food & Travel Writing (3)
Writing, Reporting, Journalism Electives
- JOU 3308 Magazine Article/Feature Writing (3)
- MMC 4936 Entertainment Reporting (3)
Photography, Video Electives
- PGY 3610 Photojournalism I (3)
- PGY 3620 Photojournalism II (3)
- MMC 4131 Video Storytelling I (3)
- MMC 4133 Video Storytelling II (3)
- MMC 4936 Virtual Reality & Alternative Storytelling (3)
Specialty Electives
- MMC 4936 Entrepreneurial Journalism (3)
- MMC 4936 Media & Elections (3)
- MMC 4936 Journalists in the Movies (3)
- RTV 3411 Race, Gender & Class in the Media (3)
Internship
- MMC 4945 Media Internship (3)
Occasionally other electives will be offered, such as MMC 4503: Literary Journalism as well as other MMC 4936 Special Topics courses.
Outside Requirements 9 hours
Required Outside Elective
- ANT 2410 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
Choose 2 from among the following electives
- ECO 2013 Macro Economics (3)
or
ECO 2023 Micro Economics (3) - PHI 1103 Critical Thinking (3)
or
PHI 2110 Intro to Philosophy (3) - PHI 2630 Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
- POS 2112 State and Local Government & Politics (3)
or
POS 3142 Intro to Urban Politics & Government (3) - CPO 2002 Intro to Comparative Politics (3)
- CCJ 3024 Survey of Criminal Justice System (3)
- ARH 4724 History of Graphic Design (3)
- PUP 4203 Environmental Politics & Policy (3)
- BSC 2050 Environment (3)
- PHI 3640 Environmental Ethics (3)
- BSC 4057 Environmental Issues (3)
- ANT 4462 Health, Illness & Culture (3)
- ARH 2050 History of Visual Arts I (3)
- ARH 20151 History of Visual Arts II (3)
- REL 3363 Introduction to Islam (3)
- REL 2300 Intro to World Religion (3)
- JOS 3308 War and Society (3)