Media (Comms & Journalism) - 3429

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: sam@unsw.edu.au

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Typical Duration: 3 Years  

Typical UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC Per Semester: 6

Max UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC For Award: 144

UAC Code: 422700

Domestic Entry Requirements: See Domestic Entry Requirements

International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements

Award(s):

Bachelor of Media (Major)

Program Description

This program structure applies to students commencing in 2016. If you commenced prior to 2016 please consult the Handbook for the year in which you started.

The Bachelor of Media (Communication and Journalism) [UNSW BMedia (C&J)] will provide you with foundational and applied skills, knowledge and capabilities in professional communication and journalism. It will prepare you to be effective producers and analysts of a wide range of communication practices, informed by a solid understanding of media theory. Relevant career pathways include journalism, corporate and organizational communication, public sector communication and public relations. While specialising in Communication and Journalism, you will also be immersed in the culture and philosophy of media studies through your courses in the media core. In Single mode, you will also be able to complete a minor stream chosen from a wide range of subject areas

Level 1 and 2 courses cover contextual knowledge of communication and journalism, and practical and theoretical skills in text production and analysis. As you proceed into Level 3, the program expands and deepens your knowledge and understanding of these skills through application to contemporary communication contexts, requiring demonstration of the ability to situate, produce and evaluate effective communication texts.

Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes
The UNSW BMedia (C&J) aims to prepare you for a leadership role in the thoughtful application of communication skills to the professional and journalistic domains, informed by a solid understanding of media theory. In this program you are not simply skilled up as writers, but you are also encouraged to become, influential and strategic communicators able to tackle complex issues by drawing on your integrated practical and theoretical expertise. You will become immersed in the current cultures of contemporary media text production and are encouraged to engage with emerging communication practices in both print-based and participatory online media, and to look for novel ways to produce and evaluate texts in these domains.

Graduates will have expertise in a range of foundational communication skills, but more importantly, will be able to contribute to, evaluate and intervene in emerging practices, enabling them to take leading roles in these rapidly changing industries.

The Learning Outcomes for this Program are as follows:

At the conclusion of this program, you should be able to:
  1. Situate communication and journalism in the context of media studies.
  2. Critically analyse and creatively solve problems in the context of communication and journalism.
  3. Produce effective communication and journalism texts for a range of media platforms.
  4. Locate, evaluate and use relevant information to develop content for communication and journalism.
  5. Show enterprise, initiative and creativity in the practice of communication and journalism.
  6. Apply an appreciation of, and respect for, the cultural diversity of media audiences, media forms and media delivery contexts.
  7. Contribute to, and work within, an international community of media professionals.
  8. Create, discuss and evaluate communication and journalism texts.
  9. Adapt to changes in the audiences, platforms, tools and practices of communication and journalism.
  10. Conduct research as applied to and appropriate for the fields of communications and journalism.
  11. Deploy ethically informed and socially aware practice.
  12. Collaborate effectively across a range of contexts in communications and journalism professions.

Career Opportunities

This program enables you to develop skills and knowledge for professional work relevant to journalism, corporate and organizational communication, public sector communication, and public relations.

Program Structure
The UNSW BMedia (C&J) can be completed full-time in Single mode (normally 3 years), or in Dual mode (the equivalent of two years full-time study) or part-time. The basic requirements of the program are simple. The BMedia (C&J) has a depth component and a breadth component. If you are enrolled in Single mode you do both the depth and breadth component while in Dual mode you only complete the depth component.

If you study in either the single or dual mode, you will complete:
  1. 36 UOC of Media Studies core and prescribed electives
  2. 60 UOC of Communication and Journalism core and prescribed electives
If you study in single mode, you will also complete:
  1. An optional home minor stream of 24 UOC (four courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved home minor streams
  2. 12 UOC of Free Electives (two courses) which can be taken within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  3. 12 UOC of General Education (two courses) which must be taken outside of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
OR
  1. An optional external minor stream of 24-36 UOC (four to six courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved external minor streams*
  2. 12 - 24 UOC of Free Electives (four courses) including at least 12 UOC taken within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
*An external minor satisfies the 12 UOC of General Education required in the single program.

Please refer to the list of optional minors under "Area(s) of Specialisation”.

OR
  1. 12 UOC of Arts & Social Sciences Prescribed Electives (two courses) of any other courses offered from within Arts and Social Sciences
  2. 24 UOC of Free Electives (four courses) which can be taken within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  3. 12 UOC of General Education (two courses) which must be taken outside of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Core Courses

Media Core

Communication and Journalism Core

Level 1
Level 2
Level 3

Prescribed Electives

Media

Level 2
You will complete any two of the following:
Level 3
You will complete any two of the following:

Communication and Journalism

You will complete any four of the following:

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives

Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen by you from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences for which you are qualified to enrol. You can add depth to your program by completing more Communication and Journalism Electives or undertake other courses from other areas of study within the Faculty. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) cannot be studied as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

Free Electives

A Free Elective is any course offered either within or outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences into which you can enrol.

ARTS2050 Academic Writing for the Humanities

This course is available as an Arts & Social Sciences Prescribed Elective or Free Elective if you wish to develop your academic writing skills.

General Education

General Education is the completion of two courses (12 UOC) offered outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if an external minor (for example, Economics) is completed. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) can be studied as General Education only if you are not following a minor in Indigenous Studies.

Award with Distinction

If you secure a WAM of 75 across your program and you have completed at least 48 UOC of your program at UNSW you are eligible for the award of Pass Degree "with Distinction".

Honours

Once you have completed your Bachelor of Media (Communication and Journalism) (in either Single or Dual mode) you can apply for admission to do an Honours year in the Bachelor of Media (Honours) program 4510. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the stream in which you want to study at Honours level.

Bachelor of Media (Honours) program 4510

Sample Program

Bachelor of Media (Communication and Journalism) - Sample Program in Single Mode
(Example Only)

Below is a guide to help you enrol in your program. To be full-time you must enrol in 24 UOC each semester.
LEVEL 1
 UOC
S1 ARTS1090 Media, Culture & Everyday Life (6 UOC) MDIA1002 Media Industry Contexts
(6 UOC)
Prescribed Communication and Journalism Elective
(6 UOC)
 Home Minor Stream
(6 UOC)		  24
S2
(6 UOC)
 MDIA1004 News Reporting
(6 UOC)		 General Education (6 UOC) Free Elective
(6 UOC)		  24
LEVEL 2 UOC
S1
Prescribed Media Elective Level 2
(6 UOC)
Prescribed Communication and Journalism Elective
(6 UOC)
 Home Minor Stream
(6 UOC)		  24
S2
Prescribed Media Elective Level 2
(6 UOC)
 General Education (6 UOC) Home Minor Stream
(6 UOC)		  24
LEVEL 3 UOC
S1
Prescribed Media Elective Level 3
(6 UOC)
 MDIA3002 Multiplatform Journalism (6 UOC)
Prescribed Communication and Journalism Elective
(6 UOC)
 Home Minor Stream
(6 UOC)		  24
S2
Prescribed Media Elective Level 3
(6 UOC)
 MDIA3003 Media Portfolio (6 UOC)
Prescribed Communication and Journalism Elective
(6 UOC)
 Free Elective
(6 UOC)		  24


Academic Rules

Single Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Media (C&J) and complete 144 UOC;
  2. complete the requirements for the core
  3. complete the requirements for prescribed electives
  4. complete 12 UOC of Arts & Social Sciences Prescribed Electives*
  5. complete 24 UOC of Free Electives*
  6. complete 12 UOC of General Education**
  7. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  8. complete at least 96 UOC overall before enrolling in Level 3 courses
*you may substitute the Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives and/or Free Electives for an optional minor from the list of UNSW BA approved home minor streams

**you may substitute 12 UOC of General Education courses for 12 UOC in an external minor from the list of UNSW BA approved external minor streams.

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. complete 96 UOC in the Bachelor of Media (C&J);
  2. complete the requirements for the core
  3. complete the requirements for prescribed electives
  4. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
  5. complete at least 48 UOC overall before enrolling in Level 3 courses

Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

Important Information

The Academic Rules for the UNSW BMedia (PR&A) and the online enrolment facility provide you with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that you meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. You are responsible for ensuring you are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. You should take care not to assume that because you have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to your degree program. If you need more help or want to check that your enrolment meets the program rules, get in touch with the Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre.

Further Information
Contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre for advice.
Tel: + 61 2 9385 2289
Email: arts@unsw.edu.au
Location: Room G1 Ground Floor, Morven Brown building (C20)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Frequently asked questions

Glossary of Terms

Area(s) of Specialisation