Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

Communication is highly integral to our living experience. It is through communication that we share ideas and meanings that help us define our identity and sense of community. At the professional level, communication is a full-fledged industry that harnesses both talent and technology to enhance engagement with our world in social, economic, cultural and political domains. From analog press and broadcast outlets to digital web-based media, communication has experienced dramatic transitions that continue to shape our physical and virtual world.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (BAMC) aims to prepare a new generation of communicators who combine talent and technical digital knowledge to create and manage content relevant to corporate and non-profit sectors. The Department of Mass Communication’s two concentrations in Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) seek to engage students with the latest media industry trends through both on-campus and field learning and training. Our program’s focal areas in digital storytelling, multiplatform communications, multimedia journalism, social media, infographics and social analytics are meant to create full alignment with fast-changing markets.

Program Mission

Our Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication degree program seeks to provide students with a balanced foundation of professional competencies involving digital storytelling, social media, integrated communications and academic knowledge of the discipline of mass communication in general and the department’s specific professional concentrations: Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) in particular.

Program Goals

• Provide students with a grounding in the various perspectives found in the academic discipline of mass communication in its traditional and new digital format, fostering students’ critical and analytical faculties in mass communication
• Furnish students with theoretical and strategic knowledge required of media professionals in the digital age
• Equip graduates for competencies required for entry-level positions in the media industries

Admission to the Program

Admission to the program follows the university’s undergraduate admission requirements. AUS students transferring into the program must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00. Students who do not meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement must consult with the department. If advised by the department to complete MCM 150, MCM 225 and MCM 231, students who successfully complete the three courses with a minimum average of 2.50 will be admitted into the program.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for graduation with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, students must successfully complete the following minimum requirements:

A minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 36 credits in courses at the 300 level or above, as follows:

• A minimum of 42 credits of general education requirements
• A minimum of 24 credits of MCM major requirements and major electives
• A minimum of 30 credits of concentration requirements and concentration electives
• Five weeks or 240 hours of on-the-job training (MCM 497) with a professional firm
• A minimum of 24 credits of free electives from non-MCM courses at the 100 level or above
• A minimum CGPA of 2.00