Mass Communications, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with a concentration in advertising/creative

Special requirements

Students must earn at least 72 credits in courses outside mass communications. In addition, students must earn a total of 45 credits in classes at the 300-level and above, including upper-level mass communications course work. To graduate from the mass communications program, students must have a cumulative and major GPA of 2.5 and must earn minimum grade of C in their senior-level capstone courses (MASC 451 and 481). The mass communications curriculum includes the foundation and specific sequences.

Foundation course work for advertising students
MASC 101; MASC 201; MASC 204 with a minimum grade of C; and completion of UNIV 111, UNIV 112, ECON 203 and the College of Humanities and Sciences’ human, social and political behavior; math and statistics (must choose STAT 208); science and technology; and diverse and global communities requirements. Completion of both ECON 210 and ECON 211 may substitute for ECON 203.

To enroll in MASC 203 or 204, students must receive departmental permission.

Admittance to a concentration in the School of Mass Communications is contingent on meeting the following requirements: an overall minimum GPA of 2.5 in all courses and completion of the required mass communications foundation courses. Transfer students will be evaluated on an individual basis but generally will be required to meet the prerequisites for admission to the major concentration during the second semester they are enrolled at VCU.

Certification of these requirements must accompany a formal petition for admission to a concentration. At this time, the student must select a specialization in one of the school’s concentrations: advertising, journalism or public relations. Students selecting the advertising concentration must choose either the advertising/creative or advertising/strategic concentration.

To enroll in a mass communications course, majors must have earned a minimum grade of C in all courses prerequisite for that course.

The School of Mass Communications offers a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with concentrations in one of three areas: advertising, journalism or public relations. The concentration in advertising prepares students for careers at advertising agencies, marketing departments of corporations or service organizations and media companies.

Degree requirements for Mass Communications, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with a concentration in advertising/creative

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:

Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communication professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communication professions in which they work.
Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communication professions in which they work.
Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.
Think critically, creatively and independently.
Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.
Understand and apply the principles and laws appropriate to the communication professions in which they work, including copyright and trademark law.
Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications.
Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically.
Understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information.

General Education requirements (32-46 credits)	Credits
University Core Education Curriculum (minimum 21 credits)
UNIV 111 Focused Inquiry I	3
UNIV 112 Focused Inquiry II	3
UNIV 200 Writing and Rhetoric	3
Approved humanities/fine arts	3
Approved natural/physical sciences	3-4
Approved quantitative literacy	3-4
Approved social/behavioral sciences	3-4

Additional College of Humanities and Sciences requirements (11-23 credits)
HUMS 202 Choices in a Consumer Society	1
Approved H&S diverse and global communities	3
Approved H&S general education electives	6-8
Approved H&S human, social and political behavior (fulfills University Core social/behavioral sciences)
Approved H&S literature and civilization (fulfills University Core humanities/fine arts)
Approved H&S science and technology (fulfills University Core natural/physical sciences)
Experiential fine arts (course offered by the School of the Arts)	1-3
Foreign language through the 102 level (by course or placement)	0-8

Collateral requirements (24-27 credits)

ACCT 202 Accounting for Non-business majors or MKTG 301 Marketing Principles	3
ARTH 103 Survey of Western Art (fulfills experiential fine arts requirement)	3
ECON 203 Introduction to Economics (or ECON 210 and ECON 211 Principles of Economics)	3-6
HIST 103 and 104 Survey of American History	6
STAT 208 Statistical Thinking (fulfills University Core quantitative literacy)	3
POLI or URSP course (300-level or above)	3
Literature course (300-level or above) except ENGL/TEDU 386 Children’s Literature or ENGL 433 Advanced Dramatic Writing	3

Major requirements (39 credits)
MASC 101 Mass Communications	3
MASC 201 Curiousness	3
MASC 204 Story	3
MASC 300 Technical Prowess	3
MASC 380 History of Advertising	3
MASC 392 Perspicuousness	3
MASC 394 Imagination	3
MASC 408 Communications Ethics and Law	3
MASC 450 Style	3
MASC 451 Invention	3
MASC 481 Completeness	3
MASC electives	6

Open electives (11-25 credits)
Open electives	11-25

Total minimum requirement	120

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