|
School of Communication -
Undergraduate
www.miami.edu/com
INTRODUCTION
The School of Communication offers courses in nine Programs
of Study leading to the degree Bachelor of Science in Communication.
The programs are Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism,
Broadcast Journalism, Visual Journalism, Motion Pictures,
Communication Studies, Electronic Media, and Media Management.
The degrees Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Doctor
of Philosophy are available in the School; the graduate degrees
are under the supervision of the Dean of the Graduate School
and the Faculty Council on Graduate Studies.
Students engage in a variety of hands-on learning experiences
embracing research, writing, production, creative problem
solving and multimedia storytelling. All instruction requires
the student to be familiar with computer technology and basic
word, database, design and image processing software. Individual
programs have specific computer, image taking and software
tools and skills expectations of students. On-campus television
and radio facilities, motion picture studios and multimedia
labs are available for academic and extra-curricular student
projects. Journalism students utilize contemporary digital
imaging technology and learn skills that cut across a variety
of media platforms. Motion picture production, digital editing,
recording, and mixing facilities are available. Electronic
Media and Broadcast Journalism students use TV studios and
remote digital technology. New media technology is incorporated
throughout the curriculum and the School houses several computer
labs and digitally “smart” classrooms.
The School houses two video-conference centers with broadcast
quality interactive capability for remote interviews and programming.
The School also houses three TV studios, including a fiber-optic
linked studio allowing real-time, broadcast-quality transmissions
with remote sites around the world. Under Communication faculty
supervision, student-produced programming is distributed through
the University’s cable facility and is carried throughout
the community by the local cable operator and is available
online.
The University’s FM stereo radio station and student
online and print newspapers and magazines offer additional
opportunities for career development. The School also operates
PRADUM, a student-run advertising and public relations agency.
The Bill Cosford Cinema, a 250-seat motion picture theatre,
supports the motion pictures program and offers film programming
for the Miami community. The School’s Norton Herrick
Center for Motion Picture Studies is dedicated to research
into the history and aesthetics of motion picture media and
their social and cultural impact. The School operates several
online sites that afford students outlets for multimedia and
cross platform writing, research, reporting and creative work.
The School’s Knight Center for International Media
supports innovative research and development dedicated to
a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary communication study.
The Center has produced a variety of special projects including
documentary motion pictures, specialized research, and global
issue-oriented faculty/student initiatives. Two endowed Knight
Chairs bring additional expertise and international perspective
to the School’s research and learning experience.
The School sponsors a nationally competitive intercollegiate
debate team, which annually produces several members of the
All American Debate team. In addition, the School supports
student chapters of the American Advertising Association,
the Public Relations Society of America, the Society of Professional
Journalists, the National Broadcasting Society, the University
Film and Video Association and other professional organizations.
Internships in professional settings are available to Communication
students at the junior and senior levels. Professionals at
daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, news bureaus, cable
systems, radio and television stations and networks, production
houses, and motion picture studios cooperate in the faculty-supervised
internships. Executives of city and county governments, advertising
agencies, public relations firms, and private business and
nonprofit organizations join in providing internship opportunities.
MISSION
The School of Communication is dedicated to a global educational
perspective and is committed to providing a socially responsible
and ethically grounded learning environment guided by a diverse
faculty of scholars, artists and professionals. The School
is committed to quality undergraduate and graduate programs
in communication that emphasize the relationship between theory
and practice. We believe in freedom of expression and creativity,
and encourage both collaboration and independent thinking
as we prepare future scholars, professionals and leaders for
a lifetime of service and learning.
ACCREDITATION
The School’s programs in Advertising, Electronic Media,
Broadcast Journalism, Media
Management, Journalism, Public Relations and Visual Journalism
are accredited by the
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication,
Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045-7575.
The University of Miami is accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Admission to Major
A student entering the School of Communication as a freshman
or as a transfer will enroll in Communication pre-major status.
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Communication who
have achieved sophomore standing and have satisfactorily completed
the entrance requirements of one of the Communication majors
(see Program Statements) will be admitted to major status
in their chosen specific program of the School.
Internal Transfer into the School of Communication
A student enrolled at the University of Miami in a school
or college other than the School of Communication may apply
for admission into the School. Applications are accepted every
fall and spring semester. A minimum overall grade point average
of 2.5 is necessary for consideration. Applications are available
in the Admissions, Academic & Alumni Services Office of
the School of Communication (2037 Wolfson Building) and must
be submitted prior to the end of classes in either the fall
or spring semester. Admission decisions will be made promptly
after semester grades are final. Students will be notified
in writing of the School’s decision.
Transfer Students
A transfer student must complete in residence a minimum of
15 credits toward a Communication major or a minimum of 9
credits toward a Communication minor. Courses taken elsewhere
in Communication or related disciplines are not automatically
accepted toward a major or minor at the University of Miami.
Students who have obtained the written approval of the head
of a Communication major to use transfer credit to satisfy
one or more requirements of that major may be required to
complete additional courses in residence at the University
before being admitted to that major. Students should consult
a School of Communication advisor to determine whether the
transfer of Communication courses will increase beyond 120
the total number of credits required for a degree. In general,
transfer credit will not be accepted to satisfy requirements
for any course in any major or minor at the 300-level or above.
Student petitions to transfer credit from ACEJMC-accredited
or other accredited programs will be considered on an individual
basis.
Transfer credit may not be used to satisfy requirements for
any major in Communication without the written approval of
the heads of the programs concerned.
Academic Progress & Probation/Dismissal
Students must maintain a quality point average of 2.5 or
higher in courses taken in residence and submitted for their
School of Communication major. Following the first semester
in which any student’s quality point average (QPA) in
the major falls below a 2.5, the School may issue a warning
to that student that his or her work does not meet School
expectations. Should that student’s QPA in the major
be below a 2.5 in any subsequent semester, he or she may be
placed on Academic Probation. The School may dismiss from
the University any student who is on probation a total of
two semesters (not necessarily consecutive). A student who
has completed 45 University credits while enrolled in the
School but who has not been admitted to one of the Communication
majors may be dismissed from the School. A student who has
completed 60 University credits while enrolled in the School
but who has not been admitted to one of the Communication
majors will be dismissed from the School. A student who has
been dismissed from the School may apply for admission to
one of the other schools or colleges within the University
but will not later be readmitted to the School of Communication.
Those who wish to appeal their probation or dismissal must
do so in writing to the Dean within 30 days of the notice
of probation or dismissal. See also GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING,
WARNING, PROBATION, AND DISMISSAL, in this Bulletin.
Internship Credit
All programs allow students to complete multiple internships.
However, students will be permitted no more than three credits
in School of Communication internship(s) toward their majors
or toward their 120-credit University degree.
Credit Hours and Advanced Placement Credit
Credits may be earned through Advanced Placement, IB, CLEP
Examinations, and Advanced Placement by Proficiency Examinations.
These credits may be applied to the appropriate Required Areas
of Study or as electives except: (1) where prohibited by a
specific program area; or (2) if the course is remedial (e.g.,
ENG 103, MTH 099). To earn credit toward the 66 credits required
in the liberal arts and sciences, and toward the 120 credits
required for graduation, each student must pay a recording
fee and have exempted course credits entered on his or her
University transcript. An exemption may be granted for ENG
105 by the Department of English, but this exemption will
not earn credit to be applied toward the 66 credits required
in the liberal arts and sciences or toward the 120 University
credits required for graduation.
Grade Point Average
A candidate for the B.S. in Communication must complete the
credit hours and achieve the quality point average specified
for students in the University at large as stated in the section
titled ACADEMIC PROCEDURES AND INFORMATION, subject to additional
requirements specified in School and Program sections of this
Bulletin.
Areas of Study
In applying these requirements to his or her course of study,
each student must carefully read School of Communication program
and major requirements that follow. In many cases, these requirements
will be more restrictive and more specific in describing how
each of these Required Areas of Study is to be satisfied.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
The School of Communication offers courses in nine Programs
of Study leading to the degree Bachelor of Science in Communication.
The programs are Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism,
Broadcast Journalism, Visual Journalism, Motion Pictures,
Communication Studies, Electronic Media, and Media Management.
MINORS
The School of Communication offers minors in each of its
nine Programs of Study and a general minor in Communication
(COM).
CONCENTRATIONS
Each degree program offers concentrations or tracks of study
in specialty areas. See the individual program sections for
details on these concentrations.
Requirements for Graduation
Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication
Required University General Education Requirements
A. AREAS OF PROFICIENCY
Proficiency requirements are intended to ensure that students
either already possess, or will develop at the University,
the ability to express themselves effectively, to use mathematics
with facility, and to reason cogently. Superior scores on
the SAT or ACT examinations may waive students from ENG 105
(requirement 1) and superior placement test scores administered
by the Department of Mathematics may waive students from MTH
101 (requirement 2), but not from requirement 3.
1. English Composition
3 credits
Students fulfill this requirement by satisfactorily completing
English 105 and English 106 or its equivalent. Appropriate
Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB)
scores in English composition may be used to satisfy the
English 105/106 requirement. An appropriate score on the
SAT or ACT verbal examination may earn a student exemption
from, but not credit in, ENG 105.
Appropriate scores on other tests determined by the Department
of English may earn a student exemption from, but not credit
in, English 105.
Courses satisfying the English Composition requirement
may not be used to fulfill the Writing Across the Curriculum
Required Area of Study .
2. Mathematics
3 credits
Students fulfill this requirement by satisfactorily completing
a course in mathematics numbered above MTH 101 (excluding
MTH 107), or MAS 110, or an approved course in statistics.
Exemption from the mathematics requirement or placement
in prerequisite courses is based on any of the following
tests: AP, IB, or an examination administered by the Department
of Mathematics during orientation.
3. Writing Across the Curriculum (W)
5 courses
Courses satisfying this requirement are those designated
as involving a substantial amount of writing and the preparation
of papers that are corrected for diction, syntax, style,
and content. Some courses satisfying this Writing Across
the Curriculum requirement will simultaneously fulfill a
requirement under B. Areas of Knowledge (below).
B. Areas of Knowledge
These requirements are designed to help students understand
and appreciate the intellectual achievements in major areas
of human inquiry and creative endeavor. In satisfying these
requirements students will explore the natural world, examine
human development and behavior, and appreciate creative expression
in the arts, literature, and philosophy.
No more than six credit hours may be taken in any
one department to satisfy the areas of knowledge requirement.
(Note: ART and ARH are considered the same department.)
Most courses above the 100-level require prerequisites.
Natural World (6 credits) Courses in the
following areas: Biology; Chemistry;
Ecosystems Science and Policy; Geological Sciences; Marine
Science; Physics;
Physical Science; and the following courses: Anthropology
203; Geography 120; Freshman Seminars in the Natural Sciences
190-199.
People and Society (6 credits) Courses in the following
areas: Africana Studies;
American Studies (AMS); Anthropology (except APY 203); Economics;
Educational
Psychology; Geography (except GEG 120); History; International
Studies; Judaic
Studies (JUS); Political Sciences; Psychology; Sociology;
Teaching and Learning;
Women and Gender Studies; and the following courses: COM 101;
COM 110; COS 112; COS 336; COS 472; Freshman Seminars in the
Social Sciences.
Arts and Humanities (12 credits) Courses
in the following areas: American
Studies (AMH); Architecture; Music; Art and Art History; Judaic
Studies (JUH);
Theatre Arts; English (200-level or above except ENG 208);
Foreign
Languages and Literatures (300-level or above); Philosophy;
Religious Studies; and the following courses: COS 211; DAN
250; Freshman Seminars in the Arts and
Humanities FFA 190-199. Students who do not have a separate
foreign language requirement may use foreign language courses
numbered at the 100 or 200 level to satisfy part of the arts
and humanities requirement, if the language differs from the
student’s native language and if, when beginning with
a 101-level course, they also take the 102-level course in
the same language.
Majors/Minors
Students completing a major or minor in the School of Communication
must complete a School of Communication course with a grade
of C or higher (a grade of C- or lower is not acceptable)
before taking another course for which the first course is
a prerequisite.
Major/Minor Requirements
The Major in the School of Communication
36 to 45 credits
Majors in the School of Communication leading to a Bachelor
of Science in Communication require between 36 and 45 credits
in School of Communication courses specified in Program statements
(below). Courses within each major must be completed with
a grade of C or higher (a grade of C- or lower is not acceptable).
In addition, students must maintain a quality point average
of 2.5 or higher in courses taken in residence and submitted
for their School of Communication majors.
Each of the Programs of Study has specific requirements that
limit the number of credits that can be taken in the School.
Students who exceed the credit limits set forth by their Program
of Study may be required to complete more than the 120 credits
normally required for a University degree (see Program Statements).
The Second Major
24 to 40 credits
Each Communication student, in addition to completing requirements
for a Communication major (below), must choose a second major
field in the University curriculum. To find the requirements
for such a major, students should consult this Bulletin and
confer with the appropriate department representative. School
of Communication advisors will aid students in identifying
the appropriate representative. The candidate for a Communication
degree may choose from among any of the disciplines offering
majors for which they may qualify and complete the major’s
requirements. Students should consult with a Communication
advisor before selecting their second major. Some second majors
are impractical within a 120 degree program.
The choice of the second major should be made no later than
the beginning of the junior year and must be approved by the
discipline concerned. Each Communication student will be required,
by the time he or she has earned 60 credits, to submit to
his or her Communication advisor a statement of courses and
other requirements for the chosen major. This statement must
be signed by the second major’s program head or by the
head’s representative. Any student making unsatisfactory
progress in the second major subject may be required to change
majors or to relinquish candidacy for the Communication degree.
Unless Communication Program statements otherwise restrict,
a maximum of six credits may count toward both a second major
and the Required Areas of Study in the School of Communication
(above); see Program Statements.
Minors
A minor is not required for a Bachelor of Science degree
candidate in the School of Communication. A student who wishes
to complete a minor offered by any program in the University,
in addition to the major in Communication and second major,
must consult the School of Communication Admissions, Academic
& Alumni Services Office. A student who wishes to take
a minor as well as a major in Communication must take into
account the course requirements and credit limits in their
Program of Study.
The School offers minors for students enrolled in the College
of Arts and Sciences and for other students in programs outside
the School of Communication.
• A student seeking a minor in the general area
of Communication must complete 15 credits at least six of
which must be at the 300-level or above.
• Courses taken for this minor must be approved in
advance through the School’s advising system in the
office of Admissions, Academic & Alumni Services.
• Other minors are in Advertising, Public Relations,
Journalism, Visual Journalism, Motion Pictures, Communication
Studies, and Electronic Media; see Program Statements.
• Each course submitted for a Communication minor
must be completed with a grade of C or higher (a grade of
C- or lower is not acceptable).
Upper Division Credits
Minimum of 36 credits
In earning a Bachelor of Science in Communication, each School
of Communication student must complete a minimum of 36 credits
of course work at the 300-level or above. Upper division courses
taken in Required Areas of Study, in the School of Communication
major, in the second major, and as general electives will
count toward this 36-credit minimum requirement. Upper division
transfer credits also apply.
Electives
Only Free Elective courses may be taken under the University’s
Credit Only option (see CREDIT ONLY OPTION, in this Bulletin).
Free Electives are defined as courses not taken to fulfill
the requirements of the major within the School of Communication,
of the second major or minor, or of the School’s Required
Areas of Study (i.e., General Distribution requirements).
Free Electives are courses taken not to meet any of the above
requirements or their prerequisites, but taken solely to meet
the requirement of a total of 66 credits in the liberal arts
and sciences or the requirement of a total of 120 credits
for the degree.
General Electives
Sufficient for a minimum total of 120 credits
A sufficient number of University electives must be completed
for a minimum total of 120 credits. Electives may be chosen
from any courses offered by the University except certain
unapproved courses such as Dance 101, 102, 103, and activity
courses offered by the School of Education. Students should
consult a School of Communication advisor before selecting
elective courses. General electives may be taken in any School
or College outside of the School of Communication. Excess
credits in Communication will increase the total number of
credits required for graduation. Because specific courses
are required in some School of Communication majors, students
are advised to read Program statements carefully and seek
the advice of a School of Communication advisor prior to taking
general University electives.
Electives in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Sufficient for a total of 66 College credits
Students must earn a total of 66 credits in the liberal arts
and sciences, including those credits earned in Required Areas
of Study, in the second major, in electives in the College
of Arts and Sciences, in courses in the Department of Economics,
in approved courses in the School of Music and School of Education,
and in COM/COS courses 110, 211, and 333. Some majors require
specific courses; see Program Statements.
SCHEDULES
Fifteen or sixteen credits constitute a normal semester schedule
in the School of Communication. Students who wish to register
for more than sixteen credits must obtain prior approval from
the Academic Services Office. Students who are on academic
probation will be limited to a maximum of thirteen credits.
Double Counting
A maximum of 6 credits from the second major, or from COM
101, or COM 110, may be used to satisfy the Required Areas
of Study in the School of Communication. No other courses
submitted for a student’s Communication major may be
used also to satisfy School of Communication Required Areas
of Study. No course may be used to satisfy the requirements
of more than one major or of a major and a minor. Unless Communication
Program statements otherwise restrict: (a) a course taken
to satisfy Additional Requirements of a student’s major
(and which appears on the list of courses accepted in satisfaction
of School Required Areas of Study) may also be used to satisfy
a School Required Areas of Study requirement; and (b) a maximum
of six credits may count toward both a second major and the
School Required Areas of Study. The foregoing notwithstanding,
any course designated as a Writing course, whether taken to
fulfill a major, minor, Additional Requirements, or Required
Areas of Study requirement, or as an elective, may also be
applied to the Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.
Freshman Seminars
An approved Freshman Seminar may satisfy one of the School
Required Areas of Study requirements. Consult the School of
Communication Academic Services Office.
Aerospace Studies and Military Science
A maximum of six credits of Aerospace Studies and Military
Science courses at the 300-level or above may count toward
the 120-credit University degree but only as general elective
credit.
Additional Program Requirements
Most programs in the School require a student to complete
specified courses in addition to those 12 to 15 courses that
comprise the majors to obtain the School’s Bachelor
of Science degree. These courses may, in some cases, fulfill
requirements in Required Areas of Study or in the second major,
or may be electives in the College of Arts and Sciences or
general electives in the University. In completing these additional
course requirements, passing grades (D or better) are usually
acceptable. If a grade of C or better is required in any additional
course or courses beyond the 36 to 45 credit School of Communication
major, program statements will so state. Read program statements
carefully. Please be sure to see a program advisor before
registering for classes.
HONORS
School of Communication students may graduate with School
Honors in Communication noted upon their diplomas and transcripts.
Students should contact the School’s Office of Admissions,
Academic & Alumni Services (2037 Wolfson Building) for
details about the School of Communication Honors Program.
Students may receive recognition as graduates cum laude,
magna cum laude, or summa cum laude if they meet the requirements
set forth under GRADUATION HONORS in this Bulletin.
|
