Introduction
For students with two years of college and a commitment to a
career in communications, the College of Communications offers an
additional two years of education leading to bachelor of science
degrees in advertising, in journalism, and in media studies.
Through its professional programs, the college strives to give
students in advertising and journalism broad career competence in
their chosen fields of communications, while ensuring that they
acquire solid backgrounds in the social sciences and humanities. Its
premise is that students need an understanding of people and the world
they live in if they are to communicate effectively through print and
electronic media.
Through its non-professional media studies program, the college
offers students the opportunity to study, analyze, and critique modern
communications media, again with a firm foundation in the social
sciences and humanities.
The college has modern equipment and facilities for teaching
future communications practitioners--reporting, editing, graphic arts,
and photojournalism laboratories, in addition to editing studios for
radio and television production and a well-equipped studio for
broadcast news instruction. The Communications Library is generally
recognized as one of the best in the nation. The departments of
advertising and journalism maintain job placement services for their
students.
The college is also the supervising administrative unit for the
University Broadcasting Division (WILL-AM, -FM, and -TV) and the
Institute of Communications Research, where the media studies program
is administered.
Instruction in journalism at the University was begun in 1902 as
part of the course offering in rhetoric and was organized as a
division of the Department of English in 1916. The School of
Journalism was established in 1927 as a separate unit. In 1950, it
became the School of Journalism and Communications with divisions of
journalism, advertising, and radio, the last of which later added
instruction in television. In 1957 the school was elevated to college
status, and two years later the college's three divisions were
redesignated as departments. The present name--College of
Communications--was adopted in 1968.
Departments and Curricula
Through its Departments of Advertising and Journalism, the
college, which has been accredited by the American Council on
Education for Journalism and Mass Communication, offers professional
education in three sequences--advertising, news-editorial journalism,
and broadcast journalism. A bachelor of science degree is also offered
in media studies through the Institute of Communications
Research.
The Department of Advertising supervises work in the advertising
curriculum for students expecting to enter advertising agencies or the
advertising departments of companies, communications media, industrial
organizations, or retail stores. The department aims to educate
students to become analytical, flexible, and creative professionals
who are able to deal with current and future advertising
problems.
The Department of Journalism seeks to prepare students for varied
and long-term careers in print and electronic journalism. The primary
professional aim of the news-editorial and broadcast sequences is to
train students as public affairs reporters by providing them with the
skills, knowledge, and understanding required for success as
journalists. The department aims to prepare broadly educated
professionals who will eventually assume decision-making and
leadership roles.
The Institute of Communications Research, through the media
studies curriculum, gives students concentrated formal academic study
in the development of the communications media and their underlying
technologies.
The Departments of Advertising and Journalism offer graduate
programs leading to master of science degrees in advertising and in
journalism. The college offers an interdisciplinary program leading to
the doctor of philosophy in communications under the direction of the
Institute of Communications Research.
Requirements
For admission to the College of Communications, a student must
complete 60 semester hours of acceptable undergraduate college work
and present a grade-point average of at least 4.0 (A = 5.0) and
evidence of interest in the practice and/or study of
communications. The competitive grade-point average in recent years
has been higher. Applicants with less than a 4.0 grade-point average
may be considered if they demonstrate strong motivation and aptitude,
provided that spaces are available.
Since they must have junior standing to be eligible to enter the
College of Communications, students at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign are advised to register as freshmen and sophomores in
the prejournalism curriculum of the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences and to follow a broad general education program. Students at
other institutions should follow similar programs.
Although there is no formal preadvertising or prejournalism
program, a strongly recommended program for each college curriculum
for the first two years is available in the college office. These
programs include basic courses in economics, English, history,
philosophy, sociology, and anthropology, as well as courses satisfying
the University's general education requirements. Students who do not
have a reasonable degree of typing ability should acquire this skill
before entering the college, because it is desirable in all
curricula. A basic knowledge of computer skills is also useful.
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign should
make arrangements at the college office to apply for an intra-college
transfer early in the second semester of their sophomore year. Junior
standing is necessary for students to take most courses offered by the
College of Communications.
Students completing their freshman and sophomore studies at
institutions other than the University of Illinois are strongly
advised to defer courses in advertising, journalism, and
communications until enrolled in the College of
Communications. Students must take all of their required
communications courses in the College of Communications. They may be
permitted to transfer up to 9 hours of elective communications courses
taken elsewhere, provided that they take an equivalent number of
additional hours in advanced social studies, arts, and sciences beyond
the 20 semester hours required for graduation from the college.
The college does not recommend that students with more than 90
hours enter any of its undergraduate programs. The programs are
designed for completion within four semesters. In certain cases, it is
possible to complete the curriculum requirements in three semesters if
prerequisites in sequential courses can be met. The college does not
accept a student who has already received a bachelor's degree as a
candidate for a second bachelor's degree. Instead, it recommends that
such a student enter one of its graduate programs.
The college offers programs of study leading to bachelor of
science degrees in advertising, journalism, and in media studies. To
meet the degree requirements, all students must satisfy general
University requirements as to registration, residence, scholarship,
and fees. They must complete the rhetoric requirements and approved
sequences in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences as
listed under
University
general education requirements.
All
students must also fulfill the following general requirements of the
College of Communications:
-- Complete a total of 124 semester hours of course credit. Basic
physical education activity courses and basic courses in military,
naval, or air force science may not be counted toward this total
although such credits may be counted toward meeting the admission
requirement of 60 semester hours. No more than a total of 12 hours
earned in undergraduate open seminars (199 courses), in independent
study courses outside the college, and in other experimental courses
may be counted toward the degrees offered by the college. A student in
the college may enroll in one such course for a maximum of 4 hours of
credit in any semester with the consent of the head of the student's
major department. The same policy is applied to credit for internships
in fields other than communications with the additional requirement
that such courses must also be approved by the dean of the
college. While the college encourages its students to hold internships
in the communications field, particularly in the summer between the
junior an d senior years, it does not allow academic credit toward the
degree for such experience alone. Credit granted by other institutions
for internships is not accepted.
-- Complete not less than 30 hours but not more than 36 hours in
courses offered by the college in advertising, communications, and
journalism. Those undergraduate courses cross-listed with advertising
or journalism courses are considered college course
offerings. Undergraduate communications courses cross-listed only with
departments outside the college are not counted as college offerings,
except COMM 322.
-- Complete not less than 20 hours in advanced (200- and
300-level) courses at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in the social studies, arts, and sciences approved by the faculty. The
human resources and family studies minor may be substituted for the
requirement of 20 hours in advanced social studies, arts, and sciences
by advertising and journalism majors.
-- Complete the specific requirements of one of the curricula
offered by the college, as listed below.
-- Complete 90 hours of credit outside the college, of which 65
hours must be taken in the liberal arts and sciences.
-- Earn a grade-point average of 3.0 (A = 5.0) in all courses
presented for the degree. In addition, students must earn a 3.0
cumulative grade-point average for all courses taken while registered
in the college.
GENERAL EDUCATION
To be graduated from the College of Communications, students must
satisfy the University's general education requirements, which include
completion of the two-course composition requirement and a minimum of
6 hours each in the humanities, social sciences, and natural
sciences. The sequences and courses below have been approved by the
college. A student may not use sequences from any one department to
satisfy the requirement in more than one of these areas.
Any substitution of sequences or courses must be approved by the
dean of the college. However, any sequence or combination of courses
approved to fulfill these requirements by another college at the
Urbana-Champaign campus may be accepted by the College of
Communications with the exceptions stated below.
The college will waive the requirements in any of the following
three areas if the student's performance in the College-Level
Examination Program (CLEP) earned such a waiver in the student's
previous college at UIUC. However, only CLEP hours earned in the
social sciences and humanities, up to a maximum of 12 hours, will be
allowed toward the graduation requirement of 124 hours. CLEP credit
hours earned in the natural sciences (including mathematics) and
rhetoric will not be allowed.
The Campus Senate, the faculty General Education Board, and the
colleges and departments are working to implement enhanced general
education requirements. Some changes in requirements took effect in
fall 1991. Additional changes are expected to be implemented over the
next several years. These changes may, for example, affect which
courses satisfy the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences
requirements. Thus, new students should confirm their general
education requirements by consulting college and departmental offices,
handbooks, or advisers.
Statistics courses and computer science courses may not be used to
satisfy the natural science requirement. It is recommended that
students in the advertising curriculum use mathematics to satisfy the
natural science requirement; those in the journalism and media studies
curricula use either life or physical sciences to satisfy this
requirement.
Special Programs
The College of Communications does not have a college honors
program. However, a student who transfers into the College of
Communications from another college on the Urbana-Champaign campus and
is a James Scholar in the previous college at the time of transfer
will continue to be listed as a James Scholar in the College of
Communications through the end of the first spring semester in the
college. If the student has a cumulative grade-point average of 4.5 or
above (A = 5.0) at that time, he or she will be certified as a James
Scholar for the next academic year when his or her records will be
reviewed for certification. Any student whose cumulative average falls
below 4.5 will not be certified and will be removed from the James
Scholars listing. Designation as a James Scholar is available only to
a student who was previously so designated.
To be eligible for Dean's List recognition for any semester,
students must rank in the top 20 percent of their respective classes
and must successfully complete 14 academic hours, of which at least 12
hours must be traditionally graded hours (excluding course work graded
pass-fail, credit-no credit, satisfactory-unsatisfactory, excused, or
deferred) and excluding grades and hours in basic physical education
courses and religious foundation courses.
For graduation with honors, a student must have been named to the
Dean's List of the College of Communications for at least three
semesters, must rank in the upper 20 percent of the student's
graduation class, and must have earned a minimum grade-point average
of 4.5 or above in all courses taken after admission to the College of
Communications. For graduation with high honors, a student must have
been named to the Dean's List of the College of Communications for at
least three semesters, must rank in the upper 10 percent of the
student's graduation class, and must have earned a minimum grade-point
average of 4.7 in all courses taken after admission to the College of
Communications. For graduation with highest honors, a student must
have been named to the Dean's List of the College of Communications
for at least three semesters, must rank in the upper 5 percent of the
student's graduation class, and must have earned a minimum grade-point
average of 4.8 or above in all courses taken after admission to the
Col lege of Communications.
Each year, scholastically high-ranking undergraduate and graduate
students in the College of Communications are considered for
membership in Kappa Tau Alpha, national honorary society in journalism
and communications. The society was founded to recognize and promote
scholarship in advertising, journalism, broadcasting, and media
studies.
Department of Advertising
103 Gregory Hall
810 South Wright
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-1602
To be graduated from the advertising curriculum, a student must
meet the general University and
college requirements for the degree
and must complete the following courses:
| HOURS | REQUIRED COURSES |
|---|---|
| 3 | ADV 281--Introduction to Advertising |
| 3 | ADV 381--Advertising Research Methods |
| 3 | ADV 382--Advertising Creative Strategy and Tactics |
| 3 | ADV 383--Advertising Media Strategy and Tactics |
| 3 | ADV 391--Advertising Management: Planning |
| 3 | ADV 392--Advertising Management: Strategy and Tactics |
| 3 | ADV 393--Advertising in Contemporary Society |
| 6 | A minimum of two courses from this list: |
| JOURN 217--History of Communications | |
| JOURN 218--Communications and Public Opinion | |
| JOURN 220--Communications and Popular Culture | |
| JOURN 231--Mass Communications in a Democratic Society | |
| JOURN 241--Law and Communications | |
| JOURN 251--Social Aspects of Mass Communications | |
| 3 | Advertising, journalism, or communications electives (no more than 9 hours) |
| 30 | Total (no more than 36) |
| 3-6 | A specified course or courses in statistical methods see footnote 1 |
| 6 | ECON 102 and ECON 103--Micro- and Macroconomic Principles |
| 3 | B ADM 202--Principles of Marketing see footnote 2 |
| 7-8 | Two of the following: |
| PSYCH 100--Introduction to Psychology | |
| SOC 100--Introduction to Sociology | |
| ANTH 103--Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | |
Department of Journalism
120A Gregory Hall
810 South Wright Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-0709
To be graduated from the news-editorial sequence of the Department
of Journalism, a student must meet the general University and
college requirements for the degree
and must complete the
following courses:
| HOURS | REQUIRED COURSES |
|---|---|
| 3 | JOURN 150--Introduction to Journalism |
| 4 | JOURN 350--Reporting, I |
| 4 | JOURN 360--Graphic Arts |
| 4 | JOURN 370--News Editing |
| 4 | JOURN 380--Reporting, II |
| 3 | JOURN 241--Law and Communications |
| 3 | A minimum of one course from the following: |
| JOURN 217--History of Communications | |
| JOURN 218--Communications and Public Opinion | |
| JOURN 220--Communications and Popular Culture | |
| JOURN 231--Mass Communications in a Democratic Society | |
| JOURN 251--Social Aspects of Mass Communications see footnote 1 | |
| 8 | Advertising, journalism, or communications electives (no more than 11 hours) |
| 30 | Total (no more than 36) |
| 36 | At least 6 hours of credit in each of the following areas: economics, English or American literature, history, philosophy, political science, and sociology or anthropology see footnote 1 |
To be graduated from the broadcast journalism sequence of the
Department of Journalism, a student must meet the general University
and
college requirements for the degree
and must
complete the following courses:
| HOURS | REQUIRED COURSES |
|---|---|
| 3 | JOURN 150--Introduction to Journalism |
| 4 | JOURN 350--Reporting, I |
| 4 | JOURN 362--Broadcast News Production |
| 4 | JOURN 372--Broadcast News Writing and Gathering |
| 4 | JOURN 382--Broadcast News Editing |
| 3 | JOURN 241--Law and Communications |
| 3 | A minimum of one course from the following: |
| JOURN 217--History of Communications | |
| JOURN 218--Communications and Public Opinion | |
| JOURN 220--Communications and Popular Culture | |
| JOURN 231--Mass Communications in a Democratic Society | |
| JOURN 251--Social Aspects of Mass Communications see footnote 1 | |
| 8 | Advertising, journalism, or communications electives (no more than 11 hours ) |
| 30 | Total (no more than 36) |
| 36 | At least 6 hours of credit in each of six of the following areas: economics, English or American literature, history, natural science, philosophy, political science, and sociology or anthropology see footnote 1 |
| At least four courses in each of two department-approved areas of specialization see footnote 1 | |
Media Studies Program
222B Armory
505 East Armory Avenue
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1549
To be graduated from the media studies curriculum, a student must
meet the general University and college requirements for the degree
listed on page 74 and must complete the following courses:
| HOURS | REQUIRED COURSES |
|---|---|
| 3 | COMM 101--Social and Cultural Foundations of Mass Media see footnote 1 |
| 3 | COMM 217--History of Communications |
| 3 | COMM 220--Communications and Popular Culture |
| 3 | COMM 231--Mass Communications in a Democratic Society |
| 3 | COMM 251--Social Aspects of Mass Communications |
| 3 | COMM 264--Economic Structure of Communications |
| 3 | COMM 310--Media Ethics |
| 12 | College of Communications electives from the list below |
| At least four elective courses totaling at least 12 hours up to a maximum of six courses totaling no more than 18 hours must be chosen from the following list: | |
| ADV 281--Introduction to Advertising | |
| ADV 309--Public Relations | |
| COMM 218--Communications and Public Opinion | |
| COMM 241--Law and Communications | |
| COMM 261--American Broadcasting and Telecommunications | |
| COMM 310--Media Ethics | |
| COMM 322--Politics and the Media | |
| COMM 366--Film as Business | |
| JOURN 223--Photo-journalism | |
| JOURN 350--Reporting, I | |
| COMM 361--Telecommunications Programming | |
| COMM 362--Telecommunications Management | |
| COMM 368--Legal and Policy Issues in Telecommunications | |
| 30 | Total |
| 20 | At least 20 hours of advanced (200- and 300-level) credits in one or two areas outside of the College of Communications, such as economics, management, political science, sociology, psychology, literature, philosophy, physics, or engineering see footnote 2 |
A student in the College of Communications is not required to
complete a minor. A student in advertising or journalism with a
special interest in human resources and family studies may elect to
follow a special minor of at least 20 hours as listed below. The minor
may be substituted for the college requirement of 20 hours of advanced
social studies, arts, and sciences.
For students not enrolled in the College of Communications, the
college offers only one approved special minor, a minor in the
teaching of journalism for students in teacher education. Other
students are cautioned against attempting to follow a minor or cognate
in communications even if approved by their major
departments. Enrollment in many courses offered by the college is
restricted to majors in one of the college's curricula. In all college
courses, enrollment priority is given to students enrolled in the
College of Communications.
For a minor in human resources and family studies (home
economics), the student must complete a minimum of 20 hours in courses
offered by the School of Human Resources and Family Studies. The 20
hours completed in this area may be substituted for the 20 hours of
advanced social studies, arts, and sciences required by the college
for graduation. However, all students in the news-editorial and
broadcast journalism sequences must satisfy the departmental
requirements of at least 6 hours each in history, political science,
philosophy, economics, sociology or anthropology, and English or
American literature. These courses may be taken at the lower- or
upper-division level.
It is recommended that students select a concentration of courses
from one of five areas of human resources and family studies (family
and consumer economics, foods and nutrition, human development and
family ecology, interior design, or textiles and apparel) and select
electives in other areas to total 20 hours.
This minor is specifically for students in teacher education
programs. It requires a minimum of 18 hours in communications
courses. In addition to three required courses with a total of 11
hours of credit, a minimum of 7 additional hours must be chosen from a
selected group of electives. Students are also required to take at
least 7 hours of rhetoric, for a total of 25 hours.
| HOURS | REQUIRED COURSES |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | Typography or graphic arts |
| 4 | Newswriting |
| 4 | News editing |
| 6 or 7 | Electives in advertising, journalism, and communications |
| 4 | RHET 105 or RHET 108 |
| 3 | One of the following: ENGL 381, RHET 133, or RHET 143 |
| 25 | Total |
| HOURS | ELECTIVES |
| 3 | Introduction to advertising |
| 4 | Advanced reporting |
| 3 | Photojournalism |
| 3 | Magazine article writing |
| 3 | American broadcasting and telecommunications |
| Others may be chosen in consultation with the adviser. | |