College of Communications

www.comm.uiuc.edu

119 Gregory Hall
810 S.Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2350

The College of Communications strives to give students solid backgrounds in social sciences and humanities and to provide them broad career competence in advertising, journalism or media studies. The college's premise is that students need to understand the world and its people if they are to communicate effectively and enjoy fulfilling and meaningful lives.

The college offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Advertising, Broadcast Journalism, Media Studies and News-Editorial Journalism. Students who seek to become leaders in cutting-edge fields of professional communications study with leading professionals and scholars and learn using the latest equipment and facilities. Included are laboratories for reporting, editing, design, and photojournalism; editing suites for radio and television production; and a television studio. The Communications Library is recognized as one of the best in the nation. Career services are available for students.

The college also includes the Division of Broadcasting, which operates WILL-AM, FM and TV, and the Institute of Communications Research.

The college has a rich past and a bright future. It traces its history to 1902, when instruction in journalism began. A school of journalism was established in 1927. In 1950 it became the School of Journalism and Communications. In 1957 the school was elevated to college status. The name- College of Communications- was adopted in 1968.

Departments and Curricula

The college, fully accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, offers these majors:

ADVERTISING, which offers students the opportunity to learn and think about advertising as a way of modeling the mind, as a material reflection of social structure, as a fundamentally modern phenomenon, as an art form and even as a basis for community, by drawing on insights from psychology, sociology, history, literature, and anthropology. This program will thoroughly infuse the understanding of consumer behavior and message knowledge base and, therefore, provide a better and longer-lasting education for students.
JOURNALISM (either broadcast or news-editorial), which prepares students for varied and long-term careers as journalists for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online media. The primary professional aim is to train students as public affairs journalists. The Journalism Department seeks to prepare broadly educated professionals who will assume decision-making and leadership roles.
MEDIA STUDIES, which offers advanced skills in the analysis and critique of communications practices and messages. Concentrated formal academic study in the development of the communications media and their underlying technologies is designed to give students the critical tools they need to assume a wide range of careers in both the public and private sectors or continue their studies and take roles in academia. The major is founded on the principle that media are central phenomena, primary elements in the study of politics, business, culture, and community.

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 a doctor of philosophy degree in Communications under the direction of the Institute of Communications Research.

Requirements

Admission

Historically, the College of Communications enrolled only juniors and seniors. Beginning with applications submitted in spring 2006 for admission in fall of 2006, the college also will enroll sophomores.

Students who will complete their 30th hour of course credit in spring 2006 should apply early during that semester for admission the following semester. Applications will be accepted from all students who by the end of the spring semester will have completed as least 30 but no more than 90 hours.

Students from other colleges on campus should apply three to nine weeks before the start of early registration for courses. Applications for fall 2006 admission will be accepted Jan. 18 through March 10, 2006. Forms are available from the college.

Students seeking to transfer from another university may apply in the spring semester for fall admission. Forms are avaiable from the university Office of Admissions and Records between Jan. 15 and March 1 each year.

Each application should include a personal essay of 250 to 500 words demonstrating the applicant's communications abilities and detailing the applicant's interest in and demonstrated commitment to a career for which a College of Communications degree would be appropriate.

Admission is competitive. To ensure the best instruction possible, a limited number of applications will be approved. Students with the best essays and the best academic qualifications, including any pertinent extracurricular activities or internships, will be considered first. One way to demonstrate interest is to have earned a grade of B or better in introductory courses such as ADV 300, COMM 100, COMM 101, COMM 166 or JOUR 200.

There is no specific requirement regarding grades. Applications are reviewed holistically. However, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 is advantageous. For applicants who have completed few courses at the University of Illinois, a higher GPA may be advisable.

Applicants need not have completed all requirements by the time they apply. Students are accepted on the condition that by the time they join the college at the start of the semester after they apply, they must,

Have completed at least two semesters in the UIUC college to which they were admitted, if admitted as a freshman.
Be classified by the university as a sophomore (at least 30 credit hours) or as a junior (fewer than 90 credit hours).
Be in good academic standing.
Have completed approximately one-fourth (if a sophomore) or one-half (if a junior) or more of the total credit hours required to satisfy the university's General Education requirements.

Sophomores are admitted to the Communications General program, from which they may sample courses in one or more of the college's majors until they become juniors. Juniors are admitted directly to a specific major: Advertising, Broadcast Journalism, Media Studies or News-Editorial Journalism.

Acceptance into each of the majors (or changing majors once accepted into one of them) is competitve. The college does not admit students it believes will have difficulty obtaining the major they desire. However, because performance may vary from expectation, a specific major cannot be guaranteed. Students who establish records of achievement within Communications General, including maintaining a high grade point average and performing well in introductory courses, will improve their chances for admission into specific majors.

Applications from students who would require more than nine total semesters of college enrollment to complete their degree may be denied. WIthout special permission, students must complete their Communications degrees within seven semesters of joining the college as sophomores or within five semesters of joining the college as juniors.

Because considerable coursework in other colleges is implicit within the requirements for all College of Communications degrees, students are not admitted to the College of Communications for the purpose of pursuing second majors or second undergraduate degrees. However, minors in areas outside the college are encouraged.

Students completing freshman and sophomore studies at institutions other than the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are strongly advised to defer courses in communications until they enroll in the College of Communications.

Students may transfer up to nine hours of Advertising, Journalism or Media Studies electives. However, those hours will not be applied to the minimum number of hours required in College of Communications courses and may not be used to replace required courses.

Graduation

To graduate, students must satisfy all university requirements as to residency, scholarship, and fees and must complete the university's general education requirements. All students also must fulfill these general requirements of the College of Communications:

Complete a total of 124 semester hours of course credit. Basic physical education activity courses (KIN 100-111, 122-136 and 167-169), vocational and technical education courses, math courses numbered below 100, introductory chemistry (CHEM 101) and basic courses in military science (except for up to six hours in MILS courses numbered 300 and above) will not be counted toward this total although such credits may be counted toward meeting admission requirements. Up to 12 hours earned in Institute of Aviation courses and, with approval from the college, up to a total of 12 hours earned in Undergraduate Open Seminar (199) courses, in independent study courses outside the college, and in other experimental courses (such as LAS 110) may be counted. Ordinarily, only one such course for a maximum of three hours of credit may be taken in any semester. The college encourages its students to have internships in communications. While it does not allow academic credit for such experience, credit is possible through academic courses taken in conjunction with internships.

Complete not less than 30 hours in courses numbered 199 or above offered by or cross-listed with Advertising (ADV), Journalism (JOUR) or Media Studies (COMM) regardless of the rubric under which they are taken.

Complete not less than 80 hours of credit outside the College of Communications, of which 65 hours must be taken in traditional liberal arts and sciences, which may include courses offered outside the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. No course of any number that is offered by or cross-listed with Advertising, Journalism or Media Studies may count in this total. For each hour of credit beyond 44 in such courses, the number of hours required for graduation increases by one additional hour to ensure that the requirement of 80 hours outside the college is met.

Complete not less than 20 hours in courses numbered 200 or above outside the College of Communications and not cross-listed in the College of Communications. At least 9 of the 20 hours must be in courses numbered 300 and above.

Complete the specific requirements of one of the four curricula offered by the college.

Earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (A = 4.00) in all courses presented for the degree and a cumulative 2.00 grade point average for all courses taken in the college.

Special Programs

Dean's List

To be eligible for Dean's List recognition for any semester, students must rank approximately in the top 20 percent in grade point average and must complete at least 14 hours taken for a letter grade (A through F). The specific grade point average necessary to achieve Dean's List recognition may vary.

Honors at Graduation

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 and must rank in the upper 20 percent of the student's graduation class in grade point average. For graduation with high honors, a student must additionally rank in the upper 10 percent. For graduation with highest honors, a student must additionally rank in the upper 5 percent.

Kappa Tau Alpha

Each year, scholastically high-ranking undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Communications are considered for membership in Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honorary society founded to recognize and promote scholarship in journalism and mass communication.

Edmund J. James Scholars

The College of Communications is developing a college honors program. Meanwhile, 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 his or her first spring semester in the college. James Scholars' academic records are reviewed annually. If the student has a cumulative and semester grade point average of 3.5 or above (A = 4.0) at the time of review, he or she will be certified as a James Scholar for the next academic year. Any student whose cumulative and semester average falls below 3.5 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 so designated previously.