Bachelor of Communication and Media (BCNM)

Humanities and Communication
BCmn

Bachelor of Communication and Media (BCNM) - BCmn

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Online: 909885; Toowoomba campus: 909881

CRICOS code (International applicants): 093872D

	On-campus	Online
Semester intake:	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July)	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November)
Campus:	Toowoomba	-
Fees:	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place
Standard duration:	3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students	Future International students	Current students
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: study@usq.edu.au	Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au	Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email: usq.support@usq.edu.au

Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Communication and Media (Public Relations) and the Bachelor of Communication and Media (Public Relations Extended) are accredited with the (PRIA).

Program aims

This program aims to produce graduates who have mastery over the professional practice of contemporary communication industry skills, supported by scholarly engagement with communication/media theory. Graduates will demonstrate professional practice in preferred areas of journalism, public relations and interactive media, supported by a range of cognate skills from contemporary communication and media studies. Students can complement their major study with nominated major and minor studies from across the ��ýapp’s programs. The Bachelor of Communication and Media program allows specific emphasis on those skills required in communications professions, with emphasis on journalism, public relations and mass communication.

Program objectives

On successful completion of the program students should be able to:

express themselves with clarity and coherence and in terms of the industry-knowledge of the communication professions
explain and describe the fundamental nature of the process of communication in a range of communication forms including journalism, interactive media and public relations
critically examine and describe the theoretical issues, problems and methodologies of the communication professions
solve problems according to the ethical and social responsibilities that are integral to the function of professional communication
assess and apply methods, concepts, techniques and theories in projects from different professional communication contexts.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 07. Graduates at this level will have broad and coherent knowledge and skills for professional work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

Program Information Set

View USQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

Have achieved a minimum Overall Position (OP) 15, tertiary entrance rank 66 or equivalent qualification.^

Subject pre-requisite: English (4, SA) or equivalent.
English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 2.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ��ýapp-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

These are determined by the ��ýapp for specific programs each Semester. The 2017 OP and tertiary entrance ranks are based on agreed QTAC schedules which assess formal study at Year 12 or , tertiary, preparatory, professional or vocational qualifications or work experience, as detailed in the QTAC Assessment of Qualifications Manual and QTAC Assessor Guidelines.

Bonus ranks may help you get into the program of your choice by increasing your OP/Rank. The bonus ranks don't apply to all applicants or all programs. Please read the information on USQ's carefully to find out what you may be eligible for.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a student's higher education andstudents pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Program structure

The Bachelor of Communication and Media is comprised of 24 single-unit courses as indicated in the table below. Students are not permitted to complete more than 10 Level 1 courses as part of the program.

Area of study

Number of units

OPTION 1

Core courses

8 units

1 x 12–unit major from the Bachelor of Communication and Media:

Journalism Extended
Television and Radio Extended
Public Relations Extended

AND 1 x 4-unit minor
or
4 units of elective courses

16 units

TOTAL

24 units

OPTION 2

8 x core courses

8 units

1 x 8–unit major from the Bachelor of Communication and Media:

Advertising
Communication and Media Studies
Interactive Media
Journalism
Marketing
Public Relations
Television and Radio

AND one of the following

Bachelor of Communication and Media second major (8 units)^*, or
2 x 4-unit minors from the Bachelor of Communication Media, or
1 x 4-unit minor and 4 units of elective courses

Alternatively, students may select one major from the list above and a second major from another USQ undergraduate program subject to meeting prerequisite requirements and with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Programs where students may consider a second major include: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business and Commerce, Bachelor of Information Technology and Bachelor of Science

16 units

TOTAL

24 units

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 9 years to complete this program.

Core courses

All students must take the core courses:

CMS2008

The recommended pattern for enrolment in core courses by full-time on-campus students is:

Year	Semester of offer	Course
1	1, 2 or 3
1	1
1	1
1	1
2	1
2	2	CMS2008
2	2
3	1

This pattern should only be varied with the permission of the Program Coordinator.

Major studies

8-unit majors:

Advertising
Communication and Media Studies
Interactive Media
Journalism
Marketing
Public Relations
Television and Radio

12-unit extended majors:

Journalism Extended
Public Relations Extended
Television and Radio Extended

Majors from outside the program

Students may select one major from the list above and a second major from another USQ undergraduate program subject to meeting prerequisite requirements and with the approval of the Program Coordinator. Programs where students may consider a second major include:

Minor Studies

Students may take one minor from those listed in the section of this Handbook. Students should take courses to the value of at least four units in the selected Minor ��ýapp. Choice of a minor will depend on the availability of the subject area, timetabling constraints, quotas and other restrictions such as auditions and interviews in certain areas of the Arts, as well as the approval of the Program Coordinator.

Practical experience

In many majors within this program, on-campus and external students will be required to work on practical, real world projects and in some cases, will be required to work in teams. Public Relations, Communication, Marketing, Interactive Media, Television and Radio, and Advertising students will work on at least two client projects during their study. Students undertaking the Journalism and Public Relations majors are able to undertake work experience and have this recognised as part of their course through and .

IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the .

Exit points

Students who are unable to complete the Bachelor of Communication and Media but have successfully completed 8 units, may exit with a Diploma of Arts provided they have completed and 7 other courses. Students who have successfully completed 16 units, comprising a minimum of 4 core units and 12 other units, with no more than 10 level one units, may exit with an Associate Degree of Communication and Media.

Candidates for admission to the Bachelor of Communication and Media may be eligible for up to 16 units of credit on the basis of successful completion of relevant, equivalent undergraduate study from a recognised university or institution offering equivalent study. Credit approved in this program will not automatically apply to other programs offered by USQ.

Claims for credit for previous study should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with USQ policy.

Note:Where credit is granted, maximum and minimum duration will be adjusted in the same proportion as credit, for example, where eight units of credit is granted, maximum time will be six years and minimum time will be four semesters.

Enrolment

Given the program structure information, students should plan their enrolment making sure that they have fulfilled all core, major and minor requirements (depending on their choice of enrolment pattern). Enrolment requirements must be satisfied before enrolling in a course.
As a guide, full-time students should plan to undertake 8 courses per year and online students, who are in employment, a maximum of 6 courses per year, with a minimum of 4 courses per year. This is exclusive of any semester 3 enrolments.
Courses are normally offered on-campus and externally in the same semester. If a course is offered twice in one year, the second offering will normally be on an external basis only.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

Advertising (8-unit major)
Communication and Media Studies (8-unit major)
Interactive Media (8-unit major)
Journalism (8-unit major)
Journalism Extended (12-unit major)
Marketing (8-unit major)
Public Relations (8-unit major)
Public Relations Extended (12-unit major)
Television and Radio (8-unit major)
Television and Radio Extended (12-unit major)

Advertising (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
Students must complete the following:
ADV1001 Introduction to Advertising	1	1			1	1
^#	1	2			1	2
ADV2000 Advertising, Regulation and Ethics	2	1			2	1
ADV2001 Advertising as Communication	2	1			2	1
ADV2002 Advertising: Copywriting and Concept Design	2	2			2	2
	2	2			2	2
ADV3000 Advertising Campaign Planning and Management	3	1			3	1
ADV3001 Advertising Pitching and Project	3	2			3	2

Footnotes
#	Students also enrolled in a Marketing major should instead enrol in or .

Communication and Media Studies (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
Students must complete the following:
	1	2			1	2
	2	1			2	1
CMS2009	2	2			2	2
	2	2			2	2
CMS2020 Broadcast Media: History and Theory	2	2			2	2
CMS3007 Reading World Cinema	3	2			3	2
CMS3008 Communication and Media Industries	3	2			3	2
CMS3012 Research and Inquiry in Communication and Media Studies	3	1			3	1

Interactive Media (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
	1	1			1	1,2,3
	1	2			1	2
	2	1					Pre-requisite: and
	2	1			2	1
	2	2					Pre-requisite:
					3	1
	3	2			3	2
Select ONE of the following two courses:
					3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
					3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.

Journalism (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
^{^}	1	2			1	2, 3
	2	1			2	1	Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or
	2	1			2	1	Pre-requisite:
	2	2			2	2	Pre-requisite: (JRN1000 or ) and
^§	2	2			2	2
	3	1			3	1	Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or
Select ONE of the following two courses:
					3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
					3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
Select ONE of the following two courses:
	3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite: JRN2003 or
^*	3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite: and students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in .

Footnotes
^	Formerly JRN1000.
§	Formerly JRN3006: Students who have successfully completed JRN3006 should not enrol in JRN2006.
*	Students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

Journalism Extended (12-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

This major will qualify students for work as practising journalists in industry. On-campus classes are available at Toowoomba and Springfield.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
Required Courses:
^#	1	2			1	2, 3
	2	1			2	1	Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or
	2	1			2	1	Pre-requisite:
	2	2			2	2	Pre-requisite: (JRN1000 or ) and
^§	2	2			2	2
					2	1
	3	1			3	1	Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or
^$					3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
CMS3012 Research and Inquiry in Communication and Media Studies	3	1			3	1
					3	2
	3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite: JRN2003 or
^{^}	3	2					Pre-requisite: and students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in .

Footnotes
#	Formerly JRN1000: Students who have completed JRN1000 should not enrol in JRN1020.
§	Formerly JRN3006: Students who have successfully completed JRN3006 should not enrol in JRN2006.
$	Students who have not completed HMT3001 must complete HMT3002.
^	Formerly JRN2005: Students who have completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

Marketing (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
Required courses:
	1	1 (TW) 1, 2 (SP)			1	1, 2, 3
	1	2			1	1, 2
	2	2			2	2, 3
	2	1			2	1	Enrolment is not permitted in if MKT2012 has been previously completed.
	2	1			2	1, 3
MKT2014 Global Marketing Channels	2	2			2	2
	3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite:
Select ONE of the following:
	3	1			3	1	Pre-requisite:
	3	1, 2			3	1, 2, 3	Pre-requisite:
^#					3	1, 2	Pre-requisite: Students must have successfully completed a minimum of 16 units in their program of study.

Footnotes
#	International students are unable to enrol in PWE3000 Professional Work Experience.

Public Relations (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
	1	2			1	2
	2	1			2	1
	2	1			2	1
	2	2			2	2
					3	1
	3	2			3	2
					3	1, 3
Select ONE of the following. International on-campus students should consult with the PR discipline co-ordinator before making their selection.
					3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
					3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.

Public Relations Extended (12-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
	1	1			1	1, 2, 3
	1	2			1	2
	1	1, 2			1	1, 2, 3
	2	1			2	1
	2	1			2	1
	2	2			2	2
	2	2			2	2
					3	1
					3	1, 3
	3	2			3	2
					3	2
Select ONE of the following two courses. International on-campus students should consult with the PR discipline co-ordinator before making their selection.
					3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
					3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.

Television and Radio (8-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Students undertaking radio courses from Year 2 are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in. Students undertaking television courses from Year 2 must enrol on campus.

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
	1	1			1	1
					1	1,2
^#	1	2			1	2
Select ONE of the following two courses:
					1	2
	1	2
Select ONE of the following two courses:
	2	1			2	1
	2	1					Pre-requisite:
Select ONE of the following two courses:
	2	2			2	2	Pre-requisite:
	2	2					Pre-requisite:
Select the following courses:
	3	2					Pre-requisite: Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio+Animation 17195): . Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio+Television 17197): . Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio 17306): .
	3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.

Footnotes
#	Students also completing the Interactive Media major should instead enrol in .

Television and Radio Extended (12-unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
On-campus (ONC)		External (EXT)		Online (ONL)
Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
1	1			1	1
1	2			1	2
1	2
				1	2
2	1			2	1
2	1					Pre-requisite:
2	2			2	2	Pre-requisite:
2	2					Pre-requisite:
				3	1
				3	1	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
3	2			3	2	Pre-requisite: Completion of 16 units, of which 5 must be in area of proposed study project; subject to agreement of appropriate supervisor. Enrolment is not permitted in or if PRL3002 has been previously completed.
3	2					Pre-requisite: Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio+Animation 17195): . Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio+Television 17197): . Students enrolled in BCAR (FilmTelevRadio 17306): .

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