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2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science: Social Science (Thomas Nelson Community College)
Thomas Nelson Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science: Social Science

Program description

The Robertson School of Media and Culture prepares effective and skilled communicators through quality instruction, advising and student services, based on real-world applications. Through research, professional service and scholarship in applied communications, the school advances the knowledge and practice of a multidisciplinary and evolving media environment. The school values truth, ethics, creativity, innovation, collaboration, cultural diversity, shared governance and community engagement.

The school offers a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with specialization in one of three concentrations: advertising, journalism and public relations. The school also awards the Master of Science in Mass Communications, with concentrations in the areas of integrated PR and advertising, multimedia journalism, and strategic public relations.

Career opportunities

Our program prepares journalism graduates to work as reporters and editors for newspapers, television newsrooms, news websites, radio news operations, magazines, news-oriented newsletters and other organizations. Moreover, these journalism skills transfer to many other fields, such as law, business, teaching and government service. 

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Audio & Video Equipment Operators
  • Broadcast News Analyst
  • Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
  • Multimedia Artists & Animators  
  • Proofreaders and Copy Markers
  • Public Relations Specialist  
  • Radio and Television Announcer
  • Reporters & Correspondents
  • Retail Sales Management
  • Search Marketing Strategists 
  • Social Science Research Assistant
  • Technical Writer
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Director of Digital Media
  • Editor
  • Radio or Television Producer
  • Senior Writer
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • Core only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.50
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Mass Communications with concentration in Journalism/digital and journalism/broadcast

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism

Thomas Nelson Community College (Associate of Science: Social Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend New Student Orientation.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Use Navigate to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Start your math sequence and pass ENG 111-112.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Browse careers related to Journalism through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on the VCU website.
Experience Year 2
  • Meet with your academic advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Explore the VCU Robertson School website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi and professors.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Robertson School and consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Robertson School-related events.
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at community college or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships (job experiences) before your senior year of college.
  • Create a draft resume and bring it to career services advisor or workshop for review.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Attend New Student Orientation.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Use Navigate to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Start your math sequence and pass ENG 111-112.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Browse careers related to Journalism through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on the VCU website.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your academic advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Explore the VCU Robertson School website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi and professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Robertson School and consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Robertson School-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at community college or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships (job experiences) before your senior year of college.
  • Create a draft resume and bring it to career services advisor or workshop for review.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism

Thomas Nelson Community College (Associate of Science: Social Science)

Thomas Nelson Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 General education
Social Science Select 1: PSY 200, SOC 200, PLS 135, 241 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Humanities Select 1: PHI 101, 111, 220; ART 101, 102; MUS 121; REL 231, 232 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Wellness elective Wellness elective VCU equivalent 1 Elective
CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking SPCH 121 3 Elective
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major
ECO 120 ECO 120 Survey of Economics ECON 203 3 Major
Transfer elective Transfer elective (Recommend CST 114 Survey of Mass Media through distance learning with John Tyler Community College) VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Laboratory Science Select 1: BIO 101, 107, CHM 101, CHM 111, GOL 105, PHY 101, PHY 201 VCU equivalent 4 General education
Elective Transfer Elective (consider taking World Language I; see note below about foreign language requirement at VCU) VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
History HIS 121 U.S. History I HIST 103 3 Major
Social Science PLS 135 American National Politics POLI 103 3 Major
Elective Transfer Elective (consider taking World Language II; see note below about foreign language requirement at VCU) VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
Laboratory Science Select 1: BIO 101, 102,107, CHM 101, CHM 111, 112. GOL 105, PHY 101, PHY 201, 202 VCU equivalent 4 General education
History HIS 122 U.S. History II HIST 104 3 Major
Humanities Select 1: PHI 101, 111, 220; ART 101, 102; MUS 121; REL 231, 232 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Literature Select 1: ENG 200-level literature ENGL 3 General education
Social Science Select 1: GEO 200, 210, PSY 200, 235, SOC 200, PLS 135, 241 VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Thomas Nelson credits transferred to VCU 61 to 63
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Bachelor of Science: Mass Communications with a concentration in journalism/broadcast
Foreign language through the 102 level. (If not completed at TNCC) (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) 0 to 8 General education
ENGL Upper-level ENGL literature course (300 or 400 level) 3 Major
HIST Upper-level HIST course (300 or 400 level) 3 Major
POLI or URSP Upper-level POLI or URSP course (300- or 400-level) 3 Major
MASC 101 Mass Communications (if CST 114 is not taken; see note above about taking CST 114) Note: recommend taking class in the summer prior to fall enrollment at VCU if not taken at community college 0 to 3 Major
MASC 203 Journalism Writing 3 Major
MASC 261 History and Development of Journalism 3 Major
MASC 303 Reporting for Print and Web 3 Major
MASC 363 Introduction to Broadcast Writing 3 Major
MASC 367 Audio and Video Journalism 3 Major
MASC 396 Mobile and Social Media Journalism 3 Major
MASC 408 Communications Ethics and Law 3 Major
MASC 415 Advanced Video Journalism 3 Major
MASC 460 Advanced Television Newsgathering 3 Major
MASC 461 The Documentary (or MASC 465 Newscasting) 3 Major
MASC 474 Diversity in the Media 3 Major
MASC 493 Fieldwork/Internship 3 Major
MASC MASC upper-level elective (300- or 400-level course) 3 Major
Open electives (one must be upper-level, 300- or 400-level) 6 to 8 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 57 to 59
Bachelor's degree total 120
Bachelor of Science: Mass Communications with a concentration in journalism/digital
Foreign language through the 102 level. (If not completed at TNCC) (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) 0 to 8 General education
ENGL Upper-level ENGL literature course (300 or 400 level) 3 Major
HIST Upper-level HIST course (300 or 400 level) 3 Major
POLI or URSP Upper-level POLI or URSP course (300- or 400-level) 3 Major
MASC 101 Mass Communications (if CST 114 is not taken; see note above about taking CST 114) Note: recommend taking class in the summer prior to fall enrollment at VCU if not taken at community college 0 to 3 Major
MASC 203 Journalism Writing 3 Major
MASC 261 History and Development of Journalism 3 Major
MASC 301 Graphics for Journalism 3 Major
MASC 303 Reporting for Print and Web 3 Major
MASC 305 Copy Editing 3 Major
MASC 363 Introduction to Broadcast Writing 3 Major
MASC 367 Audio and Video Journalism 3 Major
MASC 396 Mobile and Social Media Journalism 3 Major
MASC 408 Communications Ethics and Law 3 Major
MASC 474 Diversity in the Media 3 Major
MASC 493 Fieldwork/Internship 3 Major
MASC Select two of the following MASC courses: MASC 403, 404, 475 6 Major
Upper-level elective (300- or 400-level courses) 3 Elective
Open electives 3 to 5 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 57 to 59
Bachelor's degree total 120