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2025-2026

Mass Communications, Bachelor of Science with a concentration in advertising/creative (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science in Social Sciences (Reynolds Community College)
Reynolds Community College
Reynolds Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science in Social Sciences 

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

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.

Career opportunities

The concentrations in advertising prepares students for careers at advertising agencies, marketing departments of corporations or service organizations, and media companies. These concentrations are a training ground that prepares students to join the world community of media practitioners and are centered on professional practice, studio intensive coursework, and experimental collaboration.


The concentrations in journalism train alumni for competitive careers in print and video media and in such places as print and video newsrooms, digital news, magazines, and special interest publications. The concentrations in journalism are transferable to many other fields like law, business, or government service. 


The concentration in media production prepares graduates to work as content creators in in film and television, sports media, local or national production studios, and online productions.


The concentration in public relations prepares graduates to successfully enter the public relations field. Graduates can be found representing professional sports teams, global clothing manufacturers, Hollywood production studios, energy companies, hospitals, international non-profits and small businesses. The public relations profession calls for professional communicators; all organizations, big and small, must communicate with audiences to succeed.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Art Director
  • Broadcast News Analyst
  • Development/Fundraising Manager
  • Digital Specialist
  • Grant Writer
  • Media Relations Coordinator
  • Nonprofit Communications Manager
  • Radio and Television Announcer
  • Videographer
  • Visual Effects (FX) Artist
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Copywriter
  • Creative Brand Manager
  • Director of Digital Media
  • Experience Designer
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

Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:

  • Completion of the associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses completed with a "C" grade or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 208
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5+ cumulative GPA, 2.5+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Mass Communications with concentration in Advertising/Creative, Advertising/Strategic, Journalism/Broadcast, Journalism/Digital, Media Production, Public Relations

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Mass Communications, Bachelor of Science with a concentration in advertising/creative (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

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 cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience Year 2
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Robertson School, 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.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Robertson School, 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.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Mass Communications, Bachelor of Science with a concentration in advertising/creative (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

Reynolds Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Year 1
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ITE 152 Introduction to Digital Literacy BUSN 1XX 3 Elective
World Language Select one: ASL 101 Beginning American Sign Language I, or FRE 101 Beginning French I, or SPA 101 Beginning Spanish I Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
MTH Select one: MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning or MTH 161 Precalculus I MATH 131 or MATH 141 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
Science Select one: BIO 101 General Biology I, CHM 111 General Chemistry I, or GOL 105 Physical Geology. VCU equivalent 4 General education
World Language Select second course in the language sequence: ASL 102 Beginning American Sign Language II, or FRE 102 Beginning French II, or SPA 102 Beginning Spanish II. VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
HIS 121 United States History to 1877 HIST 103 3 Major (Ancillary)
ART 102 History of Art: Renaissance to Modern ARTH 104 3 Major (Ancillary)
Year 2
History Select one: HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE or HIS 122 United States History since 1877. HIST 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
Science Select second course in the science sequence: BIO 102 General Biology II, CHM 112 General Chemistry II, or GOL 106 Historical Geology. VCU equivalent 4 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 246 American Literature or ENG 258 African American Literature. ENGL 3 Major (Ancillary)
Social Science Select one: PSY 200 Principles of Psychology or SOC 200 Principles of Sociology PSYC 101 or SOCY 101 3 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas, or ENG 245 British Literature, or ENG 246 American Literature, or ENG 250 Children’s Literature, or ENG 255 World Literature, or ENG 258 African American Literature, or ENG 275 Women’s Literature ENGL 3 General education
Social Science ECO 150 Economic Essentials (preferred: substitutes for the ECON 203 requirement at VCU). Another option is to take both ECO 201 and ECO 202. ECON 1XX 3 Major (Ancillary)
CST 114 Survey of Mass Media (preferred) Note: Please discuss your course options with a VCU transfer advisor if CST 114 is not available at your community college. MASC 101 3 Major
CST 228 Writing Across Media (preferred) Note: Please discuss your course options with a VCU transfer advisor if CST 228 is not available at your community college. MASC 203 3 Major
Select one: CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking, or CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication, or PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics, or GEO 210 People and the Land VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Reynolds credits transferred to VCU 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Year 3
MASC 101 Mass Communications (only take if you were unable to take CST 114 at community college). Note: consider taking the class in the summer before your first semester at VCU because this class is the prerequisite for other MASC classes. 0 to 3 Major
MASC 204 or MASC 203 Story or Journalism Writing (only take if you were unable to take CST 228 at community college) or elective if you were able to take CST 228 at community college. 3 Major
MASC 201 Curiousness 3 Major
MASC 274 Diversity in the Media 3 Major
MASC 300 Technical Prowess 3 Major
MASC 380 Media and Culture 3 Major
MASC MASC elective 3 Major
MASC 392 Perspicuousness 3 Major
MASC 394 Imagination 3 Major
MASC 390 Ethical Problems in Mass Media 3 Major
Literature course (300-level or above) except ENGL 386/TEDU 386 or TEDU 387 3 Major (Ancillary)
Year 4
MASC 450 Style 3 Major
MKTG 301 Marketing Principles (ACCT 202, 203 or 204 will also satisfy this requirement) 3 Major (Ancillary)
MASC 408 Communications Law 3 Major
MASC MASC elective (300-400 level) 3 Major
POLI or URSP course (300-level or higher) 3 Major (Ancillary)
MASC 451 Invention 3 Major
MASC 481 Completeness 3 Major
MASC 493 Fieldwork/Internship 3 Major
MASC 499 Career Minded 3 Major
MASC MASC elective (300-400 level) 3 Major
Credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120