Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication)

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Overview
Course in detail
Graduate outcomes
Course experience
Entry requirements
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This course provides a broad and practical approach to media studies, preparing students for work in the media, communications and multimedia industries. Students will also gain an understanding of the way media is evolving by examining issues such as ownership, control of the media and the impact of new media technologies on society. In addition to the media, students undertake a further major or minor(s) to complement their degree. The Media and Communication combination comprises a major in media and an additional minor in communications. Swinburne also offers an honours (fourth) year for this program.

Information sessions
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Duration

3 Year/s

Campus and intakes

Hawthorn -

Semester 1, Semester 2

Course code

N0525MCO

CRICOS code

043837K

Fees*

A$19,750 (annual for 2013)*

*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

Related courses

Course description

This course structure is effective from Semester 2 2012.

Students who commenced the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) program prior to Semester 2 2012, please refer to the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) course structure.

Offering a uniquely broad-based education in the media and associated industries, the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) is primarily taught by people who have had extensive workplace experience (in publishing, the print media and radio) and who share the belief that the student who is best equipped to face the vagaries of the workplace is the one who has a general and broad overview as well as a specialised appreciation of how it operates.

Media studies can incorporate a wide range of academic and production subjects. At Swinburne they fall into three overlapping areas:

Texts in context: an exploration of the various ways in which we make sense of film, television, radio production, print, the internet, new converged media, advertising and popular culture
The study of the political economy of media and telecommunications: an examination of issues such as ownership, regulation and ethics of the media and the cultural impact of new converged technologies
Hands-on subjects: an emphasis on electronic and print publishing, online and convergent radio production and workplace experience (these are available only after successful completion of the appropriate prerequisites)

This course is also offered to domestic students through the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship Program. Successful applicants are awarded HECS waiver scholarships and will be funded for the duration of their course. For further information visit the Scholarships website.

(Students holding an international student visa are required to study full-time and on campus and cannot study part-time.)

Course structure

This course will operate under a student workload model based on 100 credit points for a full-time academic year. One credit point is deemed to be equivalent to one hour of student work per week over a semester, whether in contact with staff or in private study. Four units of study, each worth 12.5 credit points, will generally be taken each semester. The typical student's average weekly workload during semester is therefore expected to be 50 hours. Total student contact hours, including lectures, classes, tutorials, flexible learning and laboratory and field sessions will be approximately 16 hours/week during academic semesters.

(Students holding an international student visa are required to study full-time and on campus and cannot study part-time.)

For the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication) program students must complete 300 credit points, normally 24 units of 12.5 credit points each, comprising: Media major (eight units of 12.5 credit points each (100) credit points) including one core unit and one capstone unit, and the Communication minor (four units of 12.5 credit points each (50) credit points). The remainder of the program will comprise a subsequent major and/or minor(s) and/or electives.

Additionally the following rules apply.

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Arts, students:

Must complete 300 credit points (usually 24 x 12.5 credit point units)
Must complete the compulsory non-credit bearing unit HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum (0 credit points)
May complete a maximum of 125 credit points of Stage 1 units
Must complete a minimum of 50 credit points of Stage 3 units
Must complete at least one capstone unit (12.5 credit points)
Must complete at least one Arts major (a major comprises either 100, 150, or 200 credit points). The remainder of the program will comprise subsequent majors and/or minors (a minor is comprised of 50 credit points), and/or electives
May complete a maximum of 100 credit points of non-Arts and Social Science units, excluding those units that are required for an Arts or Social Science major/minor
May complete up to 100 credit points of elective units (i.e. units that do not contribute to either a major or a minor)
May complete an optional Industry Based Learning (IBL) placement, which is usually taken prior to the final year of study. IBL is not available to students holding an international student visa

A unit of study can only be counted once. Where there are overlaps between majors and/or minors, students in the first instance choose another unit from the list of units available in the major/minor. Where there are no available units, students will be required to complete an alternative Arts or Social Science unit, as approved by the Program Convenor.

Students who complete a major comprising a minimum of 150 credit points may choose to graduate with a tagged outcome. Only one major may be tagged. Where a major comprises 100 credit points and there an extended major available, a student may choose to complete the additional 50 credit points in order to graduate with a tagged outcome. Where a student chooses not to complete an extended major, and chooses to complete a 100 credit point major, the student may only graduate with an untagged degree outcome i.e. Bachelor of Arts.

Careers in the Curriculum (CIC)
In addition to the above, students must complete a compulsory unit of study Careers in the Curriculum (HAC0001) to be awarded the degree. Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is an innovative unit designed to assist Swinburne students to enhance their employability and career prospects. It is usually undertaken in the second year of their course and is compulsory for all undergraduate students. Students studying CIC will not incur a HECS or fee debt as the cost will be met by the university as part of an initiative to enhance students' career skills.

Winter and Summer Term This program also provides opportunities to undertake study in an optional six-week Winter and/or Summer term allowing students to complete extra study between the standard semesters. These terms are not mandatory. However, if students wish to vary their study load they may want to consider this option.

Major specialisations

Majors
A major may comprise 100 credit points of studies (eight units of study), 150 credit points (12 units of study), 200 credit points (16 units of study) or 250 credit points (20 units of study) relevant to the particular discipline or field of study. A major will normally include requisite foundation units, have a clearly identifiable professional outcome and satisfy any relevant external professional-body accreditation requirements.

Where a student has completed the requirements of the degree including a 150, 200 or 250 credit point Arts major, they are eligible to apply to graduate with the appropriate tagged degree outcome. Only one major may be tagged.

Where a major comprises 100 credit points and there an extended major available, a student may choose to complete the additional 50 credit points in order to graduate with a tagged outcome. Where a student chooses not to complete an extended major, and chooses to complete a 100 credit point major, the student may only graduate with an untagged degree outcome i.e. Bachelor of Arts.

A major in Arts is designed to provide students with appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge in a particular field of study and provide suitable preparation for professional graduate employment. It may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character.

The following majors are offered in the Bachelor of Arts:
Criminology and Forensic Science Major *

Cultural Studies Major **
Digital Media Major **
Digital Media and Marketing Major ***
Games and Interactivity Major***
International Studies Major **
International Studies and Chinese Major ***
International Studies and International Business Major ***
International Studies and Italian Major ***
International Studies and Japanese Major ***

Italian majors - Italian Major Beginners Stream (Arts) * and Italian Major Advanced Stream*
Japanese majors - Japanese Major Beginners Stream (Arts) * and Japanese Major Advanced Stream (Arts)*
Journalism Major ***
Literature Major **
Media Major **
Media and Communication Major ***
Security and Counter Terrorism Major *

Philosophy Major **

Politics and Public Policy Major **
Professional Writing and Editing Major *** ^
Psychology Major - Arts and Social Sciences ***
Psychology and Psychophysiology Major (Arts) ***
Psychology and Forensic Science Major ***
Psychology and Sport Science Major ***
Psychophysiology Major (Arts) ***
Sociology Major **
Sustainability Management Major **

* A tagged major/tagged degree outcome is not available for this major.
** Students may choose between the tagged or untagged major. Students wishing to graduate with a tagged outcome must complete the tagged major and other degree requirements.
*** Students may choose between graduating with a tagged degree outcome or an untagged degree outcome following completion of this tagged major and other degree requirements. ^ Only available to domestic students.

Minors

A minor (50 credit points or four units of study) is a set of units that may broaden a student’s learning. A minor is typically derived as a subset of a major, and it may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character. Minors usually contain no elective choice.

Minors can be taken from any discipline across the university, timetabling permitting. Credit cannot be given for any minor which contains more than two units of study in common with any other minor, co-major or major that student is undertaking.

Students also have the option to select their minors from other faculties/areas however students should note that a maximum of 100 credit points of non-Arts and Social Science units may be undertaken, excluding those units that are required for an Arts or Social Science major/minor. Note: Undertaking certain majors/minors may impact on anticipated course completion.

Units of study

Media and Communication major:

Students must complete:

Eight of the following Media units, including at least one capstone unit (* starred), and one compulsory unit (** starred):
HAC113 Professional Communication Practice #
HAM211 New Media: The Telecommunications Revolution
HAM220 Business of Media
HAC213 Intercultural Communications #
HAM207 Network Cultures
HAM313 Radio Production and Criticism A
HAM316 Radio Production and Criticism B
HACM312 Cinema Studies
HAM315 Information Society: A Global Perspective
HAM319 Network Literacies
HALM320 Media/Literature Project A *
HALM321 Media/Literature Project B *
HACM104 Media Literature Film: Text and Context **
HAM105 The Media in Australia **
and
any four of the following Communication units
HAC103 Writing Fiction
HAC113 Professional Communication Practice #
HAC200 Reading, Writing & Criticism
HAC209 Australian Writing and Cultural Change
HAC213 Intercultural Communications #
HAC314 Remix Culture
HAJM120 Media Law
# This unit of study cannot be counted twice i.e. towards a major and a minor.

Students who successfully complete the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts program, including the Media and Communication major, are eligible to apply to graduate with the associated tagged outcome i.e. Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication).

A detailed Program structure is available at the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences website.

Aims and objectives

This course will enable students to:

Understand how the media works
Be able to recognise the place it occupies within the broader social context
Be skilled at thinking for themselves
Be informed and flexible in their approaches to problem-solving, which is crucial in the development of a professional career

Career opportunities

Media and communication graduates are equipped with the conceptual and practical skills necessary to actively and creatively contribute to today's media world, and they are in high demand within both the media and multimedia industries and in the areas of web authoring, information architecture, electronic publications and news broadcasts, radio production, journalism, public relations, communications research and publishing.

Honours

Outstanding Bachelor of Arts students have the option of undertaking a specialised additional year of study, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree. Honours provides students with an opportunity to enhance their research ability and permits further studies and specialisation in their major discipline. It also leads to a wide range of job opportunities and gives students a market edge. The honours year is offered in the areas of industry and community studies; psychology; social science; culture, nature and civilisation; languages; media and multimedia. Please see the entry for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (program code N052) for details.

Swinburne Abroad

Swinburne offers International Exchange Programs as well as other Education Abroad Programs to help internationalise your degree. International Exchange is an academic program allowing you to study at a Swinburne Partner Institution for one or two semesters during your degree. Swinburne's Partner Institutions offer many relevant subjects as well as a secure base to explore a different culture. Your studies whilst on exchange can be credited towards your Swinburne degree, provided they are relevant and approved by Swinburne. For further information visit the Swinburne Abroad website.

Academic requirements

To assess eligibility for entry to Swinburne, visit the Academic Entry Requirements page.

English language requirements

Swinburne College English for Academic Purposes Certificate: EAP 5 Advanced: 70%; OR, obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.5 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 550 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 79, with no individual band below 18. Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

How to apply

Apply for this course by following the step-by-step process on our How to Apply page.

Course fees*

A$19,750 (annual for 2013)

Scholarships

A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

Find out more

Enquire online: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/international/enquiry

Email: international@swinburne.edu.au

Phone: +613 8676 7002 (outside Australia)

Freecall 1800 897 973 (within Australia)

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