Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)/Bachelor of Social Welfare

• General information
• Aims
• Entry requirements
• Special requirements
  • Work load
  • PC requirement
  • Attendance
• Course structure
  • Course plan
• Initial enrolment
  • First semester
  • Second semester
• Credits/exemptions
• Further information
• Completed applications

General information

Course code: 1802 * Gippsland campus * HECS fees applicable * Attendance compulsory.

Aims

The double degree is designed to equip students with broad skills in the analysis of social welfare policy and practice, along with the ability to understand and utilise media and information technology in both the community and in-house developments.

Entry requirements

All applicants should satisfy Tertiary Entrance Requirements (TER) as outlined in the section on entry requirements in this book.
In addition to meeting standard entry requirements all applicants are required to complete a social welfare course administration form. If you did not receive this form with the distance education handbook then it can be obtained from the Course Inquiries Centre, telephone 1800 671845 or from the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences on (03) 5122 6339 or (03) 9902 6339. Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of information contained in this form, for a more detailed selection process. Applicants are strongly advised that academic criteria are not the only ones for entry into the course. Other factors such as work and life experience, personal qualities and maturity, are taken into account.

Special requirements

Work load

All applicants should be willing to undertake a normal initial work load of at least twenty-four points a year by distance education. Distance education students should note that this may have implications regarding eligibility for Austudy or similar schemes. In later years of the course the normal work load will be thirty-two points per year, but there is scope to vary this under some circumstances.

PC requirement

To satisfactorily complete this course it is strongly recommended that students have access to a PC and modem.

Attendance

Students must be aware of the attendance requirements for certain social welfare subjects, and should take the cost of this into account before applying for entry to the course.
Students in the double degree must attend the Gippsland campus for two social welfare residential workshops during the course, involving one two-day workshop, and one three-day workshop. Students will also be required to undertake a sixteen-day placement in their second year and a sixty-day field education placement during the final year of the program.
The applied journalism research project is a compulsory subject in the sixth year of study which offers the student the option of undertaking a workplace placement or an individual project selected through negotiation with the subject adviser. To undertake the placement option students must be available for six to eight weeks during one semester of study.
Classes will be held in most subjects at each weekend school. Normally, this will include lectures and/or seminars, seminar tutorials, or hands-on skills workshops. Attendance at weekend school classes is recommended, but not compulsory for the completion of most subjects offered by the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences.

Course structure

Students will undertake a compulsory sequence of study in social welfare and the compulsory journalism sequence.
The course of study is normally a minimum of seven years part-time by distance education. In order to complete the Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)/ Bachelor of Social Welfare double degree a student must:
(a) complete appropriate subjects within the course to gain at least 192 but not more than 216 points.
(b) complete the prescribed sequence in social welfare (eighty-eight points) and the prescribed sequence in journalism (fifty-eight points).
(c) undertake additional studies to complete the minimum 192 points needed for the double degree.

Course plan

A course plan for the Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)/Bachelor of Social Welfare may look like the one depicted below:

Initial enrolment

Students entering the double degree program should normally enrol in four subjects in the first year, two in each semester. Normally, these will all be subjects which do not require prerequisites. The following is the suggested first-year enrolment:

First semester

• GSC1303 Foundations of interpersonal practice
• GSC1201 Sociological reflections on everyday life

Second semester

• GSC1304 Communication and counselling skills
• GSC1202 Sociological Issues

Credits/exemptions

Students with previously completed or partially completed tertiary studies should complete an application for credit transfer to apply for credits and exemptions. The onus is on the student to provide course records and details of course content and duration (including extracts from relevant handbooks). Students in this category are advised to complete a course plan prior to the commencement of study to ensure they will complete appropriate. Students may be granted up to a maximum of 128 points of credits/exemptions. As a general rule, credits will not be granted for studies completed more than ten years prior to the date of enrolment in the current course.

Further information

For more detailed information, contact the administrative officers, School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences, telephone (03) 9902 6339 or (03) 5122 6339, email HUMASS.info@arts.monash.edu.au.

Completed applications

Completed applications are to be forwarded to the admissions officer, School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences, Monash University Gippsland campus, Churchill, Victoria, 3842, by 24 September 1999 to be considered for a first-round offer.

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