Monash University Handbook 2011

This degree equips graduates with professional communication skills and knowledge relevant to a range of communication and media professions. Students are given the flexibility to combine studies in communications with specialist training in journalism, public relations, visual media or marketing. Graduates in this field can expect to be employed across a range of related areas in today's convergent media environment, including media relations, journalism, public relations, and professional writing. The interdisciplinary program is structured to produce graduates who will be knowledgeable about communications and who can apply that knowledge in a range of vocations.

The degree aims to produce graduates with:

• the ability to communicate to a high level using a range of media
• strategic planning skills
• a knowledge of policy, regulation and ethical issues
• contextual knowledge of the media and communication industries and their operations
• the conceptual tools for understanding and analysing contemporary communications contexts.

Students complete a major in either Communications or Public Relations, a specialisation sequence in a complementary field, and additional studies chosen from a variety of Arts disciplines.

For full information on the majors and minors offered, refer to the 'Areas of study' section in this Handbook at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2011handbooks/aos/index-ug-byfaculty-arts.html.

Students the complete the following:

(a.) a communications or public relations major (48 points)

(b.) an arts minor in a different area of study than the major (24 points)

(c.) another 12 points in arts at first-year level

(d.) a further 24 points in arts at first, second or third-year level

(e.) a specialisation sequence (36 points) in one of journalism, multimedia, marketing, management, photomedia or writing

Note that the specialisation sequence is not equivalent to a major.

(f.) a minimum of 36 points at third-year level (includes those completed in the communications major and specialisation sequence).

Of the 144 points, 96 points must be completed within the Faculty of Arts. The remaining 48 points may be taken from disciplines in the Faculty of Arts or disciplines outside the faculty. Students undertaking a specialisation sequence in business computing, management, marketing or photomedia will only be able to complete a further 12 points outside of the faculty.

Note that no more than 10 units (60 points) are to be completed at a first-year level.

Arts majors and minors

Refer to 'Areas of study'.

Specialisation sequences

Students select a specialisation from the list below, or can complete a specialisation in either communications or public relations (refer to 'Areas of study') if they have not take it as their major.

Journalism

Core

• ATS1330 Newsroom theory and practice
• ATS1331 Feature writing
• ATS2656/ATS3656 Online journalism
• ATS2658/ATS3658 Journalism ethics

Electives

Two of:

• ATS2657/ATS3657 Digital sub-editing and design
• ATS2928 Radio journalism
• ATS2895/ATS3895 Gender, race and journalism
• ATS2896/ATS3896 Photojournalism
• ATS3811 Journalism professional placement

Management (Faculty of Business and Economics)

Students choose six of the following units:

Recommended units

• MGW1010 Managing people and organisations
• MGW1100 Managerial communication
• MGW2430 Human resource management
• MGW3130 Organisational change and development
• MGW3401 Strategic management

Electives

• MGW2230 Organisational behaviour
• MGW2323 Employment relations
• MGW2332 Managing services
• MGW2351 International business
• MGW3681 International management

Marketing (Faculty of Business and Economics)

Students complete the following six units:

• MKW1120 Marketing theory and practice
• MKW2402 Consumer behaviour
• MKW2420 Market research methods
• MKW2460 Integrated marketing communication
• MKW3440 Marketing strategy
• MKW3444 International marketing

Multimedia (Faculty of Art and Design)*

Students complete:

• DIS1103 Digital processes
• DIS1704 Web design
• DIS2105 Digital imaging
• DIS2906 Design for multimedia
• DIS2909 Electronic design
• DIS3906 Digital publication

Photomedia (Faculty of Art and Design)*

Students complete:

• DIS1103 Digital processes
• DIS2105 Digital imaging
• DIS3904 Digital imaging studio
• PHO1203 Photomedia imaging
• PHO2207 Photomedia processes
• PHO3207 Photomedia project 1

* Offered on-campus only.

Writing

Students complete:

• ATS2499/ATS3499 Authorship and writing
• ATS3857 Writing techniques

plus any four of the following, including at least two at second-year level:

• ATS2448/ATS3448 Screen theories and techniques
• ATS2497/ATS3497 Popular writing and criticism
• ATS2498/ATS3498 Contemporary fiction
• ATS2566/ATS3566 Stories of communities: (Re)discovering the voiceless
• ATS3858 Writing experiments

Areas of Study

Core arts major

One of:

• communications
• public relations

Available arts minors

• Australian Indigenous studies
• Australian studies
• communications
• community studies
• community welfare and counselling
• criminal justice
• English
• history-politics
• journalism
• philosophy
• psychological studies
• public relations
• sociology
• writing

Note: Philosophy is available by off-campus learning only.

Bachelor of Arts (Professional Communication)