Undergraduate - Course1708 - Bachelor of Arts (Professional Communication)

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, an arts minor 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/2012handbooks/aos/index-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.) a specialisation sequence (36 points) in one of communications, journalism, marketing, management, public relations or writing

(d.) another 12 points at first year level (students undertaking a specialisation sequence in management or marketing will need to use these units to complete a further first year sequence in arts)

(e.) a further 24 points of electives (students undertaking a specialisation sequence in management or marketing will only be able to complete a further 12 points outside of the faculty, the remaining 12 points will need to be arts unit)

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

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

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.

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. Note: students can only complete communications or public relations if not chosen as their major or minor.

Communications

Students complete:

• ATS1277 Media studies
• ATS1278 Introduction to communication studies

plus any four of the following, including two at second year level and two at third year level:

• ATS2449/ATS3449 Media texts
• ATS2450/ATS3450 Media, culture, power: Theories of mass communications
• ATS2451/ATS3451 Cultural and communications policy
• ATS2454/ATS3454 Media audiences
• ATS2499/ATS3499 Authorship and writing

Journalism

Students complete:

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

Plus two of:

• ATS2657/ATS3657 Digital sub-editing and design
• ATS2928/ATS3928 Radio journalism
• ATS2895/ATS3895 Gender, race and journalism
• ATS2896/ATS3896 Photojournalism

Management (Faculty of Business and Economics)

Students choose six of the following units:

Recommended units

• MGW1010/MGG1010 Managing people and organisations
• MGW1100/MGG1100 Managerial communication
• MGW2430/MGG2430 Human resource management
• MGW3130/MGG3130 Organisational change and development
• MGW3401/MGG3401 Strategic management

Electives

• MGW2230/MGG2230 Organisational behaviour
• MGW2323/MGG2323 Employment relations
• MGW2351/MGG2351 International business
• MGW3352/MGG3352 Service operations management
• MGW3681/MGG3681 International management

Marketing (Faculty of Business and Economics)

Students complete the following six units:

• MKW1120/MKG1120 Marketing theory and practice
• MKW2402/MKG2402 Consumer behaviour
• MKW2420/MKG2420 Market research methods
• MKW2460/MKG2460 Integrated marketing communication
• MKW3440/MKG3440 Marketing strategy
• MKW3444/MKG3444 International marketing

Public relations

Students complete:

• ATS1356 Public relations writing
• ATS1897 Public relations principles and practice

plus any four of the following, including two at second year level and two at third year level:

• ATS2814 Publicity and promotion
• ATS2815 Crisis and risk communication
• ATS2918 Online public relations
• ATS3837 Public relations and event management
• ATS3838 Public relations campaigns

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

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)