Bachelor of Arts(Media and Communications) & Bachelor of Commerce

The Media and Communications Program is an exciting Bachelor of Arts stream designed to provide students with optimal access to the globally expanding world of media and new communication technologies and to future postgraduate study and research.

The program is deliberately interdisciplinary in nature and offers a distinctive blend of academic study and media-relevant practice delivered by internationally recognized scholars and experienced industry professionals. By this means students can determine pathways to a wide range of media-related careers and opportunities and/or prepare a foundation for later postgraduate study and advanced research. Possible careers in Media and Communications today include print, broadcasting and on-line journalism, advertising and public relations, publishing and editing, corporate and government communications, as well as diverse opportunities in the entertainment and information industries more generally.

Our courses represent the latest thinking and research in the international field of scholarship and students select core and optional subjects from a wide range of subjects according to their own interests and career trajectories. Subjects offered include, amongst many others, Net Communications; Media Futures and New Technologies; Politics, Communication, Media; Professional Writing; Advanced Writing; Writing Journalism; Asia-Pacific Media Systems; Global Media Cultures, Understanding Australian Media; and Media Law.

Hands-on media industry experience and project-based research is also available through our popular internships and the final research project. We study Media and Communications as interrelated global-local processes comprising media institutions and communication technologies, media representations and texts, and media audiences and processes of reception, and we situate these in relation to social, political and cultural contexts and historical dynamics of change. Students are encouraged to develop their critical understanding of the changing nature and role(s) of Media and Communications in today's 'mediatised' societies as well as develop practical skills and research aptitudes of use to them in their future careers within today's rapidly changing global media environment.

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) aims to develop powers of critical thinking and analysis that can be applied to many fields and a wide range of professions. It offers studies in disciplines relating to economics and commerce, and prepares students for careers in many professions, including accounting, economic research, management, marketing, consulting, finance, the public service, the teaching professions and management positions in commerce and industry.

Within the BCom, a core of basic subjects are covered, including two subjects in economics, two subjects in quantitative methods and one in organisational behaviour. As there are only five compulsory subjects (totalling 62.5 points), you have the opportunity to study a wide range of optional subjects which can be chosen according to your interests and career objectives.

The Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) has as its objectives that graduates:

• are enabled to develop a comprehensive overview of the media's place in today's society, economy and culture, with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region;

• are provided with the fundamental written communication skills required by successful journalists and other media professionals;

• are helped to achieve an understanding of new communication technologies and their impact on the fast-changing global media environment;

• are trained to think across media, a skill we see as increasingly important for the next generation of media professionals and media researchers;

• are helped to appreciate the value of an international and interdisciplinary approach to the study of Media and Communications;

• are offered the opportunity to gain industry experience in the form of internships;

• are offered opportunities to develop research skills and engage in applied analysis of media within different subjects and through the presentation of a final research project.

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and the Bachelor of Commerce (Management) aims at developing powers of critical analysis that can be applied in many fields, and provides professional training for a wide variety of careers.

Students complete a minimum of 500 points, made up of a minimum of 225 points in subjects in the Faculty of Arts and a minimum of 200 points for the BCom. The same subject cannot count towards both degrees.

Students must complete a minimum of 225 Arts (Media and Communications) points which must include:

For the enriched major stream:

• 50 points of first-year Media and Communications (two compulsory and two optional subjects); and

• 75 points of second-year Media and Communications (three core and three optional subjects); and

• 100 points of third-year Media and Communications (four core and four optional subjects or two core and two optional subjects as well as Media and Communications Internship and Media & Communications Research Project).

For the double major stream:

• 50 points of first-year Media and Communications (two compulsory and two optional subjects); and

• 25 points of first-year arts subjects in the second major, which must be taken from the free points available within the combined degree; and

• 50 points of second-year Media and Communications (two core and two optional subjects); and

• 37.5 points of second-year arts subjects in the second major, 12.5 points of which must be taken from the free points available within the combined degree; and

• 50 points of third-year Media and Communications (two core and two optional subjects); and

• 50 points of third-year arts subjects in the second major.

Students should note that most language streams commenced before 2008 will require 37.5 points at level one.

The remaining 37.5 points may be taken from subjects available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce combined degree.

Students must complete a minimum 200 commerce points, which must include:

• between 50 and 125 level 100 commerce points

• at least 50 level 300 commerce points completed at the University of Melbourne

Compulsory subjects in the Bachelor of Commerce:

• ECON10003 Introductory Macroeconomics

• ECON10004 Introductory Microeconomics

• ECON10005 Quantitative Methods 1

• MGMT20001 Organisational Behaviour*

  and at least one of:

• ECON20003 Quantitative Methods 2 or

• ECOM20001 Introductory Econometrics or

• MGMT20005 Managerial Decision Analysis or

• MKTG20004 Market Research.

* Students who commenced the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) / Bachelor of Commerce degree prior to 2005 are not required to complete this subject.

As well as the completion of at least 225 points of BA study (or up to 275 for double-major students), four further basic rules apply;

Breadth of study requirements:

No more than 162.5 points may taken in any one area of study. This consists of a maximum of 25 points at first year level and 137.5 points at level two and three.

Level two subjects Students should complete the level one requirements of their degree before enrolling in a level two subject. Students must complete at least 50 points of level one (four subjects) in order to enrol in a level two or two/three subject. Level two subjects are not available to students enrolled in fourth-year honours, postgraduate certificates, postgraduate diplomas, or masters programs. Level two subjects cannot be credited to level one or three of the BA or BA combined degrees.

Level three subjects Students should complete the level two requirements of their degree before enrolling in a level three subject. Students must complete at least 25 points of level two (usually two subjects) in order to enrol in a level three subject. Level three subjects are not available to students enrolled in fourth-year honours, postgraduate certificates, postgraduate diplomas, or masters programs. Level three subjects cannot be credited to level one or two of the BA or BA combined degrees.

Level four subjects are not available to students enrolled in undergraduate degrees, concurrent certificates, concurrent diplomas, graduate certificates, graduate diplomas or one-year masters programs. Level five subjects are not available to students enrolled in undergraduate degrees, concurrent certificates, concurrent diplomas, graduate certificates, or graduate diplomas.

Subject level rules apply to students in combined Arts degrees.

Language study restrictions:

The study of languages is encouraged in BA combined degrees, and language learning can be one outcome of the arts component, which allows for study of one language. As the BA also seeks to provide a broad base of learning in the humanities and social sciences, therefore a second language is not permitted for credit within the arts component of BA combined degrees. Students in the combined BA/BCom may complete subjects in a second language, but these points will only be credited to the 75 'free' points, and cannot be counted toward the 225 point minimum BA requirements.

Arts-approved subject requirements:

All arts subjects undertaken in this BA must be from the following arts-approved study areas. Non-arts approved subjects cannot be completed in a combined degree, even if they are included as part of a major. The arts majors available to students in this degree are:

all language majors
American studies
Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Anthropology
Art History
Asian Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Australian Indigenous Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
Australian Studies
Cinema Studies
Classical studies and Archaeology
Creative Writing
Criminology
Cultural Studies
Development Studies (some non-art approved subjects included)
English Literary Studies
English as a Second Language
English Language Studies
Environmental Studies (some non-arts approved subjects included)
European Studies
Gender Studies
Geography
Hebrew and Jewish Studies
History
History and Philosophy of Science
International Studies
Islamic Studies
Linguisitics and Applied Linguistics
Philosophy
Planning and Design
Political Science
Psychology
Social Theory
Socio-legal Studies
Sociology
Theatre Studies

First-year Compulsory Media and Communications Subjects

Second-year Core Media and Communications Subjects

Second-year Media and Communications students in the enriched major stream must select three of the following core second-year subjects:

Second-year Media and Communications students in the double major stream must select two of the following core second-year subjects:

Third-year Core Media and Communications Subjects

Third-year media and communications students in the enriched major stream must select four of the following core third-year subjects:

Third-year media and communications students in the double major stream must select two of the following core third-year subjects:

Optional Media & Communication Subjects

For a complete list of the optional subjects at second and third year, please look at the Media & Communications (105 MC) handbook entry.

Arts majors

For a full list of arts majors, and their requirements, look at the Bachelor of Arts (105 AA) handbook entry.

There is no further admission into this combined degree.

Media and Communications undergraduate compulsory and core subjects are not available to Bachelor of Arts, CAP, complementary studies, or Bachelor of Letters students.

Arts

The Bachelor of Arts requires a standard level of ability across all disciplines. It will be assumed students are able to access and attend classes on a regular basis, are capable of learning in a University environment and will be able to take responsibility for their own learning. Any ability beyond this threshold will be robustly supported through the curriculum. There are no pre-requisites for first year subjects, and any intensive use of IT or technologies will be adequately supported. Certain subjects have more specific requirements and demands, such as fieldwork or travelling, which are clearly outlined in the Handbook's subject description.

However, the University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. The Faculty Disability Contact Officer works with students, the University Disability Liaison Unit and teaching staff to assist students with their special requirements, with a particular focus on accommodations for in-class and examination assessment tasks. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability .

Business and Economics

Students with a temporary or permanent disability or medical condition requiring additional assistance should contact the Faculty's Disability Contact Officer (FDCO). The FDCO can ensure that students with special needs have access to a number of University services provided by the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU), including alternative examination arrangements (such as additional writing time or a venue which is wheelchair accessible), notetakers or sign language interpreters, specialised equipment (such as computer screen reading software) and overall support in liaising with academic and other general staff. Students who think that they may require alternative exam arrangements should discuss this matter with the Faculty's Disability Contact Officer early in the academic year (or, in the case of acute conditions, as soon as possible). Some form of documentation will normally be required. It is possible for students with permanent disabilities with non-changing effects to have appropriate examination arrangements on an on-going basis if they register with the DLU. Note that English as a second language is not grounds for alternative exam arrangements.

For more information on the wide range of services that the DLU provide, go to their website http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability or visit them on campus to make a time to discuss your needs.

The Media and Communications Program offers a range of postgraduate coursework and research programs: Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (Media and Communications), Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Media and Communications), one and two-year Master of Arts (Global Journalism) and Master of Arts (Global Media Communication), Master of Arts in Media Communication (advanced seminar and shorter thesis), Master of Arts in Media Communication (thesis only) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Details of these programs are available in the University's on-line postgraduate course guide and from the Media and Communications program.

An honours option is available for graduates of the Bachelor of Commerce through the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) course.

On successful completion of the commerce course, graduates should be able to:

• explain the basic concepts and theories and institutional arrangements underlying the operations and performance of modern mixed economies using Australia as an example;
• critically evaluate the economy, commerce and business in the broader social and political context;
• explain and apply concepts from several economics and commerce disciplines in solving business and policy problems including specialised knowledge developed in one specific discipline;
• contribute positively to the development of organisations and society particularly related to business, government and the commercial professions.

By participating in all scheduled classes and activities and achieving the timely completion of assignments and other forms of assessment, commerce graduates should aquire skills in:

• effective communication on matters related to economics and commerce through assignment preparation and writing and class discussions and presentations;
• skills in the use of computer systems and software used in business through practical assignments, exercises and demonstrations;
• critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, report writing, assignments and discussion;
• information discovery and retrieval through the competent use of structured and unstructured sources including the internet;
• applying theory to practice through undertaking recommended reading, writing reports, completing assignments, analysing cases and discussing issues;
• interpretation and analysis of data with basic quantitative methods through assignments and discussion;
• attention to detail through assignment preparation, problem-solving exercises and examination revision;
• teamwork through joint projects and group discussion;
• understanding of social, ethical and cultural context through the analysis of case studies, the contextualisation of judgement, and being open to new ideas and possibilities;
• time management through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, assignment completion and examination revision.

Arts students are encouraged to pursue their academic interests and professional aspirations by taking a variety of subjects in a range of different areas of study. All arts subjects provide students with transferable generic skills that prepare them for further study and the workplace.

As a result of attendance at scheduled classes, participation in planned activities and discussion groups, and timely completion of essays and assignments, arts graduates should acquire transferable generic skills in the following areas:

• research

  through competent use of the library, electronic databases, and other information sources, and the definition of areas of inquiry and methods of research;

• critical thinking and analysis

  through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;

• thinking in theoretical terms

  through lectures, tutorial discussion, essay writing and engagement in the methodologies of the humanities and social sciences;

• thinking creatively

  through essay writing, creative writing, tutorial discussions and presentations, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgements and arguments from conflicting evidence and by critical analysis;

• understanding of social, ethical and cultural context

  through the contextualisation of judgements, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and possibilities and by constructing an argument;

• communicating knowledge intelligibly and economically

  through essay writing and tutorial and seminar discussion;

• written communication

  through essay preparation and assignment writing;

• public speaking

  through tutorial and seminar discussion and class presentations;

• attention to detail

  through essay preparation and writing, and examination revision;

• time management and planning

  through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, essay and assignment completion and examination revision;

• teamwork

  through joint projects and group discussions.