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Bachelor of Communication (BCMM) - BCmn

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 909861; Distance education: 909865

CRICOS code (International applicants): 069699A

 On-campusDistance education
Semester intake:Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 3 (November)
Campus:Toowoomba -
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:3 years full-time, 6 years part-time  
Program articulation:

From: Diploma of Arts

To: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 
Ask a question
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au  
Ask a question
Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 
Ask a question
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email usq.support@usq.edu.au 

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) is accredited with the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA).

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Program aims

This program aims to produce graduates who have a mastery of a range of communication industry skills, supported by extensive contextual studies in communication/media theory, and professional skills in preferred areas of journalism, public relations and, film, television and radio. Students can complement their major study with nominated majors/minors from other Faculties. The program allows specific emphasis on those skills of a mass communication nature that produce graduates who will:

  • comprehend and evaluate various explanations of human behaviour

  • understand the need for a high degree of accuracy in written and communication skills in their relevant communication-related industry specialisations

  • demonstrate higher order thinking which will give students a professional edge in communication-related industries

  • demonstrate technical skills that will enable them to be competitive in the work force

  • demonstrate the capacity for ethics, which gives them a sound foundation for the way they conduct their professional lives.


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Program objectives

On successful completion of the program students should be able to demonstrate:

  • the ability to express themselves with clarity and coherence

  • the ability to understand the fundamental nature of the process of communication in a range of mass communication forms including journalism, creative production and public relations

  • a knowledge and understanding of the theoretical issues, problems and methodologies of mass communication

  • an awareness of the ethical and social responsibilities that are integral to the function of professional endeavours

  • a discriminating application of methods, concepts, techniques and theories in the projects from different professional contexts.


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Admission requirements

Admission to the Bachelor of Communication is in accordance with University's admissions policy for undergraduate programs.

Domestic and International Applicants from a non-English speaking background are required to satisfy English language requirements.

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a University-approved English language program. On successful completion of the English language program, Applicants may be admitted to an Award Program.

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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a student contribution amount, which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called HECS-HELP.

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.
Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for FEE-Help.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

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Program structure

The Bachelor of Communication consists of 24 courses. Students should study the four core courses to help make better informed decisions about their choice of major/s. The structure is:

  • 4 x 1 credit point core courses, plus

  • 1 x 12 credit point extended major study plus 1 x 8 credit point major study, or

  • 1 x 12 credit point extended major study plus 2 x 4 credit point minor studies.


Please note that in either combination above, students can choose the first 12 credit point extended major from Journalism or Public Relations and the 8 credit point major from Film, Television and Radio, Communication and Media Studies and other 8 credit point majors within Arts undergraduate programs or other USQ programs. (Available majors are listed in the structure. Further details of these combinations can be obtained from the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts. In some instances, however, combinations preferred by individual students may not be available due to quota, timetable or enrolment pattern constraints).

Combination 1

On-campus and external students  First Year Level  Second Year Level  Third Year Level  Total 
Core courses   CMS1000 , JRN1010, PRL1002, CMS1010     
Major sequence 1  Twelve courses over first, second and third year levels, with at least two courses at third year level.  12 
Major Sequence 2  Eight courses over first, second and third year levels, with at least two courses at third year level  
    24 

Combination 2

On-campus and external students  First Year Level  Second Year Level  Third Year Level  Total 
Core courses  CMS1000 , JRN1010, PRL1002, CMS1010     
Major sequence 1  Twelve courses over first, second and third year levels, with at least two courses at third year level.  12 
Minor sequence 2  Four courses over first and second year levels. 
Minor sequence 2  Four courses over first and second year and third levels. 
        24 

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 9 years to complete this program.

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Core courses

All students must take the core courses:


The recommended pattern for enrolment in core courses by full-time on-campus students is:

Year  Semester of offer  Course 
1, 2 or 3  CMS1000 Communication and Scholarship 
JRN1010 News Literacy 
PRL1002 Principles and Practice of Public Relations 
CMS1010 Introduction to Communication Studies 

This pattern should only be varied with the permission of the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts.

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Major studies

A Major Study in the Bachelor of Communication is a specified group of courses with a value of 12 unit courses and 8 unit courses. A major must have courses over three levels and contain at least two courses at third level. The following major studies are offered:

12 unit extended Majors (within Arts Programs) 
Journalism  Public Relations 
8 unit Majors (within Arts Programs) 
Anthropology  Journalism (subject to approval) 
Communication and Media Studies  Language and Culture-Chinese Mandarin or German 
Film, Television and Radio  Music (Theory and History) 
English Literature  Public Relations (subject to approval) 
History  Social Science 
International Relations  Theatre Theory 
  Visual Arts Theory 
8 unit majors (outside Arts programs) 
Science  Education 
Biology  Note: there is a specific 8 unit Education major for the Bachelor of Communication. Students should not enrol in other Education majors. 
Computing   
Human Physiology   
Mathematics   
Physical Sciences   
Environment and Sustainability   

Majors in the Bachelor of Communication from outside Arts programs

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication may take one major or two minor studies from other USQ minors. Students should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts for approval.

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Minor Studies

Minor studies are designed to enable students to widen their knowledge and perspectives. Courses must be taken over two levels and should be in the same discipline or recognised multi-disciplinary area. Bachelor of Communication students can elect to do two 4 unit minors to replace their 8 unit major.

Students can take one of the minors indicated in the Minor studies section of this Handbook.

Students should take courses to the value of at least four units in the selected Minor Study. Choice of a minor will depend on the availability of the subject area, timetabling constraints, quotas and other restrictions such as auditions and interviews in certain areas of the Arts, as well as the approval of the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts.

Please note that Bachelor of Communication students can take a minor from Engineering. This minor has been structured to complement the 12 point extended major in this program. For further details, please contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts.

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Practical experience

In the Public relations and Journalism majors within this program, oncampus and external students will be required to work on practical, real world projects and in some cases, will be required to work in teams. Public relations students will work on at least two client projects during their study. Students undertaking the journalism major are able to undertake work experience and have this recognised as part of their course through HMT3001 Independent Study Project A or HMT3002 Independent Study Project B.

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IT requirements

Access to high-level computers is necessary. On-campus students will access appropriately equipped laboratories, but should consider acquisition of their own computer. External students should be able to access a computer with the following minimum standards:

  • Pentium or equivalent, 128Mb Ram, 20Gb 7200 RPM Hard disk, SVGA with at least 32Mb video RAM, Windows 98/2000*, mouse, sound card, CD-RW drive, modem, or

  • Apple Mac or equivalent, 12Mb Ram, 20Gb 7200 RPM Hard Disk, 15 inch Monitor, Mac RO 9.2 or later, CD-RW drive, modem

  • Preferred browser standards are the latest versions of Internet Explorer or Netscape.


Note: Students with Windows 95 might be able to operate in this program for a short period until an upgrade is acquired.

External students should be able to access a computer with the following minimum standards as advised by the University. All students should have access to email and the Internet via a computer running the latest versions of Internet web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. The University has a wireless network for on-campus students' computers. In order to take advantage of this facility and further enhance their on-campus learning environment, students should consider purchasing a notebook/laptop computer with wireless connectivity. A notebook/laptop may be required for some courses.

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Exit points

Students, who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete the Bachelor of Communication, but have completed 8 courses, can exit with a Diploma of Arts.

Credit and course transfers: Students who have studied elsewhere in courses that may be similar to courses offered within the program are encouraged to discuss the possibility of securing credit for some courses or transferring courses. See University of Southern Queensland policy on credit and transfers.

Honours: Students can enter the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) to undertake the Communication and Media Studies major.

Enrolment: All students are urged to adhere to the recommended enrolment patterns as detailed in relevant Sections. Completion of enrolment requirements will be necessary before a student will be permitted to enrol in more advanced courses.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Recommended enrolment patterns

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

On-campus students (full-time)

On-campus students should take courses offered in the on-campus mode and will only be permitted to take courses externally during Semesters 1 and 2 with the approval of the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts.

Commencing students

Commencing students are required to enrol in the three core courses in Semester 1: CMS1000 Communication and Scholarship , PRL1002 Principles and Practice of Public Relations and CMS1010 Introduction to Communication Studies and should also enrol in JRN1010 News Literacy. Then, commencing students must complete the fourth core course, JRN1020 Journalism Practice in Semester 2. The core courses are from major disciplines and will help students to make final decisions about choice of major/s.

Students who wish to enrol in approved majors in the Bachelor of Communication (see Major Studies above, for which there is no recommended enrolment pattern listed above should refer to the Bachelor of Arts recommended enrolment patterns.

Recommended general pattern for first year full-time students


Year 1 
Semester 1  Semester 2 
Year 1 CMS1000 Communication and Scholarship  JRN1020 Journalism Practice Formerly JRN1000. Students who have completed JRN1000 should not enrol in JRN1020 
Year 1 JRN1010 News Literacy   Year 1 course (from first major) 
Year 1 PRL1002 Principles and Practice of Public Relations  Year 1 course (from second major (or two minors)) 
Year 1 CMS1010 Introduction to Communication Studies  Year 1 course from majors or minor 

First year enrolment (part-time/external)

  • Students should take a maximum of two courses in each semester. Many commencing students find it advisable to enrol in only one course in each semester, or one in Semester 1 and two in Semester 2.

  • As a minimum, students should complete the core course CMS1000 Communication and Scholarship by the end of their first year of study. Students are advised to complete as many of the remaining core courses as possible in their first year of study.


Subsequent years of enrolment

  • Students should take major courses in each year of study.

  • Minor study courses are indicated in the Minor Studies section of this Handbook.


Recommended general pattern for external students, and part-time on-campus students

Year 1  Year 2  Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 
S1  S2  S1  S2  S1  S2  S1  S2  S1  S2 
First core course  Third core course  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major 
Second core course  Major  Fourth core course  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major  Major 
        Major  Major  Major  Major     

Footnotes
*It is possible to complete the program part-time in five years by taking six courses in each of Years 3 and 4

Residential schools

There are no residential school requirements for the Bachelor of Communication.

Semester 3

Some courses are offered in Semester 3. All students should check the Semester 3 availability of courses in their selected major in order to facilitate the completion of their program of study.

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Journalism recommended enrolment pattern (12 unit extended major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Students must complete the following:

     JRN1020 Journalism Practice^121 2,312,3
     JRN2000 News Reporting21 2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
     JRN2001 Photojournalism and Editorial Design2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000
     JRN2002 Radio Journalism2222Pre-requisite: (JRN1000 or JRN1020) and JRN2000
     JRN2006 Media Law and Ethics+2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
     JRN3003 Feature Writing3131Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
     HMT3001 Independent Study Project A&31Pre-requisite: Students must have completed 16 units, of which 5 must be in the area of the proposed study project. Student enrolment is subject to the agreement of an appropriate supervisor.

Choose one of the following two courses:

     JRN3001 Online Journalism3231,2Pre-requisite: JRN2003 or JRN3003
     JRN3004 Broadcast News*3232Pre-requisite: JRN2002 and students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

Choose four of the following courses or any other USQ undergraduate course for which the students meet any pre-requisites :

CMS1012 Introduction to Media Studies12121
HIS1001 Introduction to Australian History111 1
HIS1003 World History Since 1500CE121 2
INR1000 International Relations in a Globalizing Era1111
INR1001 Global Transitions and Human Security1212
POL1000 Government, Business and Society1111,2
POL2000 Political and Economic Ideas1111
POL2001 Politics and International Business2222
INR3000 Australian Foreign Relations3232

Footnotes
^Formerly JRN1000: Students who have completed JRN1000 should not enrol in JRN1020.
+Formerly JRN3006: Students who have successfully completed JRN3006 should not enrol in JRN2006
&Students who cannot enrol in HMT3001 maybe eligible to enrol in HMT3002 in Semester 2.
*Students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

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Public Relations recommended enrolment pattern (12 unit extended major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
MKT1001 Introduction to Marketing1111, 2, 3
PRL1005 Social Media Engagement1212
CMS1012 Introduction to Media Studies1212
PRL2003 Writing for Public Relations2121
PRL2002 Community Consultation and Development2121
PRL2001 Issues and Crisis Management2222
PRL2004 Issues in Organisational Communication2222
PRL3001 Public Relations Campaign Development31
PRL3002 Public Relations Project31,2Pre-requisite: PRL2000 or PRL3001
PRL3003 Public Sector and Public Service Communication3232
PRL3012 Public Relations Research31, 3
TOU3010 Event Management3 2

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Communication and Media Studies recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Students wishing to enrol in a 12 unit extended major in Communication and Media Studies should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts for advice.


Major Study: Communication and Media Studies
CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Students must complete the following:

     CMS1012 Introduction to Media Studies1212
     CMS2017 Television: History, Texts and Industry2121
     CMS2018 Cultural Industries - Cultural Economies+2222
     CMS2019 Global Hollywood2,3121
     CMS3013 New Media2,3121

Students studying the Journalism major must enrol in:

     PRL2004 Issues in Organisational Communication2222

Students studying the Public Relations major must enrol in:

     JRN2006 Media Law and Ethics2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020

Students must complete the following two courses:

     CMS2022 Communication and Power3232
     CMS3001 Global Conflict Communication3232

Footnotes
+Available on-campus at Springfield
Formerly JRN3006: Students who have successfully completed JRN3006 should not enrol in JRN2006

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Film, Television and Radio recommended enrolment pattern (8 unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Students are able to enrol in any mode of a course (on-campus or online), regardless of the program mode of study enrolled in.

Students enrolling in the Film, Television and Radio Major must choose 8 courses from the table below.

NOTE: All oncampus offers are for Toowoomba and Springfield except for FTR2006 which has a Springfield offer only.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
FTR1000 Elements of Graphic Design1111,2,3
FTR1004 Editing2222
FTR1005 Location Production22
FTR1006 Scriptwriting11,2
FTR1007 Production Management12
FTR2003 Television Studio Production21Pre-requisite: FTR1005
FTR2006 Documentary and Factual Entertainment21Pre-requisite: FTR1005 and FTR1007 or MEA1001 and MEA1004
BCA3000 BCA Project AOE3131
BCA3001 BCA Project BOE3232

Footnotes
OEBefore enrolling in this course students must check that they have satisfied the 'Recommended prior study' or 'Other enrolment' requirements set out in the Other requisites section of the course specification.

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Journalism recommended enrolment pattern (8 unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
JRN1020 Journalism Practice^121 2,312,3
JRN2000 News Reporting212 121Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
JRN2001 Photojournalism and Editorial Design2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000
JRN2002 Radio Journalism2222Pre-requisite: (JRN1000 or JRN1020) and JRN2000
JRN2006 Media Law and Ethics#2121Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
JRN3003 Feature Writing3131Pre-requisite: JRN1000 or JRN1020
HMT3001 Independent Study Project A&31Pre-requisite: Students must have completed 16 units, of which 5 must be in the area of the proposed study project. Student enrolment is subject to the agreement of an appropriate supervisor.

Choose one of the following two courses:

JRN3001 Online Journalism3231,2Pre-requisite: JRN2003 or JRN3003
JRN3004 Broadcast News*3232Pre-requisite: JRN2002 and students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

Footnotes
^formerly JRN1000, students who have completed JRN1000 should not enrol in JRN1020.
#Formlery JRN3006. Students who have successfully complted JRN3006 should not enrol in JRN2006.
&Students who cannot enrol in HMT3001 maybe eligible to enrol in HMT3002 in Semester 2.
*Students who have successfully completed JRN2005 should not enrol in JRN3004.

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Public Relations recommended enrolment pattern (8 unit major)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
PRL1005 Social Media Engagement1212
PRL2003 Writing for Public Relations2121
PRL2002 Community Consultation and Development2121
PRL2001 Issues and Crisis Management2222
PRL2004 Issues in Organisational Communication2222
PRL3001 Public Relations Campaign Development31
PRL3002 Public Relations Project31,2Pre-requisite: PRL2000 or PRL3001
PRL3003 Public Sector and Public Service Communication3232

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Education recommended enrolment pattern (8 units)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

This major is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication:


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
Distance education
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem
EDC1100 Lifespan Development and Learning1111, 3
EDC1200 Self, Education and Society1111, 3
EDX1170 Foundations of Language and Literacies1111, 3
EDC1300 Perspectives in Education1212, 3
EDC2200 Indigenous Perspectives2222,3
Two 2nd year courses from Bachelor of Education (BEDU) with Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts permission*
One 3rd year course from Bachelor of Education (BEDU) with Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts permission*

Footnotes
*Students should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts about appropriate courses.

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Science recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Bachelor of Communication students can take an 8 unit major from the following Science courses. Students should refer to the enrolment patterns for these majors in the Handbook.
NOTE: Psychology cannot be taken as an 8 unit major, although, students can take a 4 credit Psychology minor.

  • Biology

  • Computing

  • Human Physiology

  • Mathematics

  • Physical Sciences

  • Environment and Sustainability
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