Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts

Application Filing Periods

Applications for admission to the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) major are accepted by the University's Office of Enrollment Services only during the application filing periods of October 1 to November 30 (for admission the following fall) and August 1 to September 30 (for admission the following spring). Applications received outside of these two filing periods will not be considered.

Core Courses

All majors must complete the core courses (BECA 200, BECA 300GW, and BECA 340) with grades of C or better in each (C– is not acceptable). Check the Bulletin for specific course grade requirements, grading options, and prerequisites.

Steps to Change Major

Undeclared majors and students enrolled in other disciplines at SF State who seek to change their major to Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts should fill out the Change of Major form in the department.

Assistance to Enhance Writing Competence

Completion of GE Area A2 is a prerequisite for BECA 300GW. BECA majors who successfully complete BECA 300GW will have satisfied the University Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). Students may improve their skills by taking composition courses or by completing writing tutorials.

Supervised and Independent Work Experience

The department encourages students to participate in independent production, internship, and supervised teaching experiences as a part of their program of study. Students may count a total of 6 units combined from the courses BECA 576, BECA 685, BECA 695, and BECA 699 toward satisfying major requirements. No more than 4 units of BECA 685 may count toward the degree, and no more than 6 units from any other individual course may be counted toward the major.

Transfer Students

Students transferring to the BECA program from a California community college or other institution should strive to complete the SF State Lower Division Transfer Pattern. Transfer students are encouraged to complete the equivalent of  BECA 200 and one lower-division production course (BECA 230, 240, or 246) before matriculation at SF State. Many of the transfer equivalents to these courses are offered at California community colleges and can be verified via the Assist website (www.assist.org). Please contact a faculty advisor if your course is not listed. Up to 12 units of courses from California community colleges may be directly applied to fulfilling BECA major requirements.

Mandatory Advising

Students in the major are strongly encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor at least once every semester, particularly before registering for courses. Students are required to meet with a faculty advisor for approval of the application for graduation: the application must be signed by the advisor and the department chair.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply aesthetic theory to the practice of media production.
  2. Use effective communication strategies, including media terminology as appropriate, in the creation and analysis of electronic and digital media content.
  3. Integrate research-related media theory into the conception and distribution of media content.
  4. Conceptualize, design, and write stories for electronic and digital media.
  5. Demonstrate proficiency in fundamental and advanced media production concepts and techniques.
  6. Analyze and write about electronic and digital media’s role in and impact on culture and society.
  7. Critically evaluate business trends and the legal and regulatory frameworks of electronic and digital media industries.
  8. Promote ethical standards and social justice in the creation and distribution of electronic and digital media.

Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (B.A.) — 45 Units

  • Students may count a total of 6 units combined from the coursesBECA 576, BECA 685 , BECA 695 , and BECA 699  toward satisfying major requirements. No more than 4 units of BECA 685  may count toward the degree, and no more than 6 units from any other individual course may be counted toward the major.

Core (9 Units)

All majors must complete BECA 200, BECA 300GW, and BECA 340 with grades of C or better in each (C- is not acceptable).

BECA 200Introduction to Media3
BECA 300GWWriting About the Media - GWAR3
BECA 340Media Aesthetics I3

Foundation Areas (15 Units)

One course in each area is required. Additional courses from each Area can be counted toward Electives.

Media Production
BECA 231Audio Production Basics3
BECA 241TV Studio Basics3
BECA 246Electronic Field Production I3
Media Writing
BECA 370Writing for Electronic Media3
BECA 371Scriptwriting for A/V Media Production3
BECA 372Scriptwriting for Audio Media Production3
The Business of Media
BECA 324Media Law3
BECA 423Media Economics: Entertainment, Platform, and Technology3
Media, Culture, and Society
BECA 301Media Literacy3
BECA 321Critical Study of Popular Culture3
BECA 422Media and Society3
Media Ethics
BECA 460Industry of Broadcast News3
BECA 463Ethics and Responsibility in the Electronic Media3

Electives in a Focus Area (21 units)

Upper-division BECA courses selected in consultation with a BECA faculty advisor. Electives must be upper-division, may include Foundation Area courses not used to fulfill those requirements, and may include up to 6 units from other departments/programs.

Focus Areas

Focus areas do not appear on the B.A. diploma and do not require any particular set of courses to be taken. They are advisory and are meant to provide guidance for students so they develop extensive knowledge or expertise in one subject area. Students should meet each semester with a faculty advisor who teaches in the relevant focus area to discuss the content of courses/course sequences offered and to plan for future semesters.

The focus areas within BECA are: Audio Production; Radio and Podcasting; Video Production; Media Writing; Audio/Video News and Documentary; Media, Culture, and Society; and The Business of Media.

Complementary Studies

Twelve units of Complementary Studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in BECA. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than BECA, and not cross-listed with BECA. BECA majors will be offered several pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner:

  1.  12 units in a single foreign language;
  2.  12 units taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad);
  3.  12 units taken as partial completion of a second major, minor, or a certificate; or
  4.  12 units in a related discipline.

With approval from a BECA advisor, up to 6 units of Complementary Studies may be used to count toward the major.

Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and SF State units can best be applied to this requirement to ensure degree completion within 60 units.

General Education Requirements

Requirement Course Level Units Area Designation
Oral Communication LD 3 A1
Written English Communication LD 3 A2
Critical Thinking LD 3 A3
Physical Science LD 3 B1
Life Science LD 3 B2
Lab Science LD 1 B3
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning LD 3 B4
Arts LD 3 C1
Humanities LD 3 C2
Arts or Humanities LD 3 C1 or C2
Social Sciences LD 3 D1
Social Sciences: US History LD 3 D2
Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) LD 3 E
Ethnic Studies LD 3 F
Physical and/or Life Science UD 3 UD-B
Arts and/or Humanities UD 3 UD-C
Social Sciences UD 3 UD-D
SF State Studies
Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective.
American Ethnic and Racial Minorities LD or UD 3 AERM
Environmental Sustainability LD or UD 3 ES
Global Perspectives LD or UD 3 GP
Social Justice LD or UD 3 SJ

Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

  1. The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
  2. In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

First-Time Student Roadmap

Transfer Student Roadmap

For students with an AS-T in Film, Television and Electronic Media.

FTVE ADT Roadmap

This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Film, Television and Electronic Media

California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T). 

Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.

An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.

Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.

Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.

A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:

  • How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.

Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.
https://bulletin.sfsu.edu/colleges/liberal-creative-arts/broadcast-electronic-communication-arts/ba-broadcast-electronic-communication-arts/
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