THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

FACULTY SENATE

Senate Document Number 7111S

Date of Senate Approval 04/07/11

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 59: Change requirements for declaring a major in Mass Communication

Effective Date: Fall 2011

1. Delete: On page 202, under Declaration of Major:

1. Students must satisfy the LANG 120 requirement and successfully complete either MCOM 201 or both VMP 207 and 209.

2. Students must receive a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate entrance examination for their concentration. The entrance examinations are given once each semester, and are evaluated by a team of three Mass Communication faculty. Details about the examination are available from all departmental faculty advisors.

3. Students must submit an application letter detailing their interest in Mass Communication and specify the concentration they wish to enter. Students must also submit a bibliography, briefly annotated, of at least six books and/or films that the student will study independently between the time of admission to the program and enrollment in the senior capstone course for the chosen concentration. The student's work with this bibliography will be evaluated as part of the senior demonstration of competence. A list of suggested works is available from departmental advisors.

4. Students not admitted to the program may reapply after successfully completing MCOM 301 or VMP 303, or after consultation with the department chair. Upon successful completion of the application process, the student will complete a Declaration of Major form that must be signed by the department chair.

Add: On page 202, in place of deleted entry:

1. Students must satisfy the LANG 120 requirement, must successfully complete MCOM104, and be enrolled in one of: MCOM 201, VMP 205, MCOM301, MCOM302, VMP303.

2. Students must receive a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate entrance examination for their concentration. The entrance examinations are given once each semester, and are evaluated by a team of three Mass Communication faculty. Details about the examination are available from all departmental faculty advisors.

3. Students not admitted to the program may reapply while enrolled in MCOM 301 or VMP 303, or after consultation with the department chair. Students not admitted to the program may not enroll in certain MCOM and VMP upper level skills courses, as indicated in the course descriptions.

4. Upon successful completion of the application process, the student will complete a Declaration of Major form that must be signed by the department chair.

Impact:

This change eliminates a requirement for an application letter, a process we never enforced due to workload considerations. It also clarifies the consequences for those few students who fail the entrance exam. Previously, students had to complete the MCOM or VMP course prior to declaring their majors. They may now take the exam while still enrolled in MCOM 201 or VMP 205. The results of the exam are available before pre-registration, so students will know if they have met the prerequisites for certain courses.

Rationale:

This is a more clear and open description of the major declaration process for Mass Communication.