May 08, 2025  
2024-2026 Tougaloo College Catalog 
  
2024-2026 Tougaloo College Catalog

Mass Communication Visual Arts and Social Practice only with Public Relations Emphasis, BA


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Requirements

Students declaring a major in Mass Communication must have and maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.75.  Students must make a “C” or better in all Mass Communication courses. The liberal arts curriculum at Tougaloo College requires that students earn 124 hours to complete graduation requirements. This includes 34-36 General Education Requirements. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. Students must choose from six (6) areas of emphasis directly related to the study of mass communication: Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising, Radio and Television Broadcasting, Visual Art and Social Practice, or Performance.

All majors will complete 42-45 hours of required courses and 12 - 27 or 12 - 72 hours in the emphasis area. Students may choose up to four areas of emphasis.  Mass Communication majors are required to take all courses in sequential order.

Visual Art and Social Practice

The Emphasis of Visual Art and Social Practice is designed to expose students to both critical theory and practice. The Emphasis of Visual Art and Social Practice, coupled with the Public Relations concentration in Mass Communication, will prepare students for careers within the art industry. An increasing number of art institutions are working to diversify their environments. The emphasis in Visual Art and Social Practice opens doors to working in galleries, museums, cultural institutions, state and federal art and humanities councils. The student will acquire the skills needed for employment as a Public Relations Specialist, Media Specialist, Social Media Specialist, Arts Manager, Museum Register, Art Critic, Curator, Artist’s Agent, Exhibition Coordinator, Cultural Program Managers, and Art Consultant. Studies show that a quarter of management positions in creative service institutions hold bachelor’s degrees in Media Studies. The Emphasis in Visual Art and Social Practice exposes students to a growing genre in Art. Visual Art and Social Practice focuses on community art, where artists facilitate group art projects; socially engaged art, where the goal of art is to address and provoke change and live art, which looks at performance to engage audiences in exploring social issues. Students majoring in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Visual Art and Social Practice must have Public Relations as a second emphasis to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Students majoring in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Visual Art and Social Practice must complete 12 hours in Public Relations as a second emphasis to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students are required to take all courses in sequential order. Students need a minimum of 124 semester hours.

 

Curriculum Outcomes Redesigned for Engagement (CORE)/General Education Requirements

Curriculum Outcomes Redesigned for Engagement (CORE)/General Education Requirements .  

 

Required Courses for Mass Communication:


Mass Communication Electives (6 hours required)


Total: 42-45 hours


Visual Art and Social Practice (CAR)


Total: 24 hours


Additional Information


Course Numbering


Course numbers identify the level of the course. The following sequences of numbers have been assigned to courses in the Department of Mass Communication.

100 Freshman Level
200 Sophomore Level
300 Junior Level
400 Senior Level

Students who are at the freshman/sophomore level will not be allowed to enroll in courses at the junior/senior level unless all prerequisites have been met.

Course Abbreviations


The following course abbreviations will be used to identify emphasis areas within the Department of Mass Communication:

COM Core Courses (all students are required to take these courses)
COJ Journalism Emphasis
COP Public Relations Emphasis
COA Advertising Emphasis
COB Radio and Television Broadcasting Emphasis
CPF Performance
CAR Visual Art and Social Practice

The Degrees in The Department of Mass Communication are the following:

B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Advertising
B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Radio-Television Broadcasting
B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations
B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Journalism
B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Visual Art and Social Practice, only with the Public Relations emphasis
B.A. in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Performance, only with the Radio Television Broadcasting emphasis

English Prerequisites


The program for Mass Communication majors is designed for students to have a career where writing, research, critical thinking, analytical writing, and oral communication skills will be the foundation. All Mass Communication majors must earn a C or better in ENG 101   and ENG 102   before enrolling in COA 111 , COB 111 , COJ 111 , COP 111 , CPF 111 , CAR 221 , & COM 211 .

Curriculum Outcomes Redesigned for Engagement (CORE)/General Education Requirements


Tougaloo College requires a total of 124 credit hours to graduate. All students are required to take 37-39 credit hours of CORE general education courses, as outlined below:

  • SSS 101 - Student Success Seminar 2 Semester Hour(s)
  • SSS 102 - Student Success Seminar 2 Semester Hour(s)
     
  • ENG 101 - College Composition I 3 Semester Hour(s)
    or
  • ENG 103 - Advanced College Composition I 4 Semester Hour(s)
     
  • ENG 102 - College Composition II 3 Semester Hour(s)
    or
  • ENG 104 - Advanced College Composition II 4 Semester Hour(s)
     
  • GEN 100 - Diaspora Studies I 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 102 - Diaspora Studies II 3 Semester Hour(s)
     
  • MAT 103 - Pre Cal I 3 Semester Hour(s)
    or
  • MAT 106 - Contemporary Math 3 Semester Hour(s)
     
  • GEN 220 - Total Wellness 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • Modern Languages 101 and 102 6 Semester Hour(s) (Choose one language and take two semesters - French or Spanish)
  • ENG 201 - Introduction to World Literature 3 Semester Hour(s)

All students are required to select any two courses from below:


  • GEN 200 - The New Jim Crow 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 201 - Advocates for Children, Families, & Communities 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 210 - The Secret of Life 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 211 - Race, Gender, & Medicine 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 221 - Human Wellness through Arts and Spirituality 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 230 - Evolution of Education 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 231 - Social Media & Society: Likes, Links, Timelines, & Tweets 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 240 - Black Like Me: The Black Body and the Media 3 Semester Hour(s)
  • GEN 241 - Rewrite Mississippi: Narratives of Hate and Harmony in Mississippi 3 Semester Hour(s)
     

    Students majoring in one of the Social Science disciplines are required to take a Social Science CORE General Education course and a Natural Science CORE General Education course (i.e., GEN 200: The New Jim Crow and GEN 210: The Secret of Life or GEN 221: Race, Gender & Medicine).

    Students majoring in one of the Humanities disciplines are required to take a Natural Science CORE General Education course (i.e., GEN 210: The Secret of Life or GEN 211: Race, Gender & Medicine) and any other above CORE General Education course.

Critical Notes:


  • Some students may be advised or required to pass developmental, precollege, non-degree credit course based on their ACT score.
  • ENG 100, ENG 300, and MAT 091 are requirements for those students who demonstrate a need.  Credits earned from developmental courses do not count toward hours required for graduation.
  • Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all required CORE general education courses.
  • Students have the option to “test out” of modern languages at the elementary levels and earn credit toward graduation.

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