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Undergraduate B.A. Degree

Program Scope
The Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) Department offers course work leading to the B.A. in Radio and Television. The curriculum is designed to provide extensive educational experience for those who intend to use the modern media of electronic communication to serve the artistic, cultural, educational, informational, and social needs of society. The program involves both theory and practice, and students are expected to work successfully in both types of courses and activities. Graduates of the program are prepared for work in the broadcast and entertainment industries, in cable and on-line media, in video and audio production, and other areas related to electronic communication. Many graduates go on for graduate-level study in the field of mass media.

The Bachelor of Arts program includes a core drawn from classes in the history and structure of electronic media in the United States, media aesthetics, media research, audio and video production, media ethics and regulation, mass communication theory and criticism, and writing and performance for the electronic media. In addition, students may elect to pursue one of the nine areas of emphasis within the department: audio production and recording, broadcast journalism, business aspects of the electronic media, educational and instructional media, mass communication theory and criticism, interactive media, radio production and programming, television/video production, and writing for the electronic media, or they can design an individualized area of emphasis in consultation with a department adviser.

The Master of Arts program reflects a comprehensive view of the communication discipline with an integration of theory and practice. Emphasis areas include media aesthetics, audio and video production, news and documentary, interactive media, writing, management, and mass communication theory and criticism.

Two important co-curricular activities are open to students of the BECA Department. KSFS, the campus radio station, is broadcast online on the Wold Wide Web and is distributed in San Francisco on stereo cable. The Television Center produces newscasts, dramas, interviews, musical performances, and other productions for campus distribution to the San Francisco community through cable television. Collegiate chapters of the Audio Engineering Society, College Students in Broadcasting (an affiliate of American Women in Radio and Television), International Students in Broadcasting, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers provide opportunities for service and fellowship in the department and in the professional community. The San Francisco Bay Area provides a wealth of media organizations that cooperate with the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department in a large, active internship program.

Centers and Institutes
The Institute of International Media Communication, housed in the BECA Department, offers training and educational opportunities for television professionals from around the world through production workshops and seminars. The Center for Graduate Opportunity in Broadcast and Electronic Media provides academic support to minority and international students enrolled in the department's M.A. program.

Facilities
The department's instructional laboratories include some of the most extensive audio and video production facilities in Northern California, including three color television studios (the largest measures 4,700 square feet), videotape editing laboratories equipped with off-line and broadcast quality on-line editing systems, an interactive media laboratory, an audio recording studio, a radio station, and audio post production laboratories. These facilities are dedicated exclusively to the support of the instructional programs in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts and afford students exceptional opportunities for "hands-on" media production experience.

Career Outlook
Graduates of the BECA Department are to be found working in media organizations around the world, and include some of the top names in broadcast journalism, entertainment television, radio, and audio and video production. Long term career outlook for graduates is excellent. Most seek work with radio and television stations, audio and video production companies, networks, cable television companies, and in corporate and institutional media departments.

Many graduates of the department continue their education and pursue advanced degrees in mass communication or related fields. Students with the appropriate credential or graduate degrees in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts may teach in elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, or universities. A significant number of the department's M.A. graduates have competed successfully for admission to the leading doctoral programs in the field of mass communication.

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Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television

Application Filing Periods
Applications for admission to the radio and television major are accepted by the University's Office of Enrollment Services only during the application filing periods of October 1 - November 30 (for admission the following Fall) and August 1-31 (for admission the following spring). Applications received outside of these two filing periods will not be considered.

Change of Major Applicants
Undeclared majors and students enrolled in other disciplines at San Francisco State University who seek to change their major to radio & televison must complete nine units of prerequisite core classes with graded C or better in each (BECA 200, 300, 340) prior applying for a change of major. Note: Because of high demand, enrollment priority is given to BECA major students in the prerequisite core courses, as well as in many other department classes.

Degree Requirements
The major includes a core requirement of 25 and an additional 20 units of electives in an area of emphasis drawn from the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts curriculum. Enrollment in some departmental courses is restricted to BECA majors and courses numbered 300 and above are not open to freshmen. Enrollment in courses requiring "departmental permission" is contingent upon satisfactory completion of nine units of prerequisite core courses.

Students majoring in radio and television are encouraged to take additional course work in other disciplines related to their program of study in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts.

Prerequisite Core and Department Permission: All radio and television majors must complete the prerequisite core coures (BEC 200, 300, 340) with a grade of C or better in each (C- is not accepted). Completion of the core fulfills the departmental permission requirement, which is a condition for enrollment in the production sequence and many other advanced classes. The prerequisite core courses are normally taken during the sophomore year. Transfer students admitted to San Francisco State as radio and television majors should plan to complete the prerequisite core during the first semester of their junior year. A minimum of six of the nine units must be completed at San Francisco State.

Writing Competence:
Good writing skills are necessary for success in the major. Completion of second year written composition (English 214 or equivalent) with a grade of C or better is a prerequisite for BECA 300, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Research.
Students who have passed the Junior English Proficiency English Test (JEPET) may also be admitted to BECA 300. Students who are poor writers should improve their skills by taking composition courses or by completing writing tutorials. Students are also urged to take JEPET as soon as they become eligible.

Mandatory Advising

Early in the BECA program. When students complete the prerequisite core--BECA 200, 300, 340, they must see an adviser and obtain a signature on the departmental permission form. The signed form is proof of completion of this requirement and allows the student to enroll in the production sequence or other advanced classes.

Upper division advising. All BECA students must receive advising when they have two full semesters remaining before they intend to graduate, typically 18 to 25 units left to complete in the major. To fulfill this requirement, students must obtainthe department's graduation checklist/course equivalency form from the department office. Faculty advisers will assist students in completing the checklist and will approve transfer course equivalencies. In addition, the student will be asked to list on the form a proposed "itinerary" of required and elective courses to be taken in the last two semesters. This advising is meant to help the student graduate in a timely manner. The form must be signed by the adviser and returned to the department office.

At graduation. All students must obtain advising when they fill out their graduation petition. The petition must be signed by a faculty adviser and by the department chair.

On-line course descriptions are available.

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Areas of Emphasis
Twenty units of elective courses in BECA or related areas are required for the major. These courses should be upper division and should be taken within one of the areas of emphasis listed below or in an individualized area of emphasis designed by a student in consultation with a department adviser.

The areas of emphasis are advisory and are meant to provide guidance for students so they develop extensive knowledge or expertise in one subject area. Students should meet regularly with a department adviser to decide which specific courses to take and how many to choose from the ones listed for a given emphasis.

Upon approval of a departmental adviser, units used in the 20-unit block of electives may include transfer units from another college or university, as well as units taken in other departments in this university. BECA Department courses identified as core classes, but not used to fulfill core unit requirements, may be included in the 20 units of electives. Variable topic and experimental courses and senior seminars (BECA 495, 595, and 600) may also be included in the 20 units of electives.

Audio Production and Recording
BECA 330, 335, 430, 433, 435, 437, 530, 533, 535, 576, and/or other courses by advisement

Broadcast Journalism
BECA 460, 462, 550, 560, 561, 562, 576, 591, 660, 661, 665, and/or other courses by advisement

Business Aspects of Electronic Media
BECA 324, 423, 427, 428, 505, 523, 576, 623, and/or other courses by advisement

Educational and Instructional Media
BECA 370, 425, 426, 487, 526, 546, 576, 580, 625, 626, 630, 642, and/or other courses by advisement

Mass Communication Theory and Criticism
BECA 321, 324, 390, 422, 460, 485, 487, 490, 500, 526, 576, 600, and/or other courses by advisement

Interactive Communication Media
BECA 390, 437, 547, 548, 549, 590, 591, 592, 593, 626, 648, 670, and/or other courses by advisement

Radio Production and Programming
BECA 305, 310, 320, 410, 435, 437, 505, 510, 576, 591, 665, and/or other courses by advisement

Television/Video Production
BECA 348, 370, 415, 425, 426, 440, 462, 515, 541, 545, 546, 547, 555, 562, 576, 580, 640, 645, 646, 647, 648, 655, and/or other courses by advisement

Writing for the Electronic Media
BECA 370, 462, 470, 560, 561, 562, 570, 576, 670, and/or other courses by advisement