Bachelor’s program in Mass Communication
Bachelor’s On-the-Job training program in Mass Communication offers students a comprehensive theoretical and professional training in journalism, digital audio/video production, and advertisement/ public relations.
Features
- The program starts in the evening, cultivating students’ ability in critical/
reflective thinking, and their ability in exploratory innovation required
for the mass communication industries nowadays.
- Students enroll as non-majors during their first year to be familiar with
basic theories and to lay foundations for the advanced professional training
in the next three years of studies. Students are expected to apply their
majors, Journalism, Digital Audio/Video Production and Advertisement/
Public Relations.
- For the required course, students will be scheduled in the weekday evenings
and Saturday. Students may arrange their elective course in the weekday
afternoons.
- Students may share not only the hardware learning resources with the day
division students but also to attend internships.
Goals:
These intensive courses will help students to enhance the ability of logical thinking, highly stress resistant and the importance of teamwork. After students have completed this program they may successfully have the jobs in the communication industry.
Courses Introduction
- The required courses in this program included four core courses:
- Innovation Entrepreneurship Development
- Logical Thinking Training
- Visual Literacy
- Information Literacy
2.Five profession program module:
- Communication Theory
- Website Design/ Multi-Media Production
- Audio/Visual Production
- Graphic Arts
- Marketing Management
3.Students are expected to apply for their majors by their interest, Journalism, Digital Audio/Video Production and Advertisement/ Public Relations.
4.The common elective courses are to offer students to gain more knowledge in the communication industries, in order to become more globalized and to upgrade their media innovation skills.
History
The Programs’s Predecessor / Transformation / FAQs
The Program’s Predecessor
The media industry in Taiwan has experienced diverse growth over the past few decades: from lifting the ban on newspaper publications in the late 1980s, to easing restrictions on television stations in the 1990s, followed by the flourishing of digital media this century. These rapid developments have meant an increasing need for media professionals as well as a pressing demand for professional knowledge and skills far different than what was needed in the past.
The Executive Yuan proposed its plan for the Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center in 1995. With Taiwan’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2002, local media have faced the dual challenges of increased globalization and regionalization. These changes have made highly-skilled experts even more essential than in the past.
Taiwan’s media resources are concentrated primarily in the north, giving FJCU a distinct geographical advantage that allows students to interact closely with major academic institutions and media industries. In short, being close to the action means that students enjoy access to a first-rate learning environment. Courses are scheduled at flexible times, including afternoons and evenings, so mid-career professionals can pursue an education while remaining employed.
In a media environment characterized by fierce competition, the training of media professionals often falls to academic institutions. The School of Continuing Education (SOCE) is uniquely positioned to provide a curriculum both diverse and practical, and which satisfies industry demand for talent. SOCE is well-placed to create an image as a comprehensively developed academic center for media professionals in the Greater Taipei Region.
The College of Communication enjoys a solid reputation, with alumni performing exceptionally both in academia and in media industries. It is for this reason that our programs are highly respected both by students and the wider community. Ours is the most popular program in the SOCE, with a registration rate close to 100% each year.
Our curriculum is highly flexible and adjusted based on the latest social developments. We’re always thinking about potential transformations to academia and industry in the future, meaning that the curriculum is based on the academic and practical needs of students. Courses help students develop comprehensive design concepts and foster the communication skills and professional knowledge needed for future success.
Our program incorporates elements from the curricula of the undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Communication, but our curriculum has been tailored for the unique needs of our position within the SOCE. The curriculum is rooted in the fundamentals of holistic education, while combining innovative teaching methods which help students become prosumer media professionals capable of bringing a critical eye and rich creativity to their work, as well as develop the skills necessary to survive in the digital information age.
The curriculum encourages students to learn by doing, and integrates theoretical concepts with real-world practice. Our focus for the future is to boost students’ linguistic skills, cultural literacy, and information and communication skills. We’re also working on distance learning courses and promoting collaborative projects with media organizations.
We’re making improvements to fundmental courses, such as languages, cultural literacy, information communication, and communications management. We’re also adding more hands-on courses as part of our commitment to fusing theory with practice, so that students develop expertise which will meet the needs of their daily work, while students focused entirely on academic pursuits will be inspired and capable of exceling in advanced study.
Digital content industries are universally recognized for the important role they will play in the future. Employers place particular value on multimedia applications that integrate sound, video, images, animation, interaction, and website design and production. In this globalized era, we encourage students to boost their foreign language and media application skills, as well as explore the policies, markets, and industries that make up the knowledge economy.
Transformation
SOCE Bachelor’s Program of Mass Communication
Reason Behind the Name Change
- The Ministry of Education conducted university evaluations in the 2011-2012 academic year. Our program must obviously conform with MOE regulations, one of which stipulates that undergraduate programs at the SOCE must be run by a counterpart in the Day Division. However, the original Department of Mass Communication long ago divided into three departments: Journalism and Communication Studies, Advertising and Public Relations, and Communication Arts. With no Day Division counterpart with the same name, the SOCE Department of Mass Communication no longer corresponded with regulations.
It was therefore decided to transfer the operations of the Department of Mass Communication to the College, whence it became the Bachelor Program of Mass Communication. This had the benefits of preserving the name “Mass Communication,” while ensuring continued access to the full-time faculty of the Day Division, and conforming to Ministry of Educaton regulations.
- About the Program
In accordance with Article 11 of the University Act, a university may establish a certificate program or bachelor program which combines departments, graduate institutes, or colleges.
In accordance with Article 8 of the Enforcement Rules of the University Act, a bachelor program means a degree-conferring program which has a cross-disciplinary curriculum and which combines departments, graduate institutes, or colleges. A university which establishes a bachelor program must have an existing department, graduate institute or college related to the academic discipline. Faculty, teaching facilities, and other resources are supplied by the department, graduate institute or college.
The curriculum of the Bachelor’s Program in Mass Communication is primarily based upon three fields: Radio and Television; Advertising and Public Relations; and Online Media. There are also foundational courses in journalism and education. The program is supported by three departments and two graduate institutes of the College of Communication: Journalism and Communication Studies, Advertising and Public Relations, and Communication Arts; and the Graduate Institute of Mass Communication and Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development. The program is college-run and interdisciplinary in nature rather than based on a single department or graduate institute.
Students must complete a minimum of 128 credits in order to earn a degree, as required in University regulations. The curriculum was approved by the University Council and implemented in the 2010-2011 academic year. Operating guidelines and curriculum planning are the same as for general departments and graduate institutes.
- Legal Procedures for the Transformation
- MOE regulations: After discussing the best course of action to comply with MOE regulations, faculty decided to apply to establish a bachelor program. This decision was reviewed and approved by the University Affairs Development Committee, the University Council, and the Board of Trustees, then reported to the MOE. The SOCE Bachelor Program in Mass Communication was officially established in 2010, meaning that the proud name and tradition of “Mass Communication” can continue.
- Due to historical factors, the Day Division no longer has a Department of Mass Communication; the name continues to exist in the SOCE program alone. It was decided to keep the name “Mass Communication” based on feedback from alumni.
- Curriculum: the curriculum is primarily based on three fields: radio & television, advertising and PR, and online media. The curriculum is expansive and designed to meet market demands. The interdisciplinary nature of the program means that students can choose more than one field of expertise, based on personal interests.
FAQs
Bachelor’s Program in Mass Communication vs. SOCE Department of Mass Communication
Q: What is the difference between the SOCE Department of Mass Communication and the SOCE Bachelor’s Program of Mass Communication?
A: The main difference is who runs the program. A department at the SOCE must be run by a department in the Day Division which shares the same name, whereas a bachelor program is run by a college. The SOCE Bachelor Program of Mass Communication is jointly run by the College of Communication and the SOCE. The program is supported by three departments and two graduate institutes of the College of Communication: Journalism and Communication Studies, Advertising and Public Relations, and Communication Arts; and the Graduate Institute of Mass Communication and Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development. From the perspective of who runs the program, since a bachelor program is operated by a college rather than a department, it can be considered a step up.
Q: How is the curriculum of the bachelor program different?
A: The curriculum has been improved. There are two kinds of courses: required courses and advanced electives. Beginning in the second semester of sophomore year, students select one or two areas to specialize in as a major. Students can focus on (1) radio and television; (2) advertising and PR; or (3) online media.
Q: Will I still graduate with a degree? How is the new degree different from the original one?
A: You still get a bachelor’s degree, and the new degree has the exact same value as the old one. The only difference is that instead of “Department of Mass Communication,” the name on the degree is now “Bachelor’s Program of Mass Communication.”
Q: What happens to students who were enrolled before the name change? Will the program on their degree be listed as “department” or “bachelor program”?
A: The MOE announced that the name change will apply to students who were enrolled, but hadn’t graduated, before the name change. However, the name of the program on the degree of these students will indicate “formerly the Department of Mass Communication.”
Q: Will the new degree still qualify me for graduate studies?
A: Of course. You will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, so you can apply for graduate studies both in Taiwan and abroad.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF THE CURRICULUM
The curriculum is broken down into four key areas: innovative entrenpreneurship, logical thinking, visual literacy, and information literacy. Built off of these four key areas are five professional modules: communication theory, website design/multimedia production, audio/visual production, graphic arts, and marketing management. These areas and modules take the form of required courses, which are divided over the four years of the program, and are geared towards ensuring that students establish a solid foundation in mass communication.
Students may select one of three fields to specialize in based on personal interest: journalism and communication, audiovisual production, and advertising and public relations. These three fields are like the masts of a ship, and the knowledge and skills students learn in required courses can be transferred and used in all of them, while electives are based on student interest and industry demand. The curriculum stresses the importance of professional knowledge and skills which connect with social needs, as well as on developing students’ comprehensive production skills.