Bachelor of Communication

Overview

Career Outcomes

Graduates will be ready for work in Journalism, Public Relations, New Media, Film and Television. They will be prepared to excel in administrative, marketing and creative roles in the cultural communications industries. This degree will be the backbone to a successful career in communication and related fields.

Transition Arrangements

Griffith University is changing the Bachelor of Communication degree to introduce new majors from 2012.

The Media Communication major has been withdrawn and the Journalism and Public Relations majors have been updated and revised. Three new majors are introduced: Screen Studies, Creative Writing and Business Communication. All five majors from 2012 will include two Level 1 units and six Level 2/3 units.

All Bachelor of Communication students study four Level 1 core units plus one Level 2 and one Level 3 core units.

Please note that the addition of two new compulsory core units from 2012 may affect the number of electives you can include in your degree.

• All existing students should contact the Communication Program Convenor for advice before enrolling in their 2012 units.
• Existing registered students have the option of either completing the pre-2012 degree or transferring to the revised degree structure (depending on units completed). 
• Existing unregistered students who want to complete the pre-2012 degree and who are eligible to register in the Bachelor of Communication should refer to information in Registering in this degree. Students must submit their completed registration form to Griffith University by the deadline of 10 February 2012, the close of enrolment for Study Period 1 2012.

New Students who start in 2012 will follow the requirements of the revised Bachelor of Communication.
 

Griffith_Bachelor_of_Communication_Transition_2012 (PDF, 151 KB)

Award Requirements

To be eligible for the award of the Bachelor of Communication, a student must complete 24 units or equivalent as prescribed below:

• A student must complete four core units at Level 1, one core unit at Level  2, and one core unit at Level 3
• A student must complete the recommended units for their chosen majors at Level 1
• A student must complete two major sequences of six units each from Business Communication, Creative Writing, Journalism, Public Relations or Screen Studies with at least six units at third year level
• The remaining elective units for the degree can be made up from a combination of first, second and third year level with a maximum of 10 units in the degree at first year level
• At least eight units (or one third of the degree) must be Griffith units studied via Open Universities Australia
• The degree will normally be three years for full-time students but part-time students may take up to 10 years to accumulate credit points toward the degree

Exit Points

Journalism or Public Relations students not wishing to complete the Bachelor of Communication course may apply for an exit award depending on the units completed. Students who complete 8 units may qualify for a Griffith University Certificate and students who complete 16 units may qualify for a Diploma.

For further information about the units required to qualify for a Certificate or Diploma please refer to the relevant course page in Journalism or Public Relations.

Recognition of Prior Learning / Credit

Students may be able to receive credit for previous studies conducted at other institutions. Please contact the Open Universities Australia Officer, Off Campus & Assignment Handling Services at Griffith University.

Registering in this Course

Students are required to register with Griffith University for this award by completing a Registration form and paying the required fee. The non-refundable $100 registration fee is payable when the form is submitted. While there is no immediate requirement for potential students to register in the degree course, students are recommended to register after completing 8-10 units, in order to receive advice on credit and unit selection.

Recommended Study Pattern

To get the most out of this course, follow these steps:

• Study four Level 1 core units
• Choose your two Majors and start with the Level 1 major units
• Complete six units from each of your two Majors
• Complete Level 2 and Level 3 core units
• Choose your electives

Course Admission Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, students must meet the following requirements:

• At least 4 OUA Undergraduate units that contribute towards the degree requirements of the Griffith University program into which admission is sought with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0 for each unit

How to Apply

You can submit your application by clicking on the Apply online button below.

Apply online

Alternatively, you can download, print and email/fax your application:

Griffith University CSP Form (PDF, 2841 KB)

PDF applications should be emailed to: csp.admin@open.edu.au or faxed to: +61 3 8628 2955.

About Commonwealth supported places

A Commonwealth supported place is a higher education place for which the Australian Government provides funding to the university towards the cost of your education. Commonwealth supported places are only available for students who wish to enrol in a full course of study and are required to contribute to the cost of their higher education through a student contribution. Eligible students in Commonwealth supported places can also receive assistance with their student contribution in the form of HECS-HELP.

To be eligible for Commonwealth support, you must be:

• An Australian citizen OR;
• A New Zealand citizen who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your study OR;
• The holder of a permanent visa who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your study.

For more information and to download an information booklet on the eligibility requirements and the payment options available including the process for applying for HECS-HELP assistance, please visit www.goingtouni.gov.au

Alternatively if you do not wish to apply as a Commonwealth supported place student or are not eligible, you can still apply to study this course or units within this course. Click on the Course units tab above to find out more.

Please note that depending on the course eligibility requirements, you may be required to provide scanned and certified copies of the following supporting documents:

• Certified copies of academic transcripts - required in most cases but check course eligibility rules.(Please ensure you attach all pages of your academic transcript including both the front and back pages)

A “certified copy” is a copy of an original document which has been certified as being a true copy by an authorised person. These include a justice of the peace, lawyer, medical practitioner, pharmacist, accountant, school principal or minister of religion.

• English language test results - if your courses were not predominantly in English e.g. IELTS or equivalent test results.
• IMPORTANT:  Please do not send original documents as they will not be returned.

Pricing and Payment Options

The total cost of completing a degree will vary depending on the course you have chosen to study.

Fees can also vary according to the type of unit you enrol in and the applicable fee band. Below is a guide to help you find the fees applicable for your own study path.

Please also note that the fees listed here are only indicative costs for new students in 2012. These fees may vary depending on the units you choose and do not include incidental fees (such as lab coats or art supplies) or the cost of your textbooks.

Related Courses

This course sits within a group of courses, giving you the flexibility to study towards different levels of qualification. The courses are listed from the highest to the lowest qualification.

• Bachelor of Communication
• Diploma of Journalism
• Diploma of Media Communications
• Diploma of Public Relations
• Certificate of Journalism
• Certificate of Media Communications
• Certificate of Public Relations

Course Structure

Majors

Electives