Double Major
Earning a double major within the College of Arts and Sciences is
quite feasible. Rather than having a l5-hour Outside Concentration
and then 15 or more hours in scattered electives, a student can
obtain a double major by concentrating all of the hours in another
Arts and Sciences department. With careful planning, a student could
earn a double major within the 126-hour minimum, since both majors
would have similar Arts and Sciences requirements. This is not possible
if the student wants to earn a dual degree in another college, such
as the College of Business Administration. See Dual Degree.
Dual Degree
Earning a dual degree - with one major in the School of Journalism
and Mass Communications and the other major in another college -
is considerably more difficult than earning a double major within
the College of Arts and Sciences. In a dual degree program, the
student must fulfill not only College of Arts and Sciences requirements
for either the B.S. or the B.A. degree, but also must fulfill the
other college's curriculum requirements, typically requiring one
or two additional semesters.
Cooperative Programs
Cooperative programs exist for students who want to earn degrees
in the College of Agriculture, College of Human Ecology or College
of Education. The B.S. degree in Agricultural Journalism (127 hours
total) requires 30-36 hours in JMC and approximates the print journalism
sequence. The B.S. degree in Human Ecology and Mass Communications
(126 hours total) requires 39 hours in JMC and offers a choice of
print journalism, electronic journalism, public relations, advertising
or radio-TV. The B.S. degree in Secondary Education with certification
in journalism (126 hours total) requires 30 hours in JMC with a
curriculum oriented toward school publications. Another Secondary
Education curriculum exists for students interested in certification
in both English and journalism. While the JMC curriculum is similar,
students in these cooperative programs fulfill basic requirements
in the other colleges, not in the College of Arts and Sciences.
For information, contact the college of choice.
Pre-major Status
Students can remain pre-majors one semester past the point of eligibility
to become a major. The reason is this: Students with a GPA below
2.5 after 30 hours should be in a major that leads to graduation,
not a pre-major.
Preregistration
Each semester, students who are currently enrolled register early
for the next semester. Consult the Line Schedule (the Schedule of
Classes) for preregistration dates. Seniors and juniors preregister
first, followed by sophomores, freshmen and then new enrollees.
All majors have a faculty member in their sequence as their adviser.
Pre-majors meet individually each semester with the school's lead
adviser.
Dropping/Adding Classes
After enrolling, students may drop a class, add a class, or change
sections on KATS. After a certain date, KATS is no longer an option
and students must obtain a drop/add form in the JMC office. Students
wanting to add a class after the first week of classes also must
have written permission of the instructor. The last day for dropping
a full-semester course without a "W" (Withdrawn) being recorded
is the 25th day of classes. After the 10th week, students cannot
drop courses.
Quiz Out
Quiz out is available on a case-by-case basis, both for regular
college courses and for JMC skills courses. To quiz out of a JMC
skills course, the student should present to the appropriate sequence
head a portfolio or other suitable evidence of performance that
would allow assessment of course-related experience. This applies
primarily to mass communication professionals returning to school
for a degree. If a skills course is waived as a result of a quiz
out, hours will be granted on a "credit" basis, not a graded basis.
Up to 12 JMC hours may be earned through quiz out.
Preparatory Courses
Courses numbered below 100 do not apply toward graduation. These
are preparatory courses designed to improve basic skills. For instance,
Intermediate Algebra (MATH 010) is for those who need to improve
their mathematics skills in order to successfully complete College
Algebra (MATH 100). Another example is Study Skills Lab (DED 051
in the College of Education), which helps students imrpove their
study methods. These classes do not apply toward the 126 hours that
JMC requires for graduation.
Grades
The university uses the grades of A, B, C, D and F. Pluses and minuses
are not used in final grades. Electives and Outside Concentration
courses can be taken Credit/No Credit or A/Pass/F, which means the
student is awarded an A or F if merited and a P otherwise. JMC courses
cannot be taken C/NC or A/Pass/F. Neither can courses taken to fulfill
College of Arts and Sciences requirements. An "I" (for Incomplete)
is given in regular courses only for verifiable personal emergencies.
If a student does not complete the work required to remove the "I"
after one semester, the "I" automatically becomes an F. Only the
grades of A, B, C, D, F are used to calculate the GPA.
Retake Policy
Students may retake courses in an attepmt to improve a grade. If
a course is retaken, the original grade is removed from the grade
point average. The retake grade will be used in the GPA computation,
regardless of whether it is higher or lower than the original grade.
A particular course can be retaken for GPA improvement only once;
a course taken a third time will not erase the second grade earned.
Overall, up to five different courses may be retaken during a student's
academic career at Kansas State. Retakes must be taken at K-State
to affect the GPA. For more detail, see the K-State Undergraduate
Catalog section on retake policy.
Transfer Credit (General)
Students transferring to K-State from other colleges and universities
are expected to have at least a 2.0 (C) average in previous academic
work to be considered for admission to the university. Official
transcripts must be sent directly from the transfer school to the
K-State Admissions Office (www.ksu.edu/admit.) Up to 63 hours of
coursework can be transferred from a two-year college, and up to
90 hours of coursework can be transferred from a four-year school.
Once a student is admitted to K-State, the student's transcript
is sent to the college of choice. For JMC students, this is the
College of Arts and Sciences. The Dean's Office reviews the transcript
and determines which courses fulfill college requirements, which
are electives, and which are rejected. The Dean's Office in 113
Eisenhower makes these decisions on transfer credit.
Transfer Credit (JMC)
Students may transfer up to 12 hours of courses in the major from
other colleges and universities. Only courses with a grade of C
or better are accepted for credit. The Miller School reviews transcripts
to determine credit for JMC courses taken at other institutions.
Transfer credit is given for Editing and Design, Advanced News and
Feature Writing, and Law of Mass Communications only if such work
was taken in a nationally accredited program. The school may accept
up to 3 credit hours for transfer coursework that consists of laboratory
work, equivalent to MC 484 Media Practicum. Go to 105 Kedzie for
more information on transfer credits in the major.
Taking Courses Elsewhere
If a student plans to take a course elsewhere and then transfer
the credit to K-State, check with the Dean's Office in the College
of Arts and Sciences in 113 Eisenhower Hall before doing so. The
Dean's Office will need to know the course number and title and
the name of the school in order to check whether the course is accepted
by transfer for K-State credit. If the course is a JMC course, check
with the JMC office in 105 Kedzie to determine the course's transfer
status.
Obtaining a Transcript
Students can obtain a transcript of their K-State grades at the
Registrar's Office in Anderson Hall. An unofficial summary of grades
is available in each student's folder, kept in the JMC office.
Scholarships
Two pools of scholarship money exist for students studying journalism
and mass communications. One is from the university at large; the
other is from the JMC school itself. JMC scholarships are available
to pre-majors and majors in all five sequences. The school awards
more than 80 scholarships annually, ranging in size from $500 to
$5,000 and averaging about $1,000.
To apply for a scholarship, complete the all-university scholarship
application, which is available from the Office of Student Financial
Assistance, 104 Fairchild Hall, or through the university's web
site at http://www.ksu.edu/sfa. (Circle the # designated for JMC.)
Apply for any K-State scholarships for which you may be eligible.
Before returning the scholarship application to financial aid, make
two copies. Keep one and mail the other to the JMC school with any
supporting information and material, such as a portfolio, that would
help the JMC scholarship committee determine your eligibility. Supporting
material could include a one-page statement of career objectives;
a resume showing media related experience; copies of stories you
have written for student and professional publications; and any
other examples of your ability to communicate through writing, broadcast
and/or design. (Limit examples to four.) Note the Feb. 1 deadline
for applying for all-university scholarships; the deadline also
applies to JMC scholarships. See the Kedzie main office for more
details.
Plagiarism/Cheating
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished
by failure on the exam, paper or project; failure in the course;
and even expulsion from the university. Plagiarism is the appropriation,
either word for word or in substance, of the writings or works of
another without due acknowledgment. Put another way, it is stealing
an original creation and offering it as your own. Plagiarism and
cheating are forms of academic dishonesty. Also punishable is "double-dipping"
(using the same paper with minor modifications in two courses).
For details, refer to the academic dishonesty policy in the undergraduate
catalog.
Student Organizations
The Miller School sponsors five organizations for interested students.
They are the Society for News Design, Society of Professional Journalists,
the Public Relations Student Society of America, the Advertising
Club, and Mass Communicators of Many Cultures. Consult the JMC office
in 105 Kedzie for the names of student officers and to obtain information
about membership.
Graduation Clearance
Students must complete an application for graduation clearance during
the first four weeks of the semester (first two weeks for summer)
in which they plan to graduate. Students obtain and turn in the
application for graduation clearance at the Dean's Office, College
of Arts and Sciences, 117 Eisenhower Hall. See the calendar section
of the Line Schedule (Schedule of Classes) for deadlines.
Graduate Study
The School of Journalism and Mass Communications offers a 30-hour
Master of Science in Mass Communication degree. Courses are oriented
toward communication theory and research methods, with flexibility
for students to devise specialized professional programs. Acceptance
into the graduate program typically requires a 3.0 GPA or better
and strong scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Graduating
seniors are encouraged to work professionally for several years
before pursuing a graduate degree. Students whose undergraduate
major is not in JMC may be admitted provisionally, with a requirement
to complete basic undergraduate skills courses along with their
graduate work. Additional information is available in the JMC office,
105 Kedzie Hall.