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.

Course descriptions are available on the SF State Bulletin website.

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, BECA 595, and BECA 600) may also be included in the 20 units of electives.

Elective Courses

Other courses may be added by advisement.

• Audio Production and Recording
  BECA 330, BECA 335, BECA 430, BECA 433, BECA 435, BECA 437, BECA 530, BECA 533, BECA 535, BECA 576
• Broadcast Journalism
  BECA 460, BECA 462, BECA 550, BECA 560, BECA 561, BECA 562, BECA 576, BECA 591, BECA 660, BECA 661, BECA 665
• Business Aspects of Electronic Media
  BECA 324, BECA 423, BECA 427, BECA 428, BECA 505, BECA 523, BECA 576, BECA 623
• Educational and Instructional Media
  BECA 370, BECA 425, BECA 426, BECA 487, BECA 526, BECA 546, BECA 576, BECA 580, BECA 625, BECA 626, BECA 630, BECA 642
• Mass Communication Theory and Criticism
  BECA 321, BECA 324, BECA 390, BECA 422, BECA 460, BECA 485, BECA 487, BECA 490, BECA 500, BECA 526, BECA 576, BECA 600
• Interactive Communication Media
  BECA 390, BECA 437, BECA 547, BECA 548, BECA 549, BECA 590, BECA 591, BECA 592, BECA 593, BECA 626, BECA 648, BECA 670
• Radio Production and Programming
  BECA 305, BECA 310, BECA 320, BECA 410, BECA 435, BECA 437, BECA 505, BECA 510, BECA 576, BECA 591, BECA 665
• Television/Video Production
  BECA 348, BECA 370, BECA 415, BECA 425, BECA 426, BECA 440, BECA 462, BECA 515, BECA 541, BECA 545, BECA 546, BECA 547, BECA 555, BECA 562, BECA 576, BECA 580, BECA 640, BECA 645, BECA 646, BECA 647, BECA 648, BECA 655
• Writing for the Electronic Media
  BECA 370, BECA 462, BECA 470, BECA 560, BECA 561, BECA 562, BECA 570, BECA 576, BECA 670