Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Roadmap
120 Total Units Required
Minimum Number of Units in the Major: 45
This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 114 | Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (A2) 1 | 3 |
| GE Area A 2 | 3 | |
| GE Area C - Take Two | 6 | |
| GE Area D | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BECA 200 | Introduction to Media (Major Core) | 3 |
| GE Area A | 3 | |
| GE Area B: Quantitative Reasoning (B4) 3 | 3 | |
| GE Area C | 3 | |
| GE Area E | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| BECA 340 | Media Aesthetics I (Major Core) | 3 |
| Core Foundation Area - Media Production - Select One: | 3 | |
| Audio Production Basics | ||
| TV Studio Basics | ||
| Electronic Field Production I | ||
| GE Area B: Physical Science (B1) and Laboratory Science (B3) 4 | 3-4 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 5 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| BECA 300GW | Writing About the Media - GWAR (Major Core) | 3 |
| GE Area B: Life Science (B2) and Laboratory Science (B3) 4 | 3-4 | |
| GE Area D | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 5 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Fifth Semester | ||
| Core Foundation Area - Media Writing - Select One: | 3 | |
| Writing for Electronic Media | ||
| Scriptwriting for A/V Media Production | ||
| Scriptwriting for Audio Media Production | ||
| Core Foundation Area - The Business of Media - Select One: | 3 | |
| Media Law | ||
| Media Economics: Entertainment, Platform, and Technology | ||
| Major Electives in a Focus Area (21 units total) 6 | 3 | |
| GE Area F ± | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-D: Upper-Division Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Sixth Semester | ||
| Core Foundation Area - Media, Culture, and Society - Select One: | 3 | |
| Media Literacy | ||
| Critical Study of Popular Culture | ||
| Media and Society | ||
| Core Foundation Area - Media Ethics - Select One: | 3 | |
| Industry of Broadcast News | ||
| Ethics and Responsibility in the Electronic Media | ||
| Major Electives in a Focus Area (21 units total) - Take Two 6 | 6 | |
| GE Area UD-C: Upper-Division Arts and/or Humanities | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Seventh Semester | ||
| Major Electives in a Focus Area (21 units total) - Take Two 6 | 6 | |
| GE Area UD-B: Upper-Division Physical and/or Life Sciences | 3 | |
| U.S. and California Government | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 5 | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Eighth Semester | ||
| Major Electives in a Focus Area (21 units total) - Take Two 6 | 6 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Three 5 | 9 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Total Units | 120-122 | |
- 1
ENG 114 can only be taken if you complete Directed Self-Placement (DSP) and select ENG 114; if you choose ENG 104/ENG 105 through DSP you will satisfy A2 upon successful completion of ENG 105 in the second semester; multilingual students may be advised into alternative English courses.
- 2
To avoid taking additional units, it is recommended that you meet the SF State Studies (AERM, GP, ES, SJ) requirements within your GE or major.
- 3
To determine the best B4 course option, students should complete the online advising activity at mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.
- 4
Consider taking a class combined with a laboratory or a separate lab to fulfill B3.
- 5
Complementary Studies
Twelve units of Complementary Studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in BECA. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than BECA, and not cross-listed with BECA. BECA majors will be offered several pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner:
- 12 units in a single foreign language;
- 12 units taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad);
- 12 units taken as partial completion of a second major, minor or a certificate; or
- 12 units in a related discipline.
With approval from a BECA advisor, up to six units of Complementary Studies may be used to count toward the major.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
- 6
Electives in a Focus Area (21 units)
Upper-division BECA courses selected in consultation with a BECA faculty advisor. Electives must be upper-division, may include Foundation Area courses not used to fulfill those requirements, and may include up to 6 units from other departments/programs.
Focus Areas
Focus areas do not appear on the B.A. diploma and do not require any particular set of courses to be taken. They are advisory and are meant to provide guidance for students so they develop extensive knowledge or expertise in one subject area. Students should meet each semester with a faculty advisor who teaches in the relevant focus area to discuss the content of courses/course sequences offered and to plan for future semesters.
The focus areas within BECA are: Audio Production; Radio and Podcasting; Video Production; Media Writing; Audio/Video News and Documentary; Media, Culture, and Society; and The Business of Media.
- ±
Given catalog rights, fall 2023 transfer students do not need to complete an Area F course.