College of Arts and Media

Academic Policies

Advising

Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor in the student’s area of interest, who will provide academic advice and guidance in the registration process. Students majoring in the arts are subject to mandatory advising every semester of enrollment. Students in journalism and mass communications are subject to mandatory advising until junior status is obtained. Only after a student has met with the academic advisor for approval of the course schedule will the advising hold be lifted, thus enabling the student to register for classes. A student who has not been assigned an advisor or who has questions about the assignment of advisor should contact the dean of the College of Arts and Media or the school director.

Catalog of Record

The College of Arts and Media adheres strictly to the University Academic Catalog of Record Policy found in the “Academic Information” section of this catalog. This policy affects all undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Media. You may also consult the catalog website: www.marshall.edu/catalog/.

Change of Major

Students who change majors within the College of Arts and Media will continue to operate under the catalog in effect when they entered. Students transferring from other units of the university must meet the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of the change in major.

Degree Progress Audit

During the semester students are enrolled for their 80th hour, they are required to have a check of their progress toward graduation. The check is to be initiated in the college office. Failure to do so will result in a hold on registration that will be removed after the check is completed.

Probation and Academic Dismissal

The College of Arts and Media adheres strictly to the University Academic Probation and Suspension Policy found in the “Academic Information” section of this catalog. This policy affects all undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Media regardless of their catalog year. You may also consult this catalog website: www.marshall.edu/catalog.

Degree Requirements

Degree Programs

The College of Arts and Media offers undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts with majors in music, theatre, video production, or visual arts, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree with majors in advertising/public relations, journalism and media production, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.) with majors in music, theatre, and the visual arts.

  • the Bachelor of Arts with majors in music, theatre, video production, or visual arts,
  • the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree with majors in advertising/public relations, journalism and media production, and
  • the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.) with majors in music, theatre, and the visual arts.

Degrees in Arts and Media Education

Programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in education toward certification in art or music education for teachers in West Virginia public schools are listed under the College of Education in this catalog. Graduates in art or music education qualify for certification to teach in grades PreK to Adult.

Graduate Degrees in Arts and Media

A graduate program leading to the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in music may be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Arts and Media Majors

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts degree offered by the College of Arts and Media places an emphasis on the arts and their relationships to outside disciplines. This degree focuses on a breadth in content knowledge with a liberal-arts orientation that features exploration in non-art fields.

Students enrolled in the B.A. degree program will select one of four majors:

  • Art
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Video Production

Within most majors, students select an area of emphasis that aligns most closely with their chosen career path.

Students should contact the dean or the school director for information pertaining to each of the majors and areas of emphasis and to determine special admission requirements for each potential sequence. In unusual circumstances, students may enter the B.A. program as undecided majors upon the recommendation of the dean or school director.

Curricular Structure

The Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Media includes the following components:

Core I requirements9 credit hours
Core II requirements25 credit hours
Major Area Requirements48-51 credit hours
Minor15-18 credit hours
Additional Electives17-29 credit hours
Total Requirements for Graduation120 credit hours

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications

Through the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the College of Arts and Media offers a Bachelor of Arts degree with seven emphases housed in three majors:

  • advertising/public relations, with emphases in advertising and public relations;
  • journalism, with emphases in broadcast, multimedia, and sports; and
  • media production, with emphases in radio/television production and management and in video production.

Professionally oriented courses and laboratory experiences are combined with extensive liberal arts preparation to provide students with the background necessary for employment in mass communications. The program is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Curricular Structure

The Bachelor of Arts degree in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications includes the following components:

Core I requirements9 credit hours
Core II requirements25 credit hours
JMC Cognizance area24 credit hours
JMC Core21 credit hours
Major requirements27 credit hours
Required Non-JMC and elective courses14 credit hours
Total Requirements for Graduation120 credit hours

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music, Theatre or Visual Arts

Through the School of Art and Design, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre, the College of Arts and Media offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.). This is a professional degree designed to prepare students to:

  1. enter careers as professionals in their chosen artistic disciplines;
  2. pursue professional studies at the graduate level;
  3. apply principles learned through the fine arts to the myriad life choices all graduates make, regardless of vocation.

Students enrolled in the B.F.A. degree program will select one of three majors: music, theatre, or visual arts. Within each major, students are further required to select a major area of emphasis, allowing specialization. Majors and areas of emphasis are as follows:

  • Music Major: areas of emphasis
    • Jazz Studies
    • Multidisciplinary Studies
    • Performance
    • Theory and Composition
  • Musical Theatre Major
  • Theatre Major: areas of emphasis
    • Performance
    • Production
  • Visual Arts Major: areas of emphasis
    • Ceramics
    • Fibers
    • Graphic Design
    • Painting
    • Photography
    • Printmaking
    • Sculpture

Curricular Structure

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program, consistent with professional degree programs in the fine arts in United States higher education, includes the following components:

Core I requirements9 credit hours
Core II requirements25 credit hours
Electives outside of the Major13 credit hours
Majors and Area of Emphasis requirements73 credit hours
Total Requirements for Graduation120 credit hours

University Core Curriculum

Core I: (9 hours)
First Year Seminar (100-level)3
Discipline-specific courses with an emphasis on critical thinking (CT) and active learning (100- or 200-level) 16
Core II: 25 hours (100- or 200-level) 2
Composition6
Communication3
Math3
Physical or Natural Science4
Social Science3
Humanities3
Fine Arts3
Additional University Requirements
Writing Intensive credit in any discipline at any level6
Multicultural or International coursework in any discipline at any level3
Capstone project in the major
Total Credit Hours43
1

Specific courses that fulfill the CT requirement may be found at www.marshall.edu/gened.

2

Specific courses that fulfill Core II may be found at www.marshall.edu/gened.

For more information, consult the general education website: www.marshall.edu/gened.

Additional Degree Requirements

For specific degree requirements, see the appropriate major.

Faculty

School of Art and Design

Dr. Mark Zanter, Interim Director
www.marshall.edu/art

Professor

Barnes-Marsano, Bartolovic, Gindhart, Hagarty, Kaufmann, Reed

Associate Professor

Cook, Danford, Kozlowski,  McDermott, Stark

Assistant Professor

Dyer, Jones, Smith

W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Dr. Rob Quicke, Director 
www.marshall.edu/jmc

Professor

Bailey, Goodman, Hapney, Hollis, Morris, Quicke, Rabe, Swindell

Associate Professor

Bumgarner, Ingersoll

Assistant Professor

York

School of Music

Dr. Martin Saunders, Director
www.marshall.edu/music

Professor

Alves, A. Bingham, E. Bingham, Castleberry, Dikener, Dobbs, Hall, Saunders, Smith, M. Stroeher, V. Stroeher, Tusing, Vauth, Zanter

Associate Professor

Botes, Lee, Nannen, Waugh

Assistant Professor

Schletter, Vallejo, Wolfe

School of Theatre

Mr. John Colclough, Interim Director
www.marshall.edu/theatre

Professor

Colclough, Murphy, Reynolds

Assistant Professor

Trees, Turley