Degree Requirements

To earn a bachelor's degree, a student must:

• Earn at least 124 credits, part of which may be accepted by transfer from another college or university. The last 30 of these credits must be earned while the student is enrolled in classes in this college at UF. A minimum of 80 of the 124 credits must come from courses outside of this college.
• Earn at least a 2.0 in all work attempted while a student in this college, and a 2.0 or better in all work attempted in courses having the prefixes ADV, JOU, MMC, PUR and RTV.
• Earn a C or better in required English, speech and Writing for Mass Communication (or its equivalent). Advertising majors also must earn a C or better in MAR 3023 and STA 2122 or 2023. Public Relations majors must earn a C or better in STA 2122 or 2023.

Grades of C or higher are also required in ADV 3000 Elements of Advertising, JOU 3101 Reporting, RTV 2100 Writing for Electronic Media, RTV 3000 Introduction to Telecommunication, RTV 3303 Radio News 1, RTV 4301 TV News 1, and PUR 3000 Principles of Public Relations, PUR 3500 Public Relations Research, PUR 4001 Public Relations Campaigns, PUR 4100 Public Relations Writing and PUR 3801 Public Relations Strategy for majors in those respective areas. Students earning below a C must retake the course or its equivalent.

Dean's List and Graduation with Honors

Students in the college qualify for the Dean's List if they complete a full-time course load with a minimum 3.5 grade point average and have no grades of I, N or U. Certificates of recognition are issued by the Student Services Office in 1000 Weimer Hall by request.

Grade point standards for any type of honors refer to both overall junior/senior level and professional courses averages. Undergraduate students achieving grade point averages of 3.50 while in this college will graduate with honors.

The college student evaluation committee will consider awarding high honors (3.6 minimum) or highest honors (3.8 minimum) to students who evidence superior scholarship and who can demonstrate professional competency.

Evidence of scholastic superiority must be supported by a letter from a full-time faculty member assigned to the student's major department. Students graduating with upper division and professional grade point averages at or above the minimums (3.6 for high honors and 3.8 for highest honors) must also submit evidence of their professional competency for committee evaluation and recommendation. The form of this evidence will vary according to the student's area of study: writing published in newspapers or magazines, elements of public relations or advertising campaigns, audio/video work, and professional research. Samples of professional work should be materials produced in efforts outside the classroom rather than class projects and/or internships for which academic credit was received. Students' behaviors, both in and outside the classroom, will also provide evidence of professionalism.

Students who believe their final upper division and professional grade point averages will be at least 3.6 may apply for high or highest honors. Students should confer with the college's student evaluation committee. The college's student evaluation committee will judge the evidence submitted for professional competency. Post baccalaureate students are not eligible to receive honors recognition.