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2025-2026

Mass Communications (advertising/creative), Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts (Richard Bland College)
Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College
Associate degree

Associate of Arts

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Robertson School of Media and Culture prepares effective and skilled communicators through quality instruction, advising, and student services based on real-world applications. Through research, professional service and scholarship in applied communications, the school advances the knowledge, and practice of a multidisciplinary and evolving media environment. The School values truth, ethics, creativity, innovation, collaboration, cultural diversity, shared governance, and community engagement.

Career opportunities

The concentrations in advertising prepares students for careers at advertising agencies, marketing departments of corporations or service organizations, and media companies. These concentrations are a training ground that prepares students to join the world community of media practitioners and are centered on professional practice, studio intensive coursework, and experimental collaboration.


The concentrations in journalism train alumni for competitive careers in print and video media and in such places as print and video newsrooms, digital news, magazines, and special interest publications. The concentrations in journalism are transferable to many other fields like law, business, or government service. 


The concentration in media production prepares graduates to work as content creators in in film and television, sports media, local or national production studios, and online productions.


The concentration in public relations prepares graduates to successfully enter the public relations field. Graduates can be found representing professional sports teams, global clothing manufacturers, Hollywood production studios, energy companies, hospitals, international non-profits and small businesses. The public relations profession calls for professional communicators; all organizations, big and small, must communicate with audiences to succeed.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Art Director
  • Broadcast News Analyst
  • Development/Fundraising Manager
  • Digital Specialist
  • Grant Writer
  • Media Relations Coordinator
  • Nonprofit Communications Manager
  • Radio and Television Announcer
  • Videographer
  • Visual Effects (FX) Artist
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Copywriter
  • Creative Brand Manager
  • Director of Digital Media
  • Experience Designer
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 208
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5+ cumulative GPA, 2.5+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Mass Communications with concentration in Advertising/Creative, Advertising/Strategic, Journalism/Broadcast, Journalism/Digital, Media Production, Public Relations

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Mass Communications (advertising/creative), Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Richard Bland College (Associate of Arts)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
Experience Year 2
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Continue learning a foreign language or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Robertson School-related events.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships or job experiences before your senior year of college.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Continue learning a foreign language or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Robertson School-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships or job experiences before your senior year of college.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Mass Communications (advertising/creative), Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Richard Bland College (Associate of Arts)

Richard Bland College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
ENGL 101 Rhetoric and Research I UNIV 111 3 General education
ENGL 102 Rhetoric and Research II UNIV 200 3 General education
COMM 204 Introduction to Mass Communications MASC 101 3 Major
Literature Select 1: ENGL 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 211, 214, 215, 216. ENGL 3 Major (Ancillary)
ART 202 Art History Survey ARTH 104 3 Major (Ancillary)
MATH 217 Introductory Statistics STAT 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
French or Spanish Two Courses in Foreign Language as per Placement VCU equivalent 6 to 8 General education
HIST 201 or HIST 202 Select either HIST 201 American History to 1865 or HIST 202 American History since 1865 HIST 103 or HIST 104 3 Major (Ancillary)
Economics ECON 201 Principles of Economics (Macro) and ECON 202 Principles of Economics (Micro) ECON 210 + ECON 211 6 Major (Ancillary)
Lab Science Select 1 with lab: BIOL 101/L, 110, 151/L, CHEM 101/L, 110/L, PHYS 101/L, 201/L, SCIE 111/L. VCU equivalent 4 General education
BUS 201 Principles of Accounting I (substitutes for MKTG 301 requirement) ACCT 203 3 Major (Ancillary)
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 20 Elective
Richard Bland credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
MASC 200 Technical Prowess I 3 Major
MASC 300 Technical Prowess II 3 Major
MASC 310 Audience Insights 3 Major
MASC 391 Career Minded 3 Major
MASC 395 Communication Ethics and Law 3 Major
MASC 400 Integrated Communication Lab 3 Major
MASC 493 Fieldwork/Internship 3 Major
MASC 201 Curiousness 3 Major
Select one: MASC 204, MASC 203, MASC 205, or MASC 285 3 Major
MASC 392 Perspicuousness 3 Major
MASC 394 Imagination 3 Major
MASC 450 Style 3 Major
MASC 451 Invention 3 Major
MASC 481 Completeness 3 Major
MASC MASC electives 6 Major
POLI or URSP course (300 level or higher) 3 Major (Ancillary)
Literature course (300-level or above) except ENGL/TEDU 386 or TEDU 387 3 Major (Ancillary)
Open electives 6 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 60
Bachelor's degree total 120