Graduate Profile for the
Bachelor of Communication Studies with Honours BCS(Hons)

Introduction

The Bachelor of Communication Studies (Honours) is an advanced qualification that allows students who have completed the BCS degree to specialise in a particular area of communication studies. Apart from being good communication practitioners, our graduates have an in-depth understanding of the responsibilities of the media and communication industries in local, national, and global contexts, and the impacts of communication on individuals, groups and social culture. They are also equipped to present, evaluate, and interpret qualitative data and to apply current theories in their areas of specialisation to a high level of sophistication.

The papers offered by the University of Waikato towards the Bachelor of Communication Studies (Honours) degree have been designed to build on the majors taken by students in the BCS, exposing them to a range of high-quality research in any one specialised area of communication. A variety of research-led and practice-relevant learning experiences are incorporated into the programme, and assessment is designed to ensure that students have the opportunity to demonstrate their achievement.

The University has developed strong relationships and networks with communities and businesses to ensure that its programmes and qualifications are relevant and responsive to our students’ needs as well as the needs of the community. The University is also responsive to a range of social and economic goals that have been identified as priorities by Government. The generic capabilities developed by our graduates are of critical importance, as are specialist knowledge and skills. This graduate profile includes an outline of links with other education sector groups, community groups, industry and employers who have an interest in the capabilities of graduates of this qualification, who contribute to programme planning and development, and who also provide workplace experience opportunities.

The BCS (Honours) is the only Honours programme in Communication in New Zealand. It builds significantly on the broad theoretical and applied understanding of communication from a unique mix of arts and management perspectives that BCS students are exposed to. At the honours level, students specialising in any one area of communication are trained in higher level skills of analysis, critiques, synthesis, and problem-solving. This prepares them for quality jobs in the highly competitive communication industries such as public relations, advertising, film, television, events management, and communication management. Driving the sophisticated understanding of the principles of a select communication discipline are staff members who are not only closely linked with professional bodies in the field but are also internationally recognised in communication research and practice.

Learning Philosophy

The learning experiences of BCS (Honours) students are not only research-led and practice-relevant but are also shaped by a balance of creative thinking and strategic planning.

Building on the general communication expertise of BCS students, the Honours programme produces graduates with specialist knowledge of leading research in communication at an advanced level. The higher level papers offered to Honours students emphasise academic rigour and research and train students in critical thinking. Such training helps graduates evaluate the skills learnt at the BCS levels and equip them with the ability to use those skills appropriately in different contexts.

Mastery of Content

The BCS (Honours) follows on from the majors taken in the BCS, each of which is a recognised area of study. To complete the honours programme, students who have already majored in one or more areas of the BCS need to pass four post-graduate level papers in their field of specialisation. Students can choose to complete their honours in any one of the following areas:

• English Studies
• Management Communication
• Marketing*
• Media Studies
• Public Relations

* The availability of this major is subject to the approval of the University of Waikato Academic Board and the NZVCC CUAP. Pending those approvals this programme will be available from January 1, 2006.

Admission

In order to enrol in the BCS (Honours), students must have completed their BCS degree at the University of Waikato, or a qualification considered equivalent by the Academic Board. They should also normally have a B+ average in the major that they intend to take at honours level, and a B+ average in any other four papers above Level 1 credited to the BCS.

Acquisition of Skills & Development of Attributes

Citizenship

Graduates have developed awareness and holistic understanding of their role as responsible citizens in an increasingly globalised context. They are sensitive to the ethical and moral issues that relate to the management domain, and to the relationship of the Treaty of Waitangi to Aotearoa/ New Zealand’s social, commercial and political environment.

Graduates are engaged by the world around them, culturally aware, tolerant of difference, and strong believers in creating a better world. Understanding of different approaches, styles and methods within a discipline helps our graduates to develop integrity, tolerance, cooperativeness, and a sensitivity to cultural diversity and individual differences as they relate to both Aotearoa/New Zealand and to the larger global context.

Communication

Graduates have excellent oral, aural, written and electronic communication skills in English. They are familiar with the appropriate conventions for formal academic and professional communication in their discipline and are able to structure their communication clearly and to express complex and subtle concepts in an articulate manner.

Graduates are able to adapt their communication style to suit different media, contexts and audiences and have excellent presentation skills appropriate to the management disciplines.

Connectedness

Graduates think globally and thrive locally. They build and sustain diverse and high-quality business, professional and personal networks and relationships. They are skilled at working cooperatively within diverse groups. They are team players who maximise the value of their individual skills in an organisational context.

Graduates are adaptable and flexible and can recognise and respond to change. They are skilled at managing transitions and are able to expand the horizons of possibilities through new ideas and insights.

Critical thinking

Graduates are able to engage real-world problems in a theoretically informed, rigorous, and questioning manner. Independent, fair-minded, reflective thinkers, they are skilled in the assimilation, analysis and evaluation of information and are able to draw on relevant theory and research to formulate questions and reasoned arguments leading to rational conclusions. They are willing to reconsider their positions in the light of new arguments and information.

They are skilled and persistent at accessing information through a variety of media and evaluating its relevance to a situation or topic. They are skilled and prudent in decision making by gathering, synthesising and critically assessing information and applying it appropriately to real situations.

Graduates are able to plan their work to meet time and structural constraints. They are life-long learners who are adaptable to change, progressive, innovative, and able to identify solutions and opportunities that add value to an organisation. They take a long-term, socially responsible view of their recommendations and decisions.

Commercial context

Graduates recognise the importance of a broad understanding of the business environment and organisational context within which management decisions are made. Strategic, higher-level thinkers, they have developed an ability to integrate knowledge from academic disciplines, research and practice to achieve a broad perspective on the multitude of factors – internal and external – that impact on the organisation.

Creative, actively involved and solution oriented, graduates are open to and aware of the wider implications of specific knowledge and are able to adapt and apply their skills to suit varied business situations. They are entrepreneurial and can formulate innovative ideas into business propositions.

Graduate Pathways in Further Education

Students take advantage of a comprehensive range of graduate and postgraduate qualifications to build on their BCS (Honours) qualification. These include:

• Master of Management Studies in Management Communication, Marketing* or Public Relations.
• Master of Arts in English Studies, or Media Studies
• Master of Philosophy
• Doctor of Philosophy

*The availability of this major is subject to the approval of the University of Waikato Academic Board and the NZVCC CUAP. Pending those approvals this programme will be available from January 1, 2006.

Career Prospects

The Bachelor of Communication Studies (Honours) is distinct from other University communication degrees in New Zealand because it builds on the applied focus of management school papers with traditional humanities papers in the BCS by exposing students to higher levels of research and analysis in a specialised area.

This provides for a sophisticated understanding of the principles of a communication discipline. Graduates find themselves in a range of diverse professions including those of an actor/performer, advertising executive, arts administrator, communications consultant, communications manager, editor, event manager, freelance writer, information manager, journalist, management trainer, marketing communications manager, market research executive, media producer, media relations adviser, media researcher, professional fundraiser, professional negotiator, public affairs specialist, public relations consultant, and publicist.

Specific Competencies

In addition to the skills and attributes mentioned above, BCS Honours graduates are able to:

• Understand principles and practices of a variety of communication-specific research methods
• Select appropriate qualitative research methods for a range of communication research projects
• Commence advanced thesis study in communication research in any of the chosen fields of English Studies, Management Communication, Media Studies, Marketing*, and Public Relations
• Write a critical review of the literature in any of these fields
• Analyse data systematically and rigorously
• Explain contemporary communication practices and the social, historical, cultural or discursive forces shaping them
• Assess the dynamics of communication situations and identify the primary problems or opportunities related to effective and ethical communication
• Design, conduct, and evaluate a communication plan
• Conduct critical-interpretive research of communication phenomena
• Apply communication theories to practical situations in a variety of contexts
• Apply latest research to diverse workplace situations.

*The availability of this major is subject to the approval of the University of Waikato Academic Board and the NZVCC CUAP. Pending those approvals this programme will be available from January 1, 2006.