Since 1913

Building leaders for the information age

The hallmark of the Manship School is a well-rounded education. Manship School majors take a common core of courses that ensure them not only the skills needed to secure that first job, but also the training necessary to advance to more responsible positions in the future.

Majors in the Manship School work toward a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. They concentrate their studies in one of five areas: advertising, electronic media, journalism (including both print and electronic journalism), political communication, and public relations. All areas are fully accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. 

The advertising concentration develops skills in marketing, research, media, and creative planning and execution. Graduates typically become involved in account development and management; media analysis, research, and sales; copywriting; advertising design; and sales promotion.

The electronic media concentration prepares students for careers in sales, promotion, program production, and management for the various electronic media industries, including radio, television, cable, and the emerging technologies. Graduates normally aspire to careers in electronic media sales and sales management, promotion, or programming.

The journalism concentration develops skills in researching, interpreting, organizing, and reporting in a factual manner issues of vital importance to a democratic society. Students are cross-trained in journalism for print (newspapers and magazines) and broadcasting (radio and television). Graduates usually become reporters, editors, and producers.

The political communication concentration develops skills in interpreting and communicating information to mass media practitioners and other individuals involved in the political process. Graduates normally look to careers in governmental communication, political reporting, and political campaigns.

The public relations concentration develops skills and prepares future practitioners in planning and executing the building of relationships and coalitions to advance an enterprise. Graduates typically move to positions in media, governmental, investor, community, and employee relations; special events management; issues management; and public relations counseling.

Curricula for each of the Manship School's concentration areas have been designed to introduce students to a variety of liberal arts courses from other university disciplines in addition to a common core and a core of area-specific mass communication courses. 

A total of 128 semester hours of all courses, including at least 36 hours of courses completed in the Manship School, is required to receive an undergraduate degree in mass communication. Besides MC 2000 (Introduction to the Mass Media), the six core courses that all Manship School majors must complete include:

MC 2010 (Media Writing)
MC 2015 (Visual Communication)
MC 2020 (Foundations of Advertising and Public Relations)
MC 3018 (Foundations of Media Research)
MC 3080 (Mass Media Law)
MC 4090 (Media Ethics and Social Responsibility).

Manship School majors also must complete a minor in a discipline other than mass communication. Typically, a minor will consist of at least 18 hours of coursework as defined by the LSU college or department where the minor is housed.

Request information on our undergraduate program
Send e-mail to Dr. David Kurpius, associate dean: kurpius@lsu.edu

Application

Apply to the Manship School
View or print the Manship School's application with Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

Students who entered LSU at the beginning of the Fall 2001 Semester and afterwards and who wish to major in mass communication will be required to apply for admission to the Manship School of Mass Communication.

Admission Requirements

LSU Students: Admission to the Manship School is competitive. At a minimum, applicants must have completed at least 30 hours of college-level course work, including MC 2010 Media Writing, with a course grade of B or better. Applicants presenting the highest qualifications will be accepted into the Manship School each semester of the academic year. Students with a 3.00 LSU GPA and a 3.00 cumulative GPA will be given priority for admission on a space available basis.* Grade-point average will remain the primary factor for admission, but secondary factors taken into account include the need to balance enrollment among the Schools areas of concentration, demographic diversity, demonstrated professional potential through work on high school or college media, or other life experiences that suggest a strong likelihood of success as a communication professional.

Transfer Students: Transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of course work on the LSU campus with at least a 3.00 LSU GPA to be eligible for admission to the Manship School. All other admission guidelines and procedures described above also apply to transfer students.

 Application Process

Applications are available online, from the Manship School assistant dean and counselor, the Manship School main office, and from University College counselors. Students should apply by 4:00 p.m. Friday of the final week of classes of the semester in which they will have completed the 30-hours of course work and earned a B or better in MC 2010; however, they may apply at any time after they have met the minimum criteria.** Applications for admission to the Manship School must be submitted directly to the Schools main office (Johnston 220 until the School re-occupies the Journalism Building). The Schools Application Review Committee will attempt to notify applicants of admission decisions prior to the first day of class each semester. Students who are denied admission may reapply for admission in a subsequent semester.***

*The size and composition of the Manship School applicant pool each semester sometimes allows consideration of students whose GPA is below but near the 3.00 GPA level. Therefore, students who feel that they might otherwise qualify for Manship School admission but whose GPA falls below 3.00 nonetheless are encouraged to consider applying for admission.

**Students may be submitting applications before knowing what their final grades will be during the semester when they apply. It is assumed that students will be certain enough about their anticipated grades near the end of the semester that they will go ahead and apply. If lower-than-anticipated grades result in denial of admission, the affected student will have the opportunity to apply during a subsequent semester (See below).

***The Manship School has dropped its two application limit. There now are no restrictions on the number of admission applications that students may submit.

Requirements for Minors

Students may be admitted as a minor in mass communication after completing 30 semester hours of coursework with a 3.00 gpa and at least a "B" in MC 2010 (Media Writing). Students who do not meet both of these standards will be allowed in the minor on a space available basis, beginning with the highest gpa average and proceeding in descending order until the spaces are filled. The Manship School's minor is a general minor in mass communication that includes the following six courses: MC 2000, 2010, 2020, 3018, 3080, and 4090.

Student Responsibility

Manship School majors are expected to be proficient in the use of English. Proficiency in keyboarding is also required. This proficiency should be acquired before students enroll in MC 2010 (Media Writing). All written assignments must be keyboarded or typewritten. Students must provide word processors or typewriters for all of their assignments except those written in scheduled laboratories.

Manship School majors must earn at least a "C" in any mass communication course, and students will not be allowed to enroll in a mass communication course unless they have earned at least a "C" in all prerequisite mass communication courses.

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