Main Departmental Office
Radio, TV, Film and Performing Arts Building, 262
P.O. Box 310589
Denton, TX 76203-0589
(940) 565-2537
Fax: (940) 369-7838
E-mail: RTVF@unt.edu
Web site: www.rtvf.unt.edu
Professors Albarran, Craig, B. Levin, Staples. Associate Professor C.M. Levin, Sauls. Assistant Professors Benshoff, Flores, Loomis, Slavnic. Lecturers Campbell, Cook, Watkins.
The electronic media play an increasingly important part in the lives of many people. For better or worse, most Americans spend a large portion of their time listening to the radio, watching television or going to the movies. Many report that these media provide their chief source of entertainment, news and information. For this reason alone, radio, television and film constitute important areas of study. Whether a student plans a career in the media industries or simply wishes to have a deeper understanding of the cultural impact of media products, a broad liberal arts education is required. The major in radio, television and film provides this broad background, along with a comprehensive study of the electronic media themselves.
Many students' first thought when considering an RTVF major is the area of production. Although production is an important and necessary part of the degree program, students will also study the history of the media, the structure and economic basis of the industry, writing in the particular forms required by the media, and other topics. Essential for the well-educated RTVF major is the development of a keen understanding of how the media industries work, how their products are created, and the cultural impact these products have both on our own society and those of other countries.
The department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the following areas:
Only RTVF pre-majors (PRTF), RTVF majors and certain journalism majors can take RTVF courses. Entering students interested in majoring in RTVF will be classified as pre-majors and will be advised by the department. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the RTVF major. To be admitted to major status (and be eligible to enroll in certain advanced courses), a pre-major must meet the following requirements:
1. Complete at least 45 hours of college courses and:
a. complete the RTVF computer requirement;b. complete the College of Arts and Sciences BA communication requirement;
c. complete the BA English composition requirement with a grade of C or better;
d. complete the College of Arts and Sciences math requirement (at least 3 credits of approved course work above College Algebra, except MATH 1350, or the placement equivalent);
e. complete the foreign language requirement at least through the 1020 level (or the placement equivalent); and
f. complete RTVF courses 1310, 1320 and 2210 with a grade of C or better. Students earning less than a C on any one of these three courses will be allowed to repeat that course only once. Students failing to earn a C or better on the second attempt will not be allowed to take any courses in the RTVF department and will loose their PRTVF status in the department.
2. Have at least a 2.5 UNT GPA. RTVF majors must maintain a UNT GPA of 2.5. RTVF major students whose GPA fall below this standard will be informed of their status by the RTVF department and will not be able to take any classes in the RTVF department until they return their UNT GPA to 2.5 or better.
a. Entering freshmen with RTVF pre-major status (PRTF) who wish to take RTVF 1310 or 1320 must have an SAT score of 1180 or an ACT score of 26 to be eligible to enroll in these classes. Those students who do not meet this requirement must complete 15 hours of UNT core-required classes and pass them with a UNT GPA of 2.5 or better.b. Transfer students with RTVF Pre-major status (PRTF) who have 15 hours of core classes accepted by the College of Arts and Sciences and have a GPA of 2.5 or better from their previous institution will be eligible to enroll in RTVF 1310 and 1320. Transfer students having fewer than 15 hours of transferable core credit must take at least enough core-required hours at UNT that, when added to the transferred hours, will meet the minimum of 15 hours completed with a GPA of 2.5.
Note: Until full-major status is attained, pre-majors will be unable to register for any upper-level RTVF courses except those that satisfy core requirements or practicum credit for either KNTU or NTTV.
1. Hours Required and General/College Requirements: A minimum of 128 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the " General University Requirements" in the Academics section of this catalog and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements.
Students interested in a major in RTVF must apply to the department after successfully completing the pre-major requirements specified under "Admission to the RTVF Major," below.
2. Major Requirements: Students must complete 45 hours (at least 36 advanced) in the major, including RTVF 1310, 1320 and 2210; 3 hours advanced credit in an RTVF writing course selected from RTVF 3010, 3100, 4325, 4330, 4460, 4470 or 4500; 9 hours of advanced credit in production and performance courses selected from RTVF 3210, 3220, 3230, 3300, 3330, 3340, 3440, 3650, 3750, 4330, 4400, 4411, 4412, 4413, 4740, 4750, 4760, 4810 or 4820; 6 hours of advanced credit in industry studies courses selected from: RTVF 4320, 4420, 4430, 4440, 4450, 4510, 4670 or 4850; 9 hours of advanced credit in history or criticism courses selected from: RTVF 3450, 3470, 3475, 3550, 3610, 3640, 3720, 4110, 4120, 4200, 4340, 4350, 4410, 4415, 4550, 4700 or 4710; and 9 hours of advanced RTVF electives. No more than 6 hours of RTVF practicum, internship or special problem courses may be applied to the 45 hours of RTVF courses required for the degree.
3. Other Course Requirements: All prospective RTVF majors must complete at least 3 hours of college-level computer course work. This requirement may be met by satisfactory completion of any of the following: CSCI 1100, Introduction to Computers, or any other 3 hour CSCI course; CECS 1100, Computer Applications; BCIS 2610, Introduction to Computers in Business; or by transfer of a similar college-level computer course approved by the department.
4. Minor: Optional.
5. Electives: See four-year plan.
6. Other Requirements: Only 12 hours of RTVF courses taken at other institutions may be applied toward the 45-hour requirement.
Students majoring in radio/television/film are required to have a minimum grade of C in all RTVF courses to graduate. Students may have only two attempts for a grade of C or better for each RTVF course.
Students must observe prerequisites for each RTVF course. If a student has not completed prerequisites for a courses with a grade of C or better, the student is subject to administrative drop from the course without notice. Prerequisites are listed with individual course descriptions.
Because of the high demand for many RTVF courses, students who miss the first class without consent of the instructor are subject to be dropped from the course so that other students may be added. Students who must miss the first day of class because of illness or some other acceptable excuse should notify the department office the day of the absence.
Students may register for only one section of a course at a time. Students registered for more than one section of a course will be dropped from all sections of that course without notice. The policy does not apply to courses such as special topics, which may bear the same course number but are different courses.
Aural competency in distinguishing discrete sounds, and visual competency in distinguishing shapes, forms, colors and movements are required to complete RTVF critical studies courses. Additional visual competency to utilized studio and location equipment and manual dexterity to operate equipment are required to complete RTVF production courses. Articulation competency to achieve broadcast industry standards may be required. Specific competency requirements for internship, seminar and special problems courses are available from the RTVF department.
Students majoring in radio/television/film may choose a minor field of study. Suggested minors coordinated with student career goals are art/photography (for career in film), business (broadcast advertising, sales and management), drama (production/performance), education (instructional media), journalism (broadcast news) and social sciences (general).
Students who wish to minor in radio/television/film must take 18 semester hours, of which 9 must be advanced. Faculty advisers are available to assist students in choosing minor courses.
This interdepartmental certificate program is open to students majoring in RTVF or in journalism with a concentration in broadcast news. Interested students must apply and be admitted into the restricted Television News Producing Certificate program. Students must complete at least 6 hours in journalism (JOUR 2340 and 4330) and 6 hours in RTVF (RTVF 1310 and 2210) as prerequisites before taking RTVF 4850, Television News Producing, for a total of 15 credit hours. Both departments recommend an internship in a professional news operation (radio, television, newspaper, etc.) to supplement the program, although the internship is not required for completion of the certificate.
The department offers degree programs leading to the Master of Arts and Master of Science. For information, consult the Graduate Catalog.
Radio station KNTU-FM, broadcasting at 100,000 watts on 88.1 MHz, serves the McKinney–Denton–Dallas–Fort Worth area daily from 6 a.m. to midnight with educational, information and entertainment programming. All students at UNT are eligible to work at KNTU, where they can learn skills in radio production, programming and station administration. More information is available at www.kntu.fm.
North Texas Television (NTTV) is a student operated cable television channel where students learn to produce video programs on a wide range of topics and formats including news, sports, public affairs and entertainment. All students at UNT are eligible to work at NTTV.
The department participates actively as an institutional member of the Broadcast Education Association the University Film and Video Association, the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators, and the Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) student chapter.
The Department of Radio, Television and Film awards scholarships each year in the spring semester. Candidates must be majors with the RTVF department at the time of their application. Information for applications is posted in early March. Scholarship money is applied towards tuition in the fall semester.
Edwin L. Glick Scholarship is an academic scholarship award to recognize demonstrated excellence and promise in the study of broadcasting and cable at the University of North Texas. Scholarships are for amounts up to $600.
Mark Rybczyk Scholarship is a fund to support undergraduate students in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who have demonstrated merit, motivation and talent with the means to complete their education at the University of North Texas. Scholarship amounts range from $100 to $1,000.
Paramount Pictures Undergraduate Scholarship is an academic scholarship award to recognize demonstrated excellence and promise in the study and production of electronic media and film at the University of North Texas. Scholarship amounts range from $100 to $800.
This fund supports undergraduate students in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who have demonstrated merit, motivation and talent with the means to complete their education at the University of North Texas. Scholarship amounts range from $100 to $1,000.
1. Meet minimum entrance and academic performance standards of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Radio, Television and Film.
2. Students must be enrolled for at least 12 hours of study in both the spring and fall semester.
3. Enroll as full-time undergraduate major in the Department of Radio, Television and Film.
4. Minimum of 60 hours of course work toward a degree completed at the time of application.
5. Minimum UNT GPA of 3.0
Applications are accepted in the spring semester after the call for applications is posted. An application must include the student's name, ID number, hours completed through fall of the previous year, UNT GPA, overall GPA and name of an RTVF faculty familiar with your work. In a typed letter of applications the following need to be addressed:
1. What are your professional goals upon graduation from UNT?
2. How have you prepared to accomplish these goals through your education and outside activities?
3. How will this award help you accomplish your goals?
This fund provides scholarships for Jarvis Christian College students attending the university under a joint degree program with the College of Arts and Sciences departments of journalism and radio, television and film.
1. Meet minimum entrance and academic performance standards of Jarvis Christian College, the University of North Texas College of Art and Sciences and the departments of journalism and radio, television and film.
2. Students must be enrolled for al least 12 hours of study in both the spring and fall semester.
3. Enroll as full-time undergraduate major in the Department of Radio, Television and Film.
4. Minimum of 60 hours of course work toward a degree completed at the time of application.
5. Minimum UNT GPA of 3.0.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
BA with a Major in Radio/Television/Film (pdf)
FRESHMAN YEAR
CSCI 1100, Introduction to Computer Science 3ENGL 1310, College Writing I* 3
LANG 1010, Foreign Language** 4
RTVF 1310, Perspectives on Radio and Television 3
Wellness* 3
Total 16
ENGL 1320, College Writing II* 3LANG 1020, Foreign Language** 4
MATH (above College Algebra, except 1350)** 3
RTVF 1320, Perspectives on Film 3
Communication** 3
Total 16
HIST 2610, United States History to 1865* 3LANG 2040, Foreign Language (intermediate)** 3
RTVF 2210, Introduction to Audio, Video and Film Production 3
Humanities* 3
Natural Sciences** 4
Total 16
HIST 2620, United States History Since 1865* 3LANG 2050, Foreign Language (intermediate)** 3
RTVF Writing (advanced) 3
Literature** 3
Physical Science** 4
Total 16
PSCI 1040, American Government* 3RTVF Industry Studies (advanced) 3
RTVF Production/Performance (advanced) 3
Cross-cultural, Diversity and Global Studies* 3
Visual and Performing Arts* 3
Total 15
PSCI 1050, American Government* 3RTVF Industry Studies (advanced) 3
RTVF Production/Performance (advanced) 3
Laboratory Sciences** 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences* 3
Total 16
RTVF History/Criticism (advanced) 3RTVF History/Criticism (advanced) 3
RTVF Production/Performance (advanced) 3
RTVF Elective (advanced) 3
Elective (advanced) 3
Elective (advanced) 3
Total 18
RTVF History/Criticism 3Actual degree plans may vary depending on availability of courses in a given semester. Some courses may require prerequisites not listed. Students may wish to use opportunities for electives to complete a minor of their choice.RTVF Elective (advanced) 3
RTVF Elective (advanced) 3
Elective (advanced) 3
Elective 3
Total 15
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