Overview

The sports broadcasting track was designed to prepare students for the ever-expanding field of sports media. Students on this track have direct access to sports broadcasting opportunities through Youngstown State University Athletics, including NCAA Division I sports, via Horizon League and Missouri Valley Conference (i.e., Penguin football) streams and broadcasts. Students learn the process of preparing content through the pre- and post-production phases as well as evaluation of the content. Courses include Broadcast Sports Producing & Writing, Broadcast Sports Performance, Cross-Platform Sports Broadcasting, Sports Media Production, and Sports Field Production.

The telecommunication studies-sports broadcasting track curriculum is designed to prepare students in pursuit of careers not only in sports media but also in expanding avenues of communication such as cross-platform sports production (i.e., preparing sports content for multiple platforms), media sales and advertising, writing and editing, and independent production. Sports media internships are available at regionally based, national and international media organizations such as ESPN and Fox Sports affiliates and flagship locations.

Possible Careers

  • Camera operator
  • Digital media producer, director, editor
  • On-air host
  • Media sales
  • Media management
  • Multimedia producer
  • Public and media relations
  • Radio DJ
  • Sports journalist, blogger
  • Sports media content producer
  • Sports media director, editor
  • Social media manager, content creator
  • Sports TV/Radio show host, producer
  • Sports video blogger (vlogger)
  • Video producer, director, editor

Complementary Minors

  • Advertising and Public Relations
  • Business
  • Creative Writing
  • Digital Media
  • Electronic Commerce Tech
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Graphic Design
  • Interactive Design
  • Journalism
  • Magazine and Specialty Reporting
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Multimedia and Web Design
  • Multimedia Reporting
  • Photography
  • Professional Writing and Editing
  • Social Media Campaigns
  • Web Communications
COURSE TITLE S.H.
FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS
YSU 1500Success Seminar1-2
or SS 1500 Strong Start Success Seminar
or HONR 1500 Intro to Honors
General Education Requirements
ENGL 1550Writing 13-4
or ENGL 1549 Writing 1 with Support
ENGL 1551Writing 23
CMST 1545Communication Foundations3
Mathematics Requirement (e.g., MATH 2623, STAT 2625)3
Arts and Humanities (2 courses)6
Natural Sciences (2 courses, 1 with lab) 7
Social Science (2 courses)6
Social and Personal Awareness (2 courses )6
Foreign Language Requirement
FNLG 1550Elementary Foreign Language4
FNLG 2600Intermediate Foreign Language4
Major Requirements
TCOM 1500Orientation to Telecommunication Studies1
TCOM 1510Sports Field Production 11
TCOM 1570Introduction to Electronic Sports Media3
TCOM 1581Telecommunication Technologies2
TCOM 2610Sports Field Production 21
TCOM 2682Scriptwriting for Electronic Media3
TCOM 2683Media Operations and Performance3
TCOM 3710Sports Field Production 31
TCOM 3783Telecommunications Regulation3
TCOM 3792Broadcast Sports Producing and Writing3
TCOM 3793Broadcast Sports Performance3
TCOM 3794Cross-platform Sports Broadcasting3
TCOM 3795Advanced Sports Media3
TCOM 4887Theories and Criticisms of Telecommunication3
CMST 5889Theory of Sports and Communication3
TCOM 4889Broadcast Sports Internship3
TCOM 4899Capstone2
TCOM Electives6
Select a minimum of 6 s.h. of TCOM Electives.
Minor Requirements (some minors require more than 12 credits)12
Electives to reach 120 hrs (students must complete 39 hours of upper division courses; 37xx and above)15
Total Semester Hours120-122
Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallS.H.
YSU 1500
or SS 1500
or HONR 1500
 Success Seminar
or Strong Start Success Seminar
or Intro to Honors
 1-2
ENGL 1550
or ENGL 1549
 Writing 1
or Writing 1 with Support
 3-4
MATH 2623 Quantitative Reasoning 3
TCOM 1500 Orientation to Telecommunication Studies 1
TCOM 1570 Introduction to Electronic Sports Media 3
TCOM 1581 Telecommunication Technologies 2
 Semester Hours13-15
Spring
ENGL 1551 Writing 2 3
CMST 1545 Communication Foundations 3
TCOM 1510 Sports Field Production 1 1
TCOM 2682 Scriptwriting for Electronic Media 3
TCOM 2683 Media Operations and Performance 3
AH XXXX GER Arts & Humanities 3
 Semester Hours16
Year 2
Fall
TCOM 3793 Broadcast Sports Performance 3
Elective Course 3
NS XXXX GER Natural Science 3
FNLG 1550 Elementary Foreign Language 4
TCOM 2610 Sports Field Production 2 1
 Semester Hours14
Spring
TCOM 3792 Broadcast Sports Producing and Writing 3
Elective course 3
AH XXXX GER Arts & Humanities 3
SS XXXX GER Social Sciences 3
FNLG 2600 Intermediate Foreign Language 4
 Semester Hours16
Year 3
Fall
TCOM 3794 Cross-platform Sports Broadcasting 3
TCOM 3783 Telecommunications Regulation 3
Minor course 3
SPA XXXX GER Social & Personal Awareness 3
General Elective 2
TCOM 3710 Sports Field Production 3 1
 Semester Hours15
Spring
TCOM 4887 Theories and Criticisms of Telecommunication 3
TCOM 3795 Advanced Sports Media 3
TCOM Elective 3
Upper-division Minor course 3
GER Social Science 3
 Semester Hours15
Year 4
Fall
TCOM 4889 Broadcast Sports Internship 3
Upper-division Minor course 3
TCOM Elective 3
Upper-divsion General Elective 3
GER Social & Personal Awareness 3
 Semester Hours15
Spring
TCOM 4899 Capstone 2
GER Lab Science 4
Upper-division Minor course 3
General Elective 4
CMST 5889 Theory of Sports and Communication 3
 Semester Hours16
 Total Semester Hours120-122

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The student learning outcomes for the B.A. degree program in telecommunication studies are as follows:

  • The student will construct arguments using basic reasoning skills and avoiding fallacies;
  • The student will compose messages using multi-media technology;
  • The student will design written, oral, and visual messages to communicate ideas to a specific audience;
  • The student will appraise the values, attitudes, and goals of a potential audience using demographic and psychographic variables;
  • The student will describe the prevailing theories of electronic media and appraise the relative value of each.