Communication, B.A.

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120 Credit Hours

*Must include a minor from outside the program.

General Education Requirements - 43 Credit Hours

Communication majors must meet the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements as set out in the General Education Program .

General Education Recommendations

Fine Art Requirement: Communication majors are well-advised to take THE 2212 - Theatre Appreciation in order to fulfill the Fine Arts requirement of the General Education program.
Global Studies Requirement: In light of the unique interdisciplinary approach in the School of Communication and Media towards studying all manifestations of human communication, the faculty strongly recommends that students majoring in Communication take JEM 3123 - International Cinema , COM 3203 - Intercultural Communication or COM 3523 - Global Digital Media Ethics to fulfill the Global Studies requirement of the General Education curriculum.
Social Science Requirement: Communication majors should carefully consider taking COM 3563 - Introduction to Communication Research to fulfill the Social Science requirement of the program.

Required School of Communication and Media Courses - 9 Credit Hours

Required Communication Courses - 15 Credit Hours

Communication Electives - 12 Credit Hours

Students must choose 12 credit hours of communication electives from any of the courses below:

Note:

Students may choose to emphasize a particular area of study within the field of Communication. Working with his or her academic advisor, students may craft optional emphases in Communication Studies, Media Studies, Organizational Communication, Rhetoric and Culture, or Speech Communication.

Communication Program Liberal Arts Requirement

The faculty of the Communication Program believes that a strong foundation in the liberal arts tradition is essential for a robust education in the field of Communication. Therefore, students majoring in Communication must complete an additional 3 credit hours in one of the following options:

Option A:

One of the following natural science courses:

Note:

(The natural science course taken as part of the student’s General Education Requirement cannot also fulfill this requirement).

Option B:

FRN 1113 - Elementary French I

Option C:

SPN 1113 - Elementary Spanish I

Communication Academic Showcase

Communication majors are required to participate twice in the Communication Academic Showcase. First, after declaring their major, students will respond to an artifact assigned by their faculty advisor and present it in the form of a speech or an essay at the annual event. The second event occurs when majors reach their senior year at which time they will register for COM 4910 Communication Academic Showcase Project. Graduating students will showcase their work by responding to the original artifact, applying knowledge from their coursework to a speech or poster project. We advise students to maintain a portfolio of papers, debates, and presentations from all of their Communication classes in order to have a ready source of work from which to draw. The Communication faculty will assess the student work entered into the Communication Academic Showcase. Failure to pass COM 4910 will result in a postponement of graduation.

Note:

*A minor and 38-39 additional credit hours are required to meet the 120 total and the 42 upper-division credit hour requirements.

Sample Degree Plan

Communication Degree Plan