BA in Communications

About the major: The major in Communication Studies offers students an opportunity to develop excellent communication skills and a thorough knowledge of the theory of human communication. As a Communication Studies major, you will take a variety of courses in which you will develop skills in public speaking, interpersonal communication and group communication. Good communication skills are highly desirable and help anyone attain better personal, academic and professional success.

Mission Statement: The Communication Studies major prepares students for careers in communication-related and other fields and to be active participants in civic culture by teaching them to analyze, interpret, and critique communication; to communicate clearly and persuasively; and, to understand and evaluate messages in a variety of media and multicultural contexts.

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to apply the appropriate research methods to answer questions about communication or communication-related issues.
Students will be able to think critically about messages to reach an effective conclusion or outcome.
Students will develop competency in written communication skills.
Students will develop competency in oral communication skills.
Students will be able to utilize communication theory as a tool to understand how messages function across multiple contexts.

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Career Opportunities

Employers in business, government and education identify excellent communication skills as the most important quality they desire in hiring employees. The Communication Studies major is designed to help you develop exceptional skills in all aspects of communication, with particular emphasis on oral performance. Our majors find careers in many different fields, including business, government, education, law and religion. Our alumni include lawyers, members of the clergy, communication consultants, managers and government officials.

Degree Requirements

Students in the Communications Studies department program will take the following course work.

For the degree a minimum of 120 credit hours total taken through three types of courses: College general education requirements, Liberal Arts group requirements, and department major requirements and elective courses are required.

Major Requirements
36 credit hours distributed as follows:
18 credit hours:
SPC 1608 Public Speaking (3 credit hours)
COM 2000 Introduction to Communication Studies (3 credit hours)
COM 2110 Argumentation & Debate (3 credit hours)
COM 3400 Theories of Communication (3 credit hours)
COM 4190 or 4210 Rhetorical Criticism or Research Methods (3 credit hours)
COM 5900 Senior Project (3 credit hours)

18 credit hours selected from the following areas:
Two Communications Studies courses at 2000/3000 level
Two Communications Studies courses at 4000 level
Two Communications Studies courses at 5000 level

A sample course sequence for the First Year is:
First Semester
Course Number Title Credit Hours
ENC 1101 Composition I 3
CGS 1060c Computer and Internet Literacy 3
One course in Humanities category 3
One course in Math or Science category 3
SPC 1608 Introduction to Public Speaking 3

Second Semester
Course Number Title Credit Hours
ENC 1102 Composition II 3
COM 2000 Intro to Communication Studies 3
HPL 1081 Wellness 2
One course in Math or Science category 3 or 4
One course in Social Science/Behavioral Science category 3

General Education Group and Competency Requirements
The college has established General Education Requirements, requiring a total of 36 credits of General Education coursework to be satisfied by all students. These requirements are listed below.

AREA 1 COMMUNICATIONS
Take ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 and either SPC 1024 or SPC 1608 9 credit hours

AREA 2 HUMANITIES
Take two courses, for a total of 6 credit hours 6 credit hours

AREA 3 SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 6 credit hours
One Social Science course and one Behavioral Science course

AREA 4 SCIENCE 9 credit hours
Take one Physical Science for 3 credit hours; one Biological Science for 3 credit hours; one Laboratory (either with the Physical Science or Biological Science course) for 1 credit hour; and one Wellness course, for 2 credit hours.

AREA 5 MATHEMATICS 6 credit hours
Take two courses, for a total of 6 credit hours

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
W = Writing credit course. Students must take ENC 1101; ENC 1102; and two additional writing credit courses, 6 credits, to graduate.
I = International/Intercultural Course. Students must take 3 credits of international/intercultural coursework to graduate.

NOTES
Any student who successful completes a mathematics or natural science course for which one of the General Education Core Course options is an immediate prerequisite shall be considered to have completed the mathematics or science core requirement.
(I) = this course counts toward the international/intercultural requirement in the AA and baccalaureate degrees.
(W) = this course counts toward the writing requirement in the AA and baccalaureate degrees.

*All course requirements and offerings are subject to change

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