Communication, BA

For more information about the Communication department, visit its website.

The Communication major is designed for students interested in public speaking and organizational communication, as well as those who intend to continue their education with graduate school or law school. The department offers two tracks within the Communication major: Communication & the Law and Communication Leadership. The Communication & the Law track offers courses that deal with argumentation, debate, persuasion, propaganda, political communication and mass communication law. The Communication Leadership track prepares students for leadership in communication within an organization.

Students may take only one track within the major. Students are further restricted to only one major within the Department of Communication, though they are invited and encouraged to select a second major from outside the department.

Degree Program Requirements

A student wishing to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 36 credits from the department’s course offerings. Included among these 36 credits are eight core courses required for all Communication majors:

Department Track Requirements

Although the media are interrelated, students should develop an in-depth knowledge of at least one specific field. To that end, students majoring in Communication must select a track, or area of study, within the department. Although the department expects students to enroll in multiple courses within their chosen track, each track has two required courses:

Communication and the Law Track

Communication Leadership Media Track

Communication Curriculum

	Department and Number - Descriptive Course Title	Fall Cr.	Spr. Cr.
First Year
MAJOR	COMM 109 - G/S/P Skill Set – COMM 115 - (W,EPW) Writing for Communication	1	3
MAJOR	COMM ELECT - Comm. Elective		3
COGNATE	COGNATE ELECT - Cognate Elective	3
GE/WRTG - GE/SPCH	COMM 108 - (FYW) Essential Writing Skills ¹ – COMM 100 - (FYOC) Public Speaking ^*	3	3
GE C/IL	C/IL 102/102L - (FYDT) Computing and Information Literacy *	3
GE HUMN	HUMN ELECT - Humanities Electives	3	3
GE PHIL - T/RS	PHIL 120 - Introduction to Philosophy – T/RS 121 - (P) Theology I: Introduction to the Bible	3	3
GE FSEM	First Year Seminar ²
		16	15
Second Year
MAJOR	COMM 210 - (W,EPW) Logical and Rhetorical Analysis		3
MAJOR	COMM 215 - Introduction to Communication Theory	3
MAJOR	COMM 250 Principle Communication Competencies		3
MAJOR	COMM 315 - The Art of the Pitch	3
COGNATE	COGNATE ELECT - Cognate Electives	3	3
GE PHIL - T/RS	PHIL 210 - Ethics – T/RS 122 - (P) Theology II: Introduction to Christian Theology	3	3
GE QUAN - S/BH	QUAN ELECT - Quantitative Elective – S/BH ELECT - Social/Behavioral Elective	3	3
		15	15
Third Year
MAJOR	COMM 316 - Communication Ethics – COMM ELECT - COMM Elective	3	3
MAJOR	COMM ELECT – COMM Elective	3	3
COGNATE	COGNATE ELECT – Cognate Electives	3	3
GE PHIL - T/RS	PHIL ELECT - Philosophy Elective or T/RS ELECT - Elective	3
GE NSCI	NSCI ELECT – Natural Science Electives	3	3
GE ELECT	FREE ELECT – Free Electives	3	3
		18	15
Fourth Year
MAJOR	COMM 415 - Senior Seminar	3
MAJOR	COMM ELECT - COMM Elective		3
COGNATE	COGNATE ELECT - Cognate Electives	3	6
GE HUMN - S/BH	HUMN ELECT - Humanities Elective – S/BH ELECT - Social/Behavioral Elective	3	3
GE ELECT	FREE ELECT - Free Electives	6	3
		15	15
	Total: 124 Credits

¹The Department of Communication prefers students fulfill (FYW) requirements by completing COMM 108 . However WRTG 107 or WRTG 105 and WRTG 106 may be substituted.

²The selection of a First Year Seminar is likely to fulfill requirements both for the First Year Seminar and a General Education Requirement. Thus, the First Year Seminar will not add to the total credits for the semester. Talk with your advisor if you have any questions.

*An approved 3-credit EP Foundation Course may be substituted for COMM 100 and C/IL 102/102L -C/IL 104 . In this case, the total needed for graduation in this major may be reduced. Consult with your advisor if you have questions.

Communication, BA

Degree Program Requirements

Department Track Requirements

Communication and the Law Track

Communication Leadership Media Track

Communication Curriculum

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

Total: 124 Credits