Communication Major
Requirements for a major in communication: students must complete 51 credit hours, which may include a maximum of 8 credit hours in a related discipline, to complete the major.
The curriculum for the communication major is divided into two main components; each component in turn has two categories of available courses. The Theory and Methods component contains the Culture and Society and Visual Aesthetics courses; the Practicum component contains the Writing and Sound, Image and Motion courses. Students must take courses in each of these four areas (minimum credits and prerequisites for each area are identified later in this section).
All cross-listed courses should be taken with a COM designation. Foundation courses (*) are required courses. All COM majors must take a minimum of 16 COM credits at the 300 level or above. At least one of those courses must be at the 400 level.
Degree Requirements
Theory and Methods Component
Culture and Society
(Students must take a minimum of 8 credit hours, 4 of which must be at the 300 level or above.)
| COM 224 | Mass Media and Society | 4 |
| COM 282 | Survey of Advertising and Public Relations | 4 |
| COM 301 | Introduction to Organizational Communication | 4 |
| COM 323 | Frontiers of Communication | 4 |
| COM 326/GWA 326 | Political Campaigns and Electoral Politics | 4 |
| COM 327 | Communication and Law | 4 |
| COM 332 | Television Criticism | 4 |
| COM 334 | Information and the New World Order | 4 |
| COM 365 | Critical Analysis of Media Events | 4 |
| COM 380 | Culture, Society and Computing Technology | 4 |
| COM 401 | Intercultural Communication | 4 |
| COM 425 | Information Technology and Human Values | 4 |
| COM 426/GWA 426 | Public Opinion, the Media and Power | 4 |
| COM 436 | Critical Studies in Public Communication | 4 |
| COM 443 | Communication and Cultural Studies | 4 |
| COM 444 | Wordimagebookscreen | 4 |
| COM 470 | Communication Research Methods | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Visual Aesthetics
(Students must take a minimum of 8 credit hours.)
Practicum Component
Writing
(Students must take a minimum of 8 credit hours.)
Sound, Image and Motion
(Students must take a minimum of 8 credit hours.)
Other Courses
| COM 250 | Practicum in Broadcast Management | 1-4 |
| WRI 273 | Practicum in Student Publications | 1-4 |
| COM 354 | Internship in Communication | 1-4 |
| COM 399 | Independent Study in Communication | 1-4 |
| COM 446 | Advanced Topics in Communication | 4 |
| COM 499 | Senior Project | 4 |
| COM 452 | Advanced Producing and the International Film Market | 4 |
| COM 583 | Advertising Campaigns | 4 |
| COM 584 | Public Relations Campaigns | 4 |
*COM 224, 232, 241: Foundation course, required
COM 226: Foundation course, option; students must take one and may take both
Total Credit Hours: 51
Prerequisites for individual courses are listed in the course descriptions.
A maximum of 8 credit hours in related courses outside the major may be applied to the total of 51 required credit hours to complete department requirements. These courses should closely coincide with the student’s scholarly or career interests, and should be chosen with the advice of a communication faculty adviser.
Credit hours earned in COM 354 Internship in Communication cannot be used to meet the 300 level or above requirement in the major. Students may take a maximum of 8 credit hours in COM 354.
Students may take two Sound, Image and Motion courses in the same semester but only with the written approval of the faculty members teaching those two courses and the chair of the department.
A student who wishes to enroll in COM 499 Senior Project should secure a faculty sponsor the semester preceding the semester in which he or she plans to enroll.
The program provides individual access to production equipment in several courses. Students will be required to sign financial responsibility statements to gain access to the equipment.