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COMMUNICATION

Program Advisor: Dr. Clifford Bieberly, Dr. Pam Estell, Tom Galli, Dr. Eva Washburn-Repollo
Mass Communication Sequence Advisors: Dr. Clifford Bieberly
Marketing Communication Sequence Advisors: Dr. Clifford Bieberly, Dr. Pam Estell


Communication Department offers a well-balanced, multifaceted, liberal arts-based curriculum to help students achieve their personal and professional goals. The department’s mission is to prepare students to be effective in social, cultural, and interpersonal settings as well as for work in media professions or for further study. Service-Learning opportunities are built into the communication curriculum, giving students multiple opportunities to apply classroom topics to real-world situations. This includes structured means for reflection on the service experience while helping foster civic and corporate responsibility. Two areas of focus are offered: mass media (broadcasting or print journalism) and integrated marketing (advertising and public relations).

  • Majors can finish the program with internships and participation in a communication practicum.

Requirements

Program Prerequisites

Prerequisites for declaring a major or minor in communication are EN 101, COM 101, and COM 190. Additionally, faculty will conduct entrance interviews with each student and give guidance for program planning given the student’s career interests.

Pre-major Requirements

Pre-major requirements must be fulfilled with grades of “C” or better. Moreover, majors must submit to the program advisor a portfolio of their work in the major to petition for graduation.

Course

title

Credits

COM 200

Introduction to Mass Communication

3

COM 250/COM 250L

Intro to Video Production

3/1

COM 274

Writing for Mass Communication

3

Major Requirements

A total of at least 40 semester hours in upper-division coursework is required for communication majors. The following are required courses in the major.

course

title

credits

COM 320

Professional Presentations

3

COM 325

Photography for Social Change

3

COM 433

Media Law and Ethics

3

COM 370

News Writing

3

COM 371/L

Communication Practicum

3/1

COM 375

Public Relations

3

COM 378

Graphic and Publication Design

3

COM 387

Communication Internship

1 to 3

In addition, students add focused competencies in Integrated Marketing or Mass Media by taking the following courses:

Mass Media (Broadcast and Journalism)

course

title

credits

COM 330/L

Intermediate Video Production

3/1

COM 350/L

Studio Video Production

3/1

COM 430/L

Advanced Video Production

3/1

COM 450/L

Studio Video Production II

3/1

COM 471/L

Communication Practicum II

3/1


Integrated Marketing Communication

course

title

credits

MKT 301

Principles of Marketing

COM 431

Integrated Marketing Communication

3

COM 437/L

Consumer Research

3/1

COM 440

Marketing Strategy

3

COM 476/L

Integrated Campaigns

3/1

Communication minor requirements: 12 semester hours of upper-division courses as directed by the faculty advisor.

Academic Advising for Post-Baccalaureate Work or Study

Students will be advised to take various courses to fulfill the remaining upper-division credits required for graduation, depending on their interests and plans after earning their bachelor’s degree. They may take other communication courses not included in their concentration, or opt to declare a minor in another discipline of their choice.

Students planning to attend graduate school for thesis/dissertation-type post-baccalaureate studies are advised to take the following courses to be introduced to research methodologies and theories related to communication:

course

title

credits

AN/SO 317

Social Research Methods and Evaluation

3

MA 331

Introduction to Probability and Statistics

3

PH 310

Philosophy of Communication

3

PH 405

Theory of Knowledge

3

PH 415

Philosophy of Language

3

PSY 315

Behavioral Sciences Statistics

3

PSY 316

Research Methods in Psychology

3

PSY 322

Social Psychology

3

PSY 411

The Psychology of Small Groups

3

PSY 434

Organizational Psychology

3

PSY 436

Cross-Cultural Psychology

3

Communication students are advised to select from the following courses to provide additional background in their concentration.

For mass-media students interested in broadcasting, the following courses will provide them with additional background in media and technology:

COURSE

TITLE

CREDITS

EN 362

Advanced Expository Writing

3

HI 407

History of Rock-n-Roll

3

HI/POL 475

or

PH 310

History and Politics of Film

or

Philosophy of Communication

3

3

For mass-media students interested in print journalism, the following courses offer an additional background in various writing styles, online publishing, and the legal and philosophical framework of mass communication:

COURSE

TITLE

CREDITS

CJ 430

Legal Research and Writing

3

EN 302

Creative Writing: Fiction

3

EN 303

Creative Writing: Poetry

3

EN 362

Advanced Expository Writing

3

EN 402

Advanced Fiction Writing

3

EN 403

Advanced Poetry Writing

3

HI/POL 401

U.S. Constitution I

3

HI/POL 402

U.S. Constitution II

3

HI 407

History of Rock-n-Roll

3

PH 310

Philosophy of Communication

3

PH 405

Theory of Knowledge

3

PH 415

Philosophy of Language

3

For mass Integrated Marketing students, the following courses provide additional background in integrated media and corporate communication:

COURSE

TITLE

CREDITS

BU 200

Introduction to Business

3

BU 224

Applied Business Statistics

3

BU 308

Professional Writing and Presentation

3

BU 362

Legal and Ethical Issues in Business

3

BU 402

International Business

3

MKT 301

Principles of Marketing

3

EN 362

Advanced Expository Writing

3