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Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Communication

The Communication degree has concentrations in Advertising, Communication Studies, Journalism, Interactive Media/Game Studies, Public Relations/Organizational Communication, Radio, TV, Film and Sports Communication. Communication is a discipline that involves the study of symbolic behavior in many contexts. Regardless of their specialties, communicators are involved in fundamentally similar activities. They gather and process information, and create and disseminate messages. Advertisers, journalists, public relations practitioners, public speakers, television, radio, film, or multimedia producers, and all who communicate with others engage in these essential operations.

Note: A minimum of 90 credits in Liberal Arts are required.

Note: Students will be held to the requirements of the catalog of the year in which they declare their major. Following are the requirements for the most recent catalog.

Required Communication Courses
The communication major is required to take four foundation courses. These courses will be taken during the freshman and sophomore years.

• Communication Foundation Courses
• 3 credits each
• COM 100 Communication Principles
• COM 101 Public Presentations
• COM 200 Communication Research: Strategies and Methods
• COM 201 Communication in Society
• Total Communication Foundation Courses
• 12 credits

Choose from one of eight Concentrations
Communication majors are required to select one of eight concentrations which will focus their study of communication on: Advertising, Communication Studies, Journalism, Interactive Media/Game Studies, Public Relations/Organizational Communication, Radio, TV, Film or Sports Communication. These course requirements constitute a systematic study of the application of communication principles to a particular area of interest or specific profession. The courses which make up the communication concentration requirements provide a focus and depth of study for the communication student.

Total Communication Concentration Courses 15-18 credits

Communication Electives
Each student is required to take 4 additional communication elective courses at the 300-400 level. A student, in consultation with a communication faculty advisor, will select four communication electives. These courses may be drawn from any area of the communication curriculum. These courses could be selected to allow a greater depth in investigating subjects encountered in the communication foundation or concentration requirements. Alternatively, these courses could be designed to broaden a student's understanding of subjects beyond the student's specialized concentration. Thirdly, communication electives could be selected in association with one's cognate courses to organize the student's study around a special interest related to communication (e.g., journalistic coverage of criminal justice issues, media uses in developing nations, communication and politics).

Note: Internships carry non-liberal arts elective credits and will not fulfill the above requirements.

Communication Capping Course

COM 401 - Capping

TOTAL COMMUNICATION COURSES 42-45 CREDITS

Course Requirements in Related Fields

CSIS 103 - Intro to Computer Systems 3 credits

Cognate (Com Cog) 6-12 credits
Cognates are organizational schemas which help guide a student's choices for Core/Liberal Studies courses or free electives so that such courses are more clearly connected to a student's study of a particular area of communication and more systematically extend that study into related skills and knowledge areas. A cognate includes 12 credits that students select with the approval of their advisor and the Chairperson during registration once they have completed 30 credit hours. These courses may be in different departments but are related to the student's educational and professional goals. Some of these courses may fulfill Core Liberal Studies Requirements. Two of these courses must be at the 300 level or above. Courses developing subjects in the student's Core/Liberal Studies requirements and extending those subjects with related free electives are especially appropriate for this Com Cog requirement. Any non-communication minor or certificate will also satisfy this requirement.

Foreign Language and or Culture requirement (Com LC) 0-6 credits
Consistent with our stated mission to prepare communication students to live within an increasingly diverse global economy, this requirement necessitates that students plan a component of their education which better enables them to communicate with diverse audiences. In consultation with a communication faculty advisor, a student may select two courses drawn from Modern Language offerings in language (any level) or culture. These courses may also fulfill Core Liberal Studies Requirements. Otherwise, students must select courses from among the following or select other suitable courses with the approval of their advisors to fulfill the Com LC requirement. However, only ONE of the Communication courses in this list can be used for both the foreign language and/or culture requirement AND one of the three required 300-400 level communication elective courses.

View the course descriptions.

Students are permitted to count a course as fulfilling both a Com LC and a Com Cog requirement.
Total Course Requirements in Related Fields 9-21 credits

Core/Liberal Studies Requirement

Foundation

Total Core/Liberal Studies Requirement 45-48 cr

General Electives 6-24 cr
*Students are encouraged to take intermediate foreign language or culture courses which may be used as substitutes for second course in certain areas. See the Core/Liberal Studies Curriculum description of the foreign language option in the catalog.
TOTAL CREDIT REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION 120 CREDITS

Internship Requirements 0-15 Credits
A Communication Internship is a supervised academic experience that puts you into a "real job." It's an opportunity to test theories learned in the classroom in an actual work setting and is a link to the world of work - a window to establishing a career in a chosen profession.

Students may take up to 14 non-communication, general elective, non-liberal arts credits in internships during Fall, Spring, or Summer semester only. Students may enroll in more than one internship. International internships are also available through application to the Marist Study Abroad Program. Students must have Junior standing and permission of the Internship Director.

Prerequisite: CRDV 100N Employment Practicum (1 credit) must be completed prior to the semester in which the student plans to do an internship.

Academic requirements:

• Completion of 60 credit hours
• 2.5 GPA
• Meet in person with Internship Director prior to start of the semester of the internship