Communication Studies

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Communication is an individual’s most distinct and significant behavior and is the building block of literacy; the ability to speak and write clearly, eloquently, and effectively has been recognized as the hallmark of an educated person since the beginning of recorded history.
 

The Communication Studies Department views communicative behavior as central to human activity: to individual development, to interpersonal relationships, and to the functioning of political, economic, cultural, and social institutions.
 

The Communication 4+1 Program allows students to earn both a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.A. in Professional Communication (MAPC) in five years. After 4+1 students complete two undergraduate communication research courses (which count toward both the BA and MA degrees), they can enroll in two MAPC courses in their senior year. In the fifth and final year, they can complete the MAPC program as graduate students. This program prepares graduates for careers in content creation and management, corporate communication, media and public relations, and digital content strategy, among other professional communication jobs.COMS will not be affected because COMS undergraduates will meet their undergraduate degree requirements without any degree modification. MAPC is proposing to modify program entry by substituting up to two COMS courses (8-units total) to transfer and meet MAPC’s 32-unit degree requirement. In addition, MAPC proposes that undergraduate COMS students would be admitted as undergraduates, so they can take up to 8-units of MAPC coursework in their fourth year as undergraduates. This articulation is supported by MAPC’s administrative staff.

Programs

• Advertising Major
• Advertising, Creative Concentration, Major
• Advertising, Strategy & Research Concentration, Major
• Communication Studies Major

• Advertising Minor
• Communication Studies Minor
• Public Relations Minor

• Professional Communication, Health Communication Concentration, MA
• Professional Communication, MA
• Professional Communication, Strategic Communication Concentration, MA
• Professional Communication, Technical Communication Concentration, MA

• Professional Communication Certificate

• Communication Studies/Professional Communication, Health Communication Concentration (4+1), BA/MA
• Communication Studies/Professional Communication, Strategic Communication Concentration (4+1), BA/MA
• Communication Studies/Professional Communication, Technical Communication Concentration (4+1), BA/MA

Return to: College of Arts and Sciences