Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies
To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and fulfill the University's General Requirements for graduation and the Core Curriculum requirements, the college graduation requirements given in Special Requirements of the College, and the requirements given in Special Requirements, Prescribed Work, and Major Requirements below.
Special Requirements
Students may take no more than nine hours of communication studies coursework, including transfer work, before they have declared a major in communication studies. Exceptions may be made for students who have officially declared a communication studies minor with their colleges, and for communication studies courses taken during a summer session. Students minoring in communication studies may take only the number of hours required for the minor.
To enroll in upper-division communication studies courses, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.25 and a grade point average in courses in the College of Communication of at least 2.00. Students who do not fulfill this requirement will be dropped from upper-division communication studies courses, normally before the twelfth class day. This requirement is waived for the transfer student during the first semester of coursework, while he or she is establishing a University grade point average.
In addition, a student with a major in communication studies must have a grade of at least C in each course taken in the College of Communication that is counted toward the degree; if the course is offered on the pass/fail basis only, the student must have the symbol CR.
A student majoring in communication studies may not register for more than nine semester hours of communication studies in one semester or summer session.
Core Curriculum
All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum, as well as the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies listed below under Prescribed Work. In some cases, a course required for the BSCommStds may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below.
Prescribed Work
1. Three semester hours in English or rhetoric and writing in addition to the courses required by the core curriculum.
2. Two courses with a writing flag; one course with a quantitative reasoning flag; one course with an ethics and leadership flag; and one course with a cultural diversity in the United States flag. Courses that fulfill these requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
Major Requirements
1. At least thirty but no more than thirty-six semester hours of communication studies. At least fifteen hours must be in upper-division coursework. Each student must complete one of the following tracks:
a. Corporate Communication
1. Communication Studies 306M, 313M, and 332K.
2. Six semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 310K, 316L, 320, 335, 337, 338, 341, 346, 350M, 370K, and 372K.
3. Fifteen additional semester hours of communication studies.
b. Human Relations
1. Communication Studies 306M and 332K.
2. Nine semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 314L, 315M, 330, 334K, 344K, 354, 355K, 357, 358, 370K, and 371K.
3. Fifteen additional semester hours of communication studies.
c. Political Communication
1. Communication Studies 306M, 317C, and 332K.
2. Nine semester hours chosen from the following courses: Communication Studies 331K, 332, 333, 340K, 342K, 345, and 370K.
3. Twelve additional semester hours of communication studies.
2. At least six semester hours of coursework must be taken in the College of Communication but outside communication studies. However, no student may count toward the degree more than forty-two semester hours (including transfer credit) in College of Communication coursework.
3. No College of Communication course to be counted toward the degree may be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis.
Order and Choice of Work
First Year
- The student must take three courses from the following group each semester:
- Rhetoric and Writing 306.
- Courses to be counted toward the American history, American and Texas government, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, and science and technology requirements of the core curriculum.
- Courses in a foreign language.
- Enough additional coursework to raise the student’s course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester. Courses should be chosen with the guidance of a college adviser.
First-year students may not take two beginning foreign language courses in the same semester. First-year students may not take more than eight semester hours in one department.
Second Year
- The student must take three courses from the following group each semester; four are recommended:
- English 316K and any three-semester-hour course in English or rhetoric and writing.
- Courses to be counted toward the American history, American and Texas government, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, and science and technology requirements of the core curriculum.
- Courses in the foreign language, unless the language requirement has been fulfilled.
- Lower-division communication studies courses recommended by the student’s adviser.
- Enough additional coursework, if needed, to raise the student’s course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.
Third and Fourth Years
- Two courses with a writing flag.
- Any remaining courses in the core curriculum and the prescribed work.
- The remaining courses listed as major requirements. Students should note that some upper-division courses have a series of prerequisite courses that takes up to three semesters to complete.
- Enough additional coursework to raise the student’s course load to fifteen or sixteen hours each semester.