Degrees and Programs
Degrees Offered
In the College of Communication, six undergraduate degrees are offered: Bachelor of Science in Advertising, Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, Bachelor of Journalism, Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, and Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. In addition to the core curriculum, the requirements of each degree consist of special requirements, prescribed work, and major requirements; these are given later in this chapter under the heading for the degree. In addition, the student must fulfill the University-wide Graduation Requirements and the Special Requirements of the College of Communication.
A student may not earn more than two undergraduate degrees from the College of Communication. A student may not earn both the Bachelor of Science in Advertising and the Bachelor of Science in Public Relations.
The Minor
While a minor is not required as part of any communication degree program, the student may choose to complete a minor in a field outside the College of Communication. A student may complete only one minor. The minor consists of at least fifteen semester hours in a single field of study, including at least nine hours of upper-division coursework. Nine of the fifteen hours must be completed in residence. A course to be counted toward the minor may not be taken on the pass/fail basis unless the course is offered only on that basis. Only one course counted toward the core curriculum, prescribed work, and major requirements for the student’s degree may also be counted toward the minor.
If the minor is in a foreign language other than that used to fulfill the foreign language requirement, the fifteen hours may be lower-division but must include at least nine hours beyond course 507 or the equivalent.
All minors must be approved by the student’s academic adviser.
The College of Communication allows the student to minor in any field outside the college in which the University offers a major. However, prerequisites and other enrollment restrictions may prevent the student from pursuing a minor in some fields. Before planning to use specific courses to make up the minor, the student should consult the department that offers those courses.
Degree Requirements
Writing Requirement
As part of the prescribed work for all degrees in the college, students must complete two courses with a writing flag. If the writing requirement is not fulfilled by courses specified for the degree, the student must complete writing courses as electives or in addition to the number of hours required for the degree. Courses that carry a writing flag are identified in the Course Schedule.
Communication and Culture Requirements
As part of the prescribed work for all degrees, students must complete three semester hours of coursework in the College of Communication dealing with the study of communication issues concerning at least one minority or nondominant group within the United States. Courses used to fulfill this requirement may also be used to fulfill the cultural diversity in the United States flag requirement and other degree requirements. Multicultural courses include, but are not limited to, the following; all courses that fulfill this requirement are identified in the Course Schedule.
Advertising 316, Creativity and American Culture
Advertising 353, Advertising and Public Relations Law and Ethics
Advertising 378 (Topic: Integrated Communication in Latino Entertainment)
Advertising 378 (Topic: Sports/Media/Integration of American Society)
Advertising 378 (Topic 2: Advanced Issues in Multicultural Markets)
Advertising 378 (Topic: African Americans and the Media)
Communication 316M, Race, Ethnicity, and the Media
Communication Studies 314L, Language, Communication, and Culture
Communication Studies 340K, Communication and Social Change
Communication Studies 355K, Intercultural Communication
Communication Studies 365K, Male-Female Communication
Communication Studies 367 (Topic: Language and Culture)
Communication Sciences and Disorders 308K, Perspectives on Deafness
Communication Sciences and Disorders 314L, Sociocultural Bases of Communication
Communication Sciences and Disorders 360M, Communication and Deaf People
Journalism 335, Narrative Journalism
Journalism 340C (Topic 1: Mass Media and Minorities)
Journalism 340C (Topic 2: African Americans and the Media)
Journalism 340C (Topic 3: Journalism and Religion)
Journalism 340C (Topic 4: Leadership, Management, and the Media)
Journalism 340C (Topic 5: Women and the News)
Journalism 340C (Topic 10: Covering Latino Community in the United States)
Journalism 340C (Topic: African American Athletes and the Media)
Journalism 359T (Topic: Sports/Media/Integration of American Society)
Public Relations 353, Advertising and Public Relations Law and Ethics
Public Relations 378
(Topic: Integrated Communication in Latino Entertainment)
Public Relations 378 (Topic: Sports/Media/Integration of American Society)
Radio-Television-Film 331K (Topic 1: Cult Movies and Gender Issues)
Radio-Television-Film 331K (Topic 2: Television and Theories of Gender)
Radio-Television-Film 335 (Topic: Race/Class/Gender in American Television)
Radio-Television-Film 345 (Topic: History of Black American Cinema)
Radio-Television-Film 359 (Topic: Asian American Media Cultures)
Radio-Television-Film 359S (Topic 1: Hispanic Images and Counterimages)
Radio-Television-Film 365 (Topic 4: History of United States Latino Media)
Radio-Television-Film 359S (Topic 2: Women and Media Culture)
Radio-Television-Film 365 (Topic 6: Latinos and Media)
Radio-Television-Film 370 (Topic: Women and Film)
Applicability of Certain Courses
Internship Credit
Some communication degree programs require an internship; in other programs, students may elect to complete an internship. In either case, the student must be a communication major and must meet the prerequisite for the internship course. Up to but no more than four semester hours of credit in internship courses may be counted toward the student’s degree.
Physical Activity Courses
Physical activity (PED) courses are offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. They are counted among courses for which a student is enrolled, and the grades are included in the grade point average. However, these courses may not be counted toward a degree in the College of Communication.
ROTC Courses
No more than nine semester hours of credit for air force science, military science, or naval science courses may be counted toward any degree in the College of Communication. Such coursework may be counted only as lower-division electives in degree programs that have room for such electives, and only by students who have completed the third and fourth years of the ROTC program. ROTC courses may not be substituted for any specific required course.
Concurrent Enrollment and Correspondence and Extension Courses
Credit that a University student in residence earns simultaneously by correspondence or extension from the University or elsewhere or in residence at another school will not be counted toward a degree in the College of Communication unless specifically approved in advance by the dean. Requests to take communication courses by correspondence or extension are normally disapproved. A student in his or her final semester may not enroll concurrently at another institution in any course that is to be counted toward the degree. No more than 30 percent of the semester hours required for any degree offered in the College of Communication may be taken by correspondence.
Courses Taken on the Pass/Fail Basis
A student in the College of Communication may count toward the degree up to fifteen semester hours of coursework in elective subjects outside the College of Communication taken on the pass/fail basis. No course required for the degree and taken in residence may be taken pass/fail, unless the course is offered only on that basis. The student may also take examinations for credit in elective subjects on the pass/fail basis; credit earned by examination is not counted toward the total of five courses that the student may take on this basis. If a student chooses to major in a subject in which he or she has taken a course pass/fail, the academic unit that offers the major determines whether the course may be counted toward the student’s major requirements. Complete rules on registration on the pass/fail basis are given in General Information.
Bible Courses
No more than twelve semester hours of Bible courses may be counted toward a degree.