The Communication major, a liberal arts program, aims first to produce graduates who are complete, competent individuals, prepared to live a rich and full life and who:
- understand communication processes
- can write and speak with precision and power
- can think about problems clearly
- are well-informed about the world and know how to obtain needed information
- have insight into audiences and how they can be reached and affected by various kinds of messages through various media
- are familiar with the technology so important to communication today, and
- are knowledgeable about the communication field and its associated industries.
Our graduates are also expected to have pondered what it means to be an ethical communicator, and considered how to use their skills to help others. In other words, we expect them to be the kind of person much in demand in the job market, in church, and in society.
Opportunities for the Communication graduate include: advertising, broadcasting, conflict resolution, counseling, education, entertainment, graduate studies, health, journalism, law, law enforcement, marketing, media writing, military, ministry, politics, public relations, public service, publishing, tourism, and more.
Mission Statement
The Communication major will engage students in the study of human communication as a liberal art. It will help students to understand the discipline in its multiple perspectives, ground them in the arts and sciences of rhetoric and poetic, promote in them the capacity for creative and critical thought and expression, and assist them to develop skills for communicating effectively with diverse audiences through the wide variety of channels available today. Finally, this major will encourage students to appreciate communication not only as the principal means for addressing the uncertainties of this world, but also the powerful instrument for bringing the certainty of God's grace to all people, thereby healing the divisions that separate them from God and from each other.
Entry into the Major
A student desiring to enter the communication major will make a formal application to do so at some point following the successful completion of three college semesters.
Entry to the major will be granted based on the following qualifications:
- Achievement of at least a 2.8 GPA in all of the pre-major communication requirements.
- Successful completion of an interview with a committee of communication faculty in which the applicant demonstrates potential to make substantial progress in each of the competencies around which the communication program is built.
Special circumstances may be considered by the communication division faculty.
Pre-major requirements should ordinarily be taken in the first two college years:
One of the following:
One of the following:
Core Requirements
All communication majors will be required to pass each of the following six core courses with at least a C- grade:
Major Electives
At least 33 upper division (300-400 level) communication (COMM)
courses are required for graduation with a communication major. While not required to do so, students may with advance planning create "Areas of Emphasis"
consisting of groups of three or four upper division courses focusing on a particular aspect of communication studies. Emphases may consist of COMM offerings combined with courses that deal with communication in other disciplines — these courses all count toward the 33 credit requirement.
Areas of Emphasis
"Emphases" (groups of three or four upper division courses also focusing on a particular aspect of communication studies) provide communication majors maximum flexibility in tailoring programs to fit their interests and needs. Emphases make the communication major truly interdisciplinary, since courses can be drawn not only from communication (COMM) offerings, but from other curricular areas as well.
Internship Requirements
An essential component of the communication program, fieldwork experiences (internships) provide opportunities for students to apply classroom learning in real-life situations, explore career options, and build meaningful resumes.
Communication internships are available only to communication majors COMM499. At least three UNPAID internship credits are required for graduation and count toward major requirements. As many as seven additional credits may be earned as upper division electives.
Students who minor in communication and desire an internship experience should pursue one within their chosen major.
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