Communication
Phone: 703-993-1090
Web: communication.gmu.edu
Faculty
Professors:Boileau, Botan, Decker, Friedley, Kreps (Eileen P. and Steve A. Mandell Term Professor of Health Communication; chair), Lichter, Lont, McAuley, Rowan (associate chair), Sesno (University Professor)
Emeritus professors: Looney, Manchester, Taylor
Associate professors: J. Muir, S. Muir
Assistant professors: Cai, Hopson, Gibson, Muthuswamy, Zhao
Term associate professor: Pober
Term assistant professors: Bedore, Wright
Term instructors:Anderson, M. Dickerson, Fahema, Garcia, Klein, R. Smith, Tomasovic,
Adjuncts:Abdel-Kader, Adams, Ahmad, Akyeampong, Atwell, Aw, Barber, Beck, Biedrycki, Bridge, Cardenas, Carr, Chaaban, Chilcote, Clark, Copelin, Cordero, Dance, Dickerhoof, N. Dickerson, Dillon, Doyle, Effros, Feigenbaum, Fisher, Garifo, Gauthier, Gladis, Greiner, Hansche, Holsonbake, C. Hoskinson, J. Hoskinson, Kehoe, Kohlmann, Ledford, LeValley, Long, Mangus, Mattox, Mellom, Miller, Moss, Muzio, Niles, Oakley, Outlaw, Payne, Peck, Plaag, Riley, Sanders, Schmeidler, Slagle, , Suarez, Talkington, Tirpak, Van Zummeren, Walsch, Walter, Wilson, Wolyn, R. Wood
Affiliate faculty
J.R.Censer (professor)
Course Work
The Communication Department offers all course work designated COMM in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.
Undergraduate Program
Communication, BA
Study in communication prepares students for graduate study or entry-level positions in fields such as international and intercultural communication, interpersonal and organizational communication, journalism, media production and criticism, persuasive and political communication, and public relations.
In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements and requirements for the BA degree in LAHS, students majoring in communication must complete 36 credits in communication:
- 15 credits of required communication courses: COMM 250, 300, 301, 302, 305
Note: Students must complete COMM 250 with a grade of C (2.00) or better before enrolling in COMM 300, 301, 302, or 305. - 12 credits selected from an approved concentration (see below). A list of courses in each concentration is available on the department web site. With approval of their advisor and associate chair, students may construct an individualized concentration. Students must declare a concentration before they earn more than 75 credits. Transfer students with 60 or more credits are encouraged to declare a concentration by the end of their first semester.
- 9 credits of electives in communication
Of the 21 credits in the second and third categories above, 12 must be at the 300-400 level, and the total may include no more than 10 credits from the following courses: COMM 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 148, 157, 340, 341, 342, 343, 345, 346, 348, 349, 450, 451, 452, 499; and no more than 6 credits of internship (COMM 450). No more than 9 credits of internship (COMM 450 or GOVT 450) in total may be applied toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Communication majors must earn a C (2.00) or better in all communication courses applied to the major in fulfilling the above requirements. Students declaring the major in the fall of 2005 and thereafter must meet this requirement.
Approved Concentrations
- Interpersonal and organizational communication
- Journalism
- Media production and criticism
- Persuasive and political communication
- Public relations
- Individualized concentration
All students are encouraged to participate in one of the communication activities: Broadside, debate, forensics, GMView, Mason Cable Network, PRSSA, or WGMU. Many students include an internship during their senior year as a way of gaining practical experience with national and international businesses, associations, or government agencies.
Writing-Intensive Requirement
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated as writing intensive in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in communication fulfill this requirement by successfully completing COMM 300.
Presentation-Intensive Requirement
All communication majors are required to take at least one of the following courses to fulfill a presentation intensive requirement: COMM 100, 104, 210, 260, 310, 320, 356, or 399 (when the topic is special occasion speaking).
Honors Program in Communication
Communication majors who have completed 80 credits with an overall minimum GPA of 3.50 and a minimum GPA of 3.50 in communication courses are eligible to apply to the departmental honors program. Candidates for the honors program must have satisfactorily completed or be enrolled in COMM 250, 300, 301, and 302. Students who meet the criteria for admission are invited to submit a proposal for an honors thesis. If the proposal is approved, they are admitted to the honors program. To graduate with honors in communication, students must complete COMM 499 Independent Study in Communication and an honors section of COMM 420, maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.50 in these courses and an overall minimum GPA of 3.50. For more information, contact the director of the honors program in Communication.
Minors
Students may choose to minor in any discipline that offers an undergraduate minor program (refer to this course catalog for descriptions of all university minors). The communication department, however, houses two minors: electronic journalism and telecommunications (see below). It also participates in several interdisciplinary minors including film and media studies, multimedia, and women’s studies. For a description of these minors, see the Interdisciplinary Minors section of this chapter.
Minor in Electronic Journalism
Electronic journalism provides a foundation in journalism with a focus on the writing style and research techniques unique to broadcast, online, and computer-assisted reporting. Students must complete 18 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 distributed as follows.
- Four required courses: COMM 303, 351, 361, 475
- Two electives (6 credits) chosen from COMM 203, 352, 353, 370, 399*, 435, 450*, 454
* If topic or internship is approved by department
This minor is not available to communication majors who have a concentration in journalism. For policies governing all minors, see the Academic Policies chapter of this catalog.
Minor in Telecommunications
In its broadest sense, telecommunications includes technology (software and hardware), policy issues (national and international), mass media, and management. No longer can computer technologists sit alone working on code; they must be able to manage technical and nontechnical people, understand policy issues, and present technical material to others in the corporate setting. Required and elective courses in this minor provide a solid introduction to the work world of telecommunications.
Students in this minor complete 18 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00, distributed as follows.
- Two required courses (6 credits) chosen from:
- IT 103 Introduction to Computing
- IT 212 How Computers Work
- CS 105 Computer Ethics and Society
- COMM 100 Public Speaking
- COMM 202 Mass Communication and Communication Systems
- Two additional required courses (6 credits):
- COMM 369 Telecommunications Systems
- COMM 469 The Structure of the Telecommunications Industry
- Two electives (6 credits) chosen from:
- COMM 320 Business and Professional Communication
- COMM 435 Computers and Communication
- COMM 450 Internship (in a telecommunications-related organization)
- COMM 554 Telecommunications Policy and Regulation
- ENGL 410 Technical and Report Writing
- GOVT 359 Computers in Public Management
- MIS 201 Introduction to Computer-Based Management Information Systems
- MIS 301 Introduction to Business Information Systems
- MSOM 302 Managing Information
- MSOM 303 Marketing in a Digital World
- NCLC 249 Internet Literacy
- NCLC 348 Information in the Digital Age
- NCLC 350 Counterculture, Cyberculture
Teacher Licensure
Students who wish to become teachers should consult the CEHD chapter and attend an information session early in their undergraduate career. For more information, call 703-993-2892, e-mail gseadmit@gmu.edu, or go to gse.gmu.edu.
Graduate Programs
Communication, MA
The Department of Communication offers a 33-credit graduate degree in the study and practice of health, risk, and crisis communication. Applications and approaches to studying these contexts include public relations and strategic, organizational, political, international, and intercultural communication. The program prepares students for increasingly complex public and private communication environments, particularly as they relate to our location near Washington, D.C.
Students gain a strong theoretical foundation to examine the important critical role humans perform in both interpersonal and mediated communication in health, risk, and crisis communication environments. Specific context areas include government, organizational life, health care, media systems, and education. The faculty welcome students in the beginning stages of their careers as well as those who are more established but interested in exploring and applying other theoretical perspectives to health, risk, and crisis communication contexts.
Assistantships
The department offers a limited number of merit-based teaching assistantships to students taking at least 6 graduate credits each semester. Other sources of support, such as research assistantships, are available as funding permits.
Admission Requirements
Applicants should hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.00 or better on the last 60 credits. Applicants should supply transcripts as well as the following:
- Three letters of recommendation from people directly knowledgeable of professional and academic competence, with at least one from an academic source
- Evidence of GRE taken within the last five years
- 500-word essay addressing the communication area in which the applicant is interested.
Review of applications will begin in the spring; late applications will be considered on a space-available basis. Because the number of students admitted is limited, meeting the following minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
Degree Requirements
Candidates for the degree must successfully complete 33 credits of graduate course work, distributed as follows:
- 15 credits of core courses: COMM 634, 635, 650, 604, and 798
- 12-15 credits of specialized content courses: COMM 504, 506, 530, 590, 601, 602, 605, 620, 621, 631, 636, 637, 651, 655, and 656. With approval of the graduate director, students make take up to 6 credits of specialized content in courses outside the department.*
- 3 credits of practicum: COMM 694, 653, 696, or 697
- 3 credits of thesis (optional; requires permission of advisor)
* Students who choose to write a thesis take 12 credits of specialized content; others take 15 credits.