2014-2015 University Catalog 
  
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2014-2015 University Catalog

Communication, BA

Banner Code: LA-BA-COM

Web: communication.gmu.edu

The bachelor of arts in communication prepares students for graduate study or professional positions in such fields as interpersonal and organizational communication, journalism, media production and criticism, political communication, and public relations.

This program of study is offered by the Department of Communication .

For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see the Academic Policies  section of the catalog.

Degree Requirements

Students must fulfill all requirements for bachelor’s degrees , including Mason Core  requirements. Students pursuing a BA in communication must complete additional college requirements for the BA degree  in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students pursuing this degree must complete 39 credits with a minimum grade of 2.00 in each course.

Of the 39 credits applied to the major, no more than 10 credits may be from courses listed at the end of this degree description (see “courses limited to 10 credits” below).

In addition to 12 credits of core courses, students take 21 credits of courses in a concentration and 6 credits of additional communication courses. Of these last 27 credits, at least 12 credits must be at the 300-400 level and no more than 6 credits may be in COMM 450 - Internship in Communication .

Four required courses (12 credits) in communication

Students must complete COMM 200 with a grade of C (2.00) or better before enrolling in COMM 300 . Before enrolling in COMM 400 , students must complete six credits from either COMM 300 , 301 , 302 , or COMM 305  with a grade of C (2.00) or better.

One approved concentration (21 credits)

Students complete coursework in one concentration. They must declare their 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. COMM 399 Special Topics in Communication  may be applied toward a concentration when the topic is relevant to the concentration with prior written approval of the undergraduate director.

▲ Concentration in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication (IOC)

Three required courses (9 credits)
Two core courses (6 credits)
One course (3 credits) chosen from:
12 credits chosen from:
Total: 21 credits

▲ Concentration in Journalism (JNL)

Four required courses (12 credits)
Three core courses (9 credits)
One course (3 credits) chosen from:
9 credits chosen from:
Total: 21 credits

▲ Concentration in Media Production and Criticism (MPC)

Three required courses (9 credits)
12 credits chosen from:
Total: 21 credits

▲ Concentration in Political Communication (PCOM)

Four required courses (12 credits)
9 credits chosen from:
Total: 21 credits

▲ Concentration in Public Relations (PR)

Three required courses (9 credits)
12 credits chosen from:
Total: 21 credits

Additional courses in communication (6 credits)

Students choose six (6) credits of COMM courses in consultation with an advisor. COMM 100  and 101  cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

No more than 10 credits from the courses listed at the end of this program description may be applied to the major. In addition, no more than 6 credits of COMM 450 - Internship in Communication  may be applied to the major.

Total: 39 credits

Courses Limited to 10 Credits

Of the 39 credits applied to the major, no more than 10 credits may be in these courses:

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 .

Degree Total: Minimum 120 credits