|
|
2016-2017 University Catalog
Communication, BA
|
|
Banner Code: LA-BA-COM
Web: communication.gmu.edu
College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department: Communication
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.
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 within the major, 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, no more than 6 credits may be in COMM 450 - Internship in Communication , and no more than 3 credits may be in COMM 452 - Media Production Practicum .
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 or other special topics courses from other concentrations 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:
▲ Concentration in Journalism (JNL)
Four required courses (12 credits)
Three core courses (9 credits)
One course (3 credits) chosen from:
▲ Concentration in Media Production and Criticism (MPC)
Three required courses (9 credits)
Students may not receive credit for both COMM 208 and COMM 355.
▲ Concentration in Political Communication (PCOM)
Four required courses (12 credits)
▲ Concentration in Public Relations (PR)
Four required courses (12 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 or 3 credits of COMM 452 - Media Production Practicum may be applied to the major.
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 . Mason Core (40 credits)
Note: some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.
Expand each item below for a link to specific course lists for each category.
Foundation Requirements (15-19 credits)
Core Requirements (22 credits)
Synthesis/Capstone Requirement (minimum 3 credits)
College Level Requirements for the BA degree
In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the course work below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).
Philosophy or religious studies (3 credits)
Fulfilled by any course in philosophy or religious studies (PHIL, RELI) except for PHIL 323 , 324 , 327 , 393 , 460 . PHIL 253 and RELI 235 cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core literature requirement.
Social and behavioral science (3 credits)
3 credits in addition to the university-wide requirement in social and behavioral science for a total of 6 credits. The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and university requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. This requirement may be fulfilled by completing any course in ANTH, CRIM, ECON, GOVT, HIST (except 100 or 125), LING, PSYC, or SOCI and these courses in GGS: 101 , 103 , 110 , 301 , 303 , 304 , 305 , 306 , 315 , 316 , 320 , 325 , 330 , 357 , 380 .
Non-Western culture (3 credits)
3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture in addition to the course used to fulfill the Mason Core requirement in global understanding. A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Electives
Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.
Degree Total: Minimum 120 credits
|
|
|
Print-Friendly Page
