2023-2024 Catalog

 

Strategic Communication - B.A.

The Strategic Communication major addresses the broad principles of communication that apply to organizational leadership and public relations engagement. It can prepare graduates for careers in public relations firms, advertising agencies, health care organizations, educational institutions, social service organizations, retail and manufacturing, financial institutions, government agencies, lobbying, and sports and entertainment industries. Grounded in the strengths of the division's core classes, the strategic communication curriculum develops students' practical skills and perspectives through coursework in theory, technique, and application of skills in partnership with nonprofit and on-campus organizations, and local media outlets.

Concentrations:

Public Relations: This concentration prepares students in the professional practices of the public relations industry. Students gain expertise in strategic planning, writing, promotion and publicity, graphic design, and media tools and techniques.

Organizational Communication: This concentration creates opportunities to evaluate and prioritize communication with internal and external constituencies of an organization. It applies traditional interpersonal and group communication skills in an organizational, structural context.

Students must receive a "C" or higher for all courses within their major. Any grade below a "C", including "C-" must be repeated with a "C" or higher to graduate with a Communication/Theatre major.

Requirements (46 credits)

Division Core (12 credits)

COM-105Communication in Context

1

COM-329Media and Society

3

COM-340Communication Theory

3

COM-479Communications Senior Seminar I

1

COM-480Communications Senior Seminar II

3

Choose one Communication Lab:

COM-116JCommunication Lab-Journalism

1

COM-116RCommunication Lab-Radio

1

COM-116VCommunication Lab-Television

1

COM-116TCommunication Lab-Theatre

1

Each section of COM-116 may be repeated up to 8 times.

Major Requirements (20 credits)

COM-233Principles of Public Relations

3

COM-227Research Methods in Communication

3

COM-366Organizational Communication

3

COM-370Symbols and Imaging

3

COM-321Persuasion

3

COM-300Communication Research Practicum

1 to 2

-
or

COM-201Public Relations Practicum

1

COM-445Communication Internship

3

COM-201 must be taken two times but may be repeated up to 8 times.

COM-300 may each be repeated up to 8 times.

Concentrations (Choose one)

Public Relations Concentration (15 credits)

COM-112Introduction to Multimedia Storytelling

3

COM-201Public Relations Practicum

1

COM-224Introduction to Newswriting

3

COM-331Public Relations Writing and Publicity

3

COM-431Public Relations Campaigns and Cases

3

DES-101Design Fundamentals

3

COM-201 may be repeated up to 8 times.

Organizational Communication Concentration (15 credits)

COM-255Foundations of Leadership

3

COM-209Small Group Communication

3

COM-280Intercultural Communication

3

MNG-210Management Principles

3

COM-326Conflict Communication

3

Foreign Language (6 credits)

Foreign Language requirement - all students will be required to take 6 hours of one foreign language at the college level. (For students taking Mandarin Chinese courses, three hours of Mandarin Chinese will satisfy the Intercultural Experience requirement. However, Spanish and French courses currently do not meet the intercultural Experience requirement.) The following exceptions and guidelines will be used to implement the 6-hour foreign language requirement:

  • Students for whom English is a second language will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
  • Students who have completed four years of high school foreign language with no grade below a "C" will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
  • Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to four semesters of a single language (Intermediate 2) will be exempt from the 6-hour foreign language requirement.
  • Students who pass a foreign language competency test at a level equivalent to three semesters of a single language (Intermediate 1) will be exempt from 3 hours of the 6-hour foreign language requirement and will satisfy the other 3 hours by completing the Intermediate 2 course.
  • Students will be allowed to transfer college credit hours to satisfy the foreign language requirement.

Indiana Weselayan