Communication Studies (B.A.)
BA-AH COM
Communication Department
Bachelor of Arts (HEGIS 0601)
Buckham B119
(716) 878-6008
This major allows students much flexibility to tailor a program of theory-based and applied courses. It meets the needs of students preferring a generalist approach to communication, as well as for students seeking a more academic, less applied approach. Compare this major with journalism, media production, and public communication.
Career Opportunities
Students in Communication Studies prepare for careers in organizational communication, research, media analysis, lobbying, speechwriting, fundraising, and other fields that require a liberal arts education enhanced with communication expertise. The major also provides a base for graduate education in communication, law, management, and other professional areas.
The profile of a successful communication studies graduate is a person with strong writing and speaking proficiency, keen ethical insight, competence in analyzing and thinking critically, and skill in working effectively both independently and in teams.
Academic Standards
Only grades of C or higher may be applied toward requirements for any communication degree; courses with lower grades must be repeated. Consistent with standards of the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the number of communication courses that students may take is capped, encouraging a broad-based liberal arts education. The department encourages students to take minors or second majors, and requires evidence of an academic concentration or area of expertise outside the Communication Department.
Admissions Requirements
Incoming freshman and transfer students can declare the major. A 2.6 in the major is needed to register for certain required upper-division courses (300- and 400-level).
See communication.buffalostate.edu for application forms and additional information, including a list of equivalent core courses at community colleges. Transfer students from two-year schools may apply only core courses toward this major for a maximum of 12 credits. Students generally require four semesters of study after completing communication core courses.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Intellectual Foundations Requirements | ||
| 33-39 credit hours | 33-39 | |
| Communication Major Requirements (42 credit hours) | ||
| Communication Core (12 credit hours) | ||
| COM 100 | MEDIA LITERACY | 3 |
| or SPC 103 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION | |
| COM 210 | INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA WRITING | 3 |
| COM 215 | INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| SPC 205 | INTRODUCTION TO ORAL COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| Note: Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.6 in the major to register for certain upper-division courses (300-and 400-level) | ||
| Upper-Level Oral Communication Course (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| PUBLIC SPEAKING | ||
| GROUP COMMUNICATON | ||
| MEDIA PERFORMANCE | ||
| Upper-Level Written Communication Course (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| WRITING FOR PRINT AND ONLINE JOURNALISM | ||
| WRITING FOR BROADCAST (TV, RADIO, FILM) | ||
| PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING | ||
| FEATURE WRITING | ||
| ELECTRONIC NEWS PRODUCING | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS: JOURNALISTIC WRITING | ||
| Upper-Level Visual Communication Course (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS | ||
| INTERMEDIATE VIDEO PRODUCTION | ||
| WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCTION | ||
| Communication Theory and Criticism (6 credit hours) | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| LITERARY JOURNALISM | ||
| COMMUNICATION LAW | ||
| APPLIED COMMUNICATION RESEARCH | ||
| MASS COMMUNICATION HISTORY | ||
| PERSUASION AND PROPAGANDA | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| RHETORICAL CRITICISM | ||
| RACE, CLASS AND GENDER IN THE MEDIA | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| MEDIA CRITICISM | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN MEDIA CRITICISM | ||
| Senior Seminar (3 credit hours) | ||
| COM 450 | COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| Communication Electives (12 credit hours) | ||
| Select 12 credit hours: | 12 | |
| SPECIAL PROJECT (1-3) | ||
or COM 499 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | |
Or 300/400-level COM or SPC electives by advisement | ||
| All College Electives | ||
| 39-45 credit hours | 39-45 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |