Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 University Catalog 
    
2019-2020 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Communication, BA


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About the Program

Studying communication at Purdue allows you to learn what to do in order to be an effective communicator, but it also allows you learn why those things are effective. So yes, you might learn how to think and write critically, how to speak persuasively, how to work in organizations and with teams, and how to produce media packages and public relations documents. But you’ll also learn why “best practices” got to be that way. You’ll gain not only skills, but also the theories that help explain and grapple with how persuasion works (and doesn’t work), the ethics of communication, and the nature of communication processes.

All students are required to take the same three foundational courses, and all students must take a writing class and a class focused on experiential learning. Students then choose one concentration that allows them to specialize.

College of Liberal Arts

3 Year Degrees

A variety of majors in Liberal Arts offer students the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree in three years, allowing students to enter the work force or graduate school a year earlier than traditional plans of study.

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Liberal Arts Core Curriculum


Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type.

Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus.

For the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum click here .

Departmental/Program Major Courses (43 credits)


Note:


  • Students must complete COM 11400 and achieve a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale in the three Pre-Communication courses before declaring this or any major in communication.
  • NO additional communication courses from the plan of study can be taken prior to admission.
  • Only one Pre-Com course may be repeated one time for admission purposes.

G. Additional Communication Courses (6 credits)


  • Additional COM courses - Credit Hours: 6.00

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (57 credits)


  • Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type.
  • Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus.
  • For the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum click here. 

Electives (20 credits)


  • Electives - Credit Hours: 20.00

 

University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

For a complete listing of course selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


16 Credits


15-16 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


  • Foreign Language 10200 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Natural Science Lab - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Racial and Ethnic Diversity - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Social Ethics - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Other Cultures - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area F: Required Concentration Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area E: Experiential Learning Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area G: Additional Comm Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Global Perspectives - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Area F: Required Concentration Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area F Required Concentration Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Area G: Additional Comm Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00
  • Individual & Society - Credit Hours: 3.00

14 Credits


Notes


  • Students must earn a “C-” or better in each Communication major course, including pre-com.
  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.
  • 32 credit hours of Purdue coursework at the 30000 level or higher required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program. 

For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor: American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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