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2024-2025 University Catalog
Communication: Business Communication Concentration, BA
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 Return to: College of Liberal Arts (Undergraduate)
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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.
Business Communication focuses on the theories, concepts, and skills necessary to understand how communication functions in and between organizations.
Coursework provides a background in organizational development, leadership and communication training, technology use, diversity and culture in organizations, global organizations and new forms of organizing, team processes and decision making, and social network analysis.
Please visit the Brian Lamb School of Communication for more information.
Degree in 3
The College of Liberal Arts offers the opportunity for students to complete their degree in three years. Degree in 3 majors allow students to enter the work force or graduate school a year earlier than traditional plans of study while also providing a cost-effective way to complete an undergraduate degree.
Students can complete the three-year option with or without AP credit by adding summer sessions to traditional coursework in Fall and Spring semesters. Degree in 3 offers a great combination of cost-savings and the opportunity to accelerate your future and achieve your goals.
Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredCommunication: Departmental/Program Major Courses (28 credits)
A. Pre-Com Requirements (9 credits)
B. Introductory Courses (7 credits)
C. Research Methods (3 credits)
D. Communication Writing (3 credits)
E. Experiential Learning (3 credits)
F. Additional Communication Courses (3 credits)
- Additional COM courses - Credit Hours: 3.00
Communication: Business Communication Concentration (15 credits)
Required Course (3 credits)
Concentration Selectives (12 credits)
Choose four.
Other Departmental - Liberal Arts Core (28-52 credits)
The College of Liberal Arts Other Departmental area is designed to be experiential, informative, and relevant to life in a rapidly changing universe. It combines courses that fulfill University Core foundational outcomes, discipline diversity, social diversity, and other languages to produce a well-rounded background for students. Coursework is integrative and collaborative and fosters insight, understanding, independence, initiative, and the desire to reach across divides and redefine our relationship to the peoples and the worlds that surround us. Core I: Discipline Diversity (6-18 credits)
Choose 1 course in 6 different disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts. Note: Disciplines are differentiated by course prefix. Undistributed credit does not count to satisfy this requirement. Core II: Social Diversity (1-3 credits)
Culture, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity all play a role in how others perceive us and how we experience the world, and as such, are meaningful categories for analyzing social change and social problems past and present. The purpose of this category is to acquaint students with the pluralistic nature of the world and foster an appreciation and awareness of the diverse range of lived human experience. Courses in this list will expose students to important aspects of human diversity and foster understanding about different world views. Choose 1 course from the Social Diversity Selective List . Core III: Linguistic Diversity (3-4 credits)
Proficiency through Level IV in one world language. Courses may be required to reach Level IV proficiency; these courses will be counted toward electives (fulfills Humanities for core). Foundational Requirements (18-27 credits)
Students must complete approved coursework that meet the following foundational outcomes. Many of these can also be used to fulfill Core I, Core II, or Core III.
- Humanities - all approved courses accepted (fulfill HUM for core)
- Behavioral/Social Science - all approved courses accepted (fulfills BSS for core)
- Information Literacy - all approved courses accepted (fulfills IL for core)
- Science #1 - all approved courses accepted (fulfills SCI for core)
- Science #2 - all approved courses accepted (fulfills SCI for core)
- Science, Technology, and Society - all approved courses accepted (fulfills STS for core)
- Written Communication - all approved courses accepted (fulfills WC for core)
- Oral Communication - fulfilled by COM 11400 in major (fulfills OC for core)
- Quantitative Reasoning - all approved courses accepted (fulfills QR for core)
Notes
- Double counting of courses is allowed across the various categories.
- All accredited programs whose accreditation is threatened by CLA Core requirements, both professional BAs and BFAs, are exempt from Liberal Arts Core I & II in order to meet accreditation standards and requirements. Liberal Arts Core III: Linguistic Diversity is still required for such programs.
- “Degree +” students (students with a second major outside of Liberal Arts) are exempt from the CLA Core.
Electives (25-49 credits)
Communication Grade Requirements
- Students must earn a “C-” or better in each Communication major course, including pre-com.
Communication GPA Requirements
- 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.
College of Liberal Arts Pass/No Pass Option Policy
- P/NP cannot be used to satisfy Liberal Arts Core, Liberal Arts major, minor, or certificate requirements.
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:
- Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
- Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
- Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.
More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.
Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Additional Information
- Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.
Spring 1st Year
- COM 10200 - Introduction To Communication Theory Credits: 3.00 ♦
- Written Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (CLA Core I: 4 of 6)
- World Language Level II - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Information Literacy (CLA Core I: 5 of 6)
Spring 2nd Year
- Area F: Additional COM Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
- World Language Level IV - Credit Hours: 3.00 (CLA Core III)
- Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Fall 4th Year
- Required Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Area E: Experiential Learning Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 4th Year
- Required Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Required Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-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. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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Return to: College of Liberal Arts (Undergraduate)
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