Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 University Catalog 
    
2018-2019 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mass Communication, BA


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About the Program

Mass communication includes courses in professional and journalistic writing and news as strategic communication; public affairs reporting, advanced reporting, and copy editing; the symbols created by mass communication and the role of mass media in society; and the translation of theory into media production in telecommunication areas such as video production, editing, and programming.

Please visit Mass Communication for more information.

Three Year Major Option

The Brian Lamb School of Communication now offers all five majors in schedules that can be completed in just three years. These new schedules have the same number of total hours (120), and the same number of major hours (42 or 30), but compress them into three years. The three-year plan requires two summers, with the following distribution of semester hours (fall/spring/summer):

Year One:  15/18/9

Year Two:  18/18/9

Year Three:  18/15/graduation in May



These new three-year plans are in addition to the existing four-year programs, which will all still be available.  And of course, if students enter the program with any Advanced Placement or transfer credit, meeting the three-year calendar becomes even simpler.

Visit the Brian Lamb School of Communication website for more information.

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 Course Requirements (42 credits)


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-Communication course may be repeated one time for admission purposes.

E. Additional COM courses 30000-level or above (6 credits)


Choose TWO additional COM courses at the 30000-level or above that are NOT listed in areas A through D.

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 (21 - 24 credits)


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


15 Credits


15 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


15 Credits


15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Req D - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Req D - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Req E - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Other Cultures - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Req D - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Req D - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Req E - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Global Perspective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Notes


Students must earn a “C-” or better in each Communication major course, including pre-com.  The P/NP option is not available for this requirement.

2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

32 credit hours of Purdue coursework at 30000 level or higher required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

Liberal Arts offers a streamlined plan of study for students pursuing a second degree outside CLA. Contact the CLA Advising Office for more information.

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. A Critical Course is one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.

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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