University Catalog

Communication - Undergraduate Programs

Overview

The Department of Communication offers two bachelor’s degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Bachelor of Arts in Philanthropy.

The degree Bachelor of Arts in Communication is offered with multiple specializations. The department curricula provide students with an overview of the role and function of communication in society. These courses present a broad academic exposure, including theories, skills, techniques, critical analysis, historical perspectives, and aesthetic appreciation.

The Department of Communication seeks to emphasize theories and techniques which give students the ability to adapt to rapid changes in communication technology.

Within the major disciplines, specializations are available in advertising, broadcasting, communication technology, journalism, public relations, organizational communication, and interpersonal communication. 

The Bachelor of Arts in Philanthropy equips students with the necessary theoretical frameworks and practical knowledge about communication, fundraising, and leadership for a career in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. The major courses provide students with training in nonprofit management, nonprofit ethics, fundraising and development, public relations, and multi-media communication. Students also take grant writing courses from the English department and are recommended to take marketing, management, and other related courses as electives.

All majors in the Department of Communication must complete the following core courses. The department math requirement must be completed before reaching 60 hours

COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3

Declaring a Major in the Department of Communication

I. Admission to Major

All undergraduate students seeking to declare a major in the Department of Communication (ADVT, BCMN, COMS, CTEC, JOUR, PCOM, PREL) must meet the following criteria:

Completion of a minimum of 12 hours in residence at The University of Texas at Arlington with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25/4.0.

Students who do not meet these minimum requirements can request to be admitted as a COMM Intended or PCOM intended major. Please see restrictions below.

II. Admission as a COMM Intended or PCOM Intended Major

  1. Completion of a minimum of 12 hours in residence at The University of Texas at Arlington with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0/4.0.
  2. COMM Intended or PCOM Intended majors may enroll in up to a total of 18 hours in the Department of Communication (ADVT, BCMN, COMS, CTEC, JOUR, PCOM, PREL)
  3. Students who do not achieve a cumulative UT Arlington GPA of 2.25/4.0 by the completion of 18 hours in the Department of Communication will not be cleared to continue in the department.

III. Dismissal from Department of Communication COMM Intended or PCOM Intended Status

Students who do not meet the requirements for declaring a Department of Communication major after completing eighteen (18) hours of communication course work will not be allowed to take additional communication courses at UT Arlington. The student will be suspended from the Department of Communication COMM Intended or PCOM Intended status and must choose a major not offered by the Department of Communication at that time in order to remain enrolled at UT Arlington.

General Academic Standards in the Department of Communication

  1. Graduation as a major in the Department of Communication must meet the UT Arlington graduation standard of a minimum GPA of 2.0/4.0.
  2. Graduation as a major in the Department of Communication must meet the department graduation standard of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0/4.0 in all department courses (ADVT, BCMN, COMS, CTEC, JOUR, PCOM, PREL).

Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication

Pre-Professional Courses
General Core Requirements 42
Students must take ENGL 1301 RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I and ENGL 1302 RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II (Note: These courses also fulfill requirements in the General Core) Students should see their individual sequence for the specific COMS requirement. For students pursuing a degree in Philanthropy it is recommended that they take PHIL 1304 to fulfill the Language, Philosophy, Culture requirement, and GEOG 2302 or GEOG 2303 to satisfy the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement of the Common Core.
The College of Liberal Arts has a modern and classical languages requirement for the B.A. degree. Students must demonstrate proficiency in a modern or classical language at the first-year college level (1441 and 1442) unless the degree pursued does not require a modern or classical language. 8
Student Success requirement: UT Arlington’s first year experience courses are designed to orient students to life on the Maverick campus. Freshman and transfer students are required to receive credit for one of these two classes (UNIV 1101 or UNIV 1131) or an equivalent course. The required course for the degree plan for a program of study will be determined by the college/school/department faculty.1
Professional Courses
Major
A minimum of 45 semester hours, with 18 at the 3000/4000 level. A student must complete the requirements for one of the departmental specializations. 45
Minor, Certificate, or Electives
Students may complete an optional minor consisting of 18 hours, six of which must be at the 3000/4000 level in the selected minor. The minor will be selected after consulting with an advisor. Students may also complete the Certificate in Digital Media, the Certificate in Professional Communication, the Certificate in Fundraising and Nonprofit Management, or the minor may be combined with the Certificate. Students must also take electives as needed to bring the total number of credit hours to 120.24
Total Hours120

Department of Communication Degree Programs

Advertising

COMM 2311WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 13
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS 13
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
COMS 2305BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION3
PREL 2338INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS 13
PREL 3320STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION 13
ADVT 2337INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING 13
ADVT 3304STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION I 13
ADVT 3305ADVERTISING MEDIA 13
ADVT 3306STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION II 13
ADVT 4300DIGITAL INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION (IMC) MANAGEMENT 13
ADVT 4301ADVERTISING AND IMC CAMPAIGNS 13
Elective within the department at the 3000/4000 level.3
Total Hours45
1

ADVT majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes.

Advertising majors must meet the following math requirement: a grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in MATH 1308 or MATH 1309, and the following Social Science requirement: ECON 2305

Broadcasting

COMM 2311WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 13
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
BCMN 2347BROADCAST WRITING AND REPORTING 13
BCMN 2357RADIO PRODUCTION I 13
BCMN 2358TELEVISION PRODUCTION I 13
BCMN 2360INTRODUCTION TO BROADCASTING 13
BCMN 3340ELECTRONIC NEWS 13
Select two of the following6
BCMN 3319BROADCAST MANAGEMENT 1
BCMN 3360SPORTS REPORTING 1
BCMN 3380PODCAST PRODUCTION 1
Select one of the following3
BCMN 3355BROADCAST ANNOUNCING 1
COMS 2305BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 1
Select one of the following3
BCMN 4350ADVANCED TELEVISION REPORTING 1
BCMN 4322CORPORATE VIDEO PRODUCTION 1
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level6
Total Hours45
1

BCMN majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes.

Communication Studies: Organizational Communication

COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
COMS 1301FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING3
COMS 2304GROUP COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES 13
COMS 2305BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 13
COMS 3309ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 13
COMS 4315PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS 13
COMS 4320MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION 13
Select two of the following:6
GROUP COMMUNICATION THEORY 1
COMMUNICATION FOR EDUCATORS 1
COMMUNICATION IN HUMAN RELATIONS 1
INTERVIEW PRINCIPLES 1
Select two of the following: 26
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION 1
COMMUNICATION TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 1
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 1
PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP 1
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level3
Total Hours45

Communication Studies: Interpersonal Communication

COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
COMS 1301FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING3
COMS 2304GROUP COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES 13
COMS 3310GROUP COMMUNICATION THEORY 13
COMS 3312BACKGROUNDS OF PUBLIC ADDRESS 13
or COMS 4302 MODERN PUBLIC ADDRESS
COMS 3315COMMUNICATION FOR EDUCATORS 13
COMS 3316COMMUNICATION IN HUMAN RELATIONS 13
Select one of the following:3
ORAL INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE 1
ORAL INTERPRETATION OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE 1
Select three of the following: 29
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION 1
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS 1
READERS THEATRE 1
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 1
PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP 1
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level3
Total Hours45
1

COMS majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes including COMS 4302.

2

COMS majors must select at least two COMS courses from the list.

 Communication Technology

COMM 2311WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 13
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
COMS 2302PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING3
CTEC 2350WEB COMMUNICATION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 1 13
CTEC 3320MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN 13
CTEC 3350WEB COMMUNICATION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 2 13
CTEC 4309INTERNET MARKETING COMMUNICATION 13
CTEC 4321DIGITAL COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT 13
or CTEC 4323 USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH AND DESIGN
CTEC 4350WEB COMMUNICATION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 3 13
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level9
Total Hours45
1

CTEC majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes including CTEC 4323.

Journalism

COMM 2311WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 13
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
JOUR 2330INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM3
JOUR 2340PHOTOJOURNALISM I 13
JOUR 2346REPORTING 13
JOUR 3330DATA JOURNALISM 13
JOUR 3341PHOTOJOURNALISM II 13
JOUR 3345COPY EDITING 13
JOUR 4326FEATURE AND OPINION WRITING 13
JOUR 4341DIGITAL STORYTELLING 13
JOUR 4346PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING 13
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level6
Total Hours45
1

JOUR majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes.

Public Relations

COMM 2311WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 13
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS3
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
COMS 2305BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION3
ADVT 2337INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING3
PREL 2338INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS 13
PREL 3320STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION 13
PREL 3339PUBLIC RELATIONS METHODS I 13
PREL 3340PUBLIC RELATIONS METHODS II 13
PREL 4316PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS 13
PREL 4320PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES 13
Electives in the department at the 3000/4000 level6
Total Hours45
1

PREL majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes.

Public relations majors must meet the following math requirement: a grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in MATH 1308 or MATH 1309, and the following Social Science requirement: ECON 2305

Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philanthropy

Pre-Professional Courses
General Core Requirements 42
Students must take the following courses. These courses also fulfill requirements in the General Core.
RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I
RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II
FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Student Success requirement: UT Arlington’s first year experience courses are designed to orient students to life on the Maverick campus. Freshman and transfer students are required to receive credit for one of these two classes (UNIV 1101 or UNIV 1131) or an equivalent course. The required course for the degree plan for a program of study will be determined by the college/school/department faculty.1
Subtotal43
Professional Courses
Students must complete the professional courses as listed below.
PCOM 2301INTRODUCTION TO NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY 13
COMS 2304GROUP COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES 13
COMS 2305BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 13
COMM 3315COMMUNICATION THEORY3
BCMN 2370MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION3
PCOM 3301FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT 13
COMM 3310COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS3
COMM 3300COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY3
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS3
PCOM 3309ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 13
PCOM 4315PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS 13
PCOM 3320STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION 13
PCOM 4301NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT 13
PCOM 4395DIRECTED INTERNSHIP IN NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY 13
ENGL 2338TECHNICAL WRITING3
ENGL 3379GRANT AND PROPOSAL WRITING3
Select two of the following:6
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION 1
HEALTH COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY
SPECIAL TOPICS 1
Subtotal54
1

PCOM majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes.

Electives
Students must take electives as needed to bring the total number of credit hours to 121.24
Following are recommended electives.
PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING
PROFESSIONAL SELLING
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION / ADVERTISING
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS
GLOBAL HISTORY OF PHILANTHROPY
INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL ISSUES
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND COMMUNITY
TOPICS IN MODERN LANGUAGE LEVEL I
TOPICS IN MODERN LANGUAGE LEVEL II
TOPICS IN MODERN LANGUAGE LEVEL III
TOPICS IN MODERN LANGUAGE LEVEL IV
Total Hours121

Certificate in Digital Media

This certificate provides students with expertise in using and managing digital media to communicate effectively to audiences in a variety of situations, across multiple platforms.

To earn this certificate students must complete four of the classes listed below with a grade of C or better.  Broadcast majors must take BCMN 2358 instead of BCMN 2370.

Select four of the following:
ADVT 3308DIGITAL ADVERTISING DESIGN
BCMN 2370MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION (Broadcast majors must take BCMN 2358 )
BCMN 3380PODCAST PRODUCTION
COMM 3303COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS
CTEC 2350WEB COMMUNICATION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 1
CTEC 3320MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN
JOUR 3330DATA JOURNALISM
JOUR 4341DIGITAL STORYTELLING
PREL/PCOM 3320STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Total Hours12

Certificate in Professional Communication

This certificate develops students’ professional communication competency including oral and written proficiency, effective messaging and presentation, and teamwork and collaboration skills in various work and organizational contexts.

To earn this certificate students must complete two lower-division courses and two upper-division courses from the options listed below with a grade of C or better.

Select two lower-division courses from the following options:6
COMS 1301FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
COMS 2302PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
or COMS 2305 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
COMS 2304GROUP COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES
Select two upper-division courses from the following options:6
COMS 3310GROUP COMMUNICATION THEORY
COMS 3320INTERVIEW PRINCIPLES
COMS 4300PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
COMS/PCOM 4315PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
COMS 4322COMMUNICATION TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Total Hours12

Certificate in Fundraising and Nonprofit Management

This certificate develops students’ knowledge of the nonprofit sector and trains students in fundraising strategies, nonprofit management, and community engagement.

To earn this certificate students must complete two core courses and two electives from the options listed below with a grade of C or better. PCOM majors must choose two electives from the MARK and MANA programs to earn the certificate.

Required Courses6
PCOM 2301INTRODUCTION TO NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY3
PCOM 3301FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT3
Select two courses from the following options:6
ENGL 2338TECHNICAL WRITING3
ENGL 3379GRANT AND PROPOSAL WRITING3
PCOM/COMS 3309ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION3
PCOM/PREL 3320STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION3
PCOM 4301NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT3
PCOM/COMS 4315PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS3
PCOM/COMS 4320MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION3
PCOM 4393SPECIAL TOPICS3
COMS 4300PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION3
MARK 3321PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING3
MARK 3322PROFESSIONAL SELLING3
MARK 3323INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION / ADVERTISING3
HRMN 3320HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT3
MANA 4326DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS3
Total Hours12