Journalism Concentration, Communication (BA)

Communication Major

Program Prerequisite: Not required.
Minor: There is no minor required for students majoring in Communication, although a minor is an option for students who choose to concentrate in Journalism or Public Relations & Advertising. A student may not receive both a major and a minor from the Department of Communication.
Grade Requirements: A grade of “C” or better in courses required for this major (a grade of “C-” is not acceptable), in addition to an overall GPA of 2.00 or higher for all courses.
Credit Hour Requirements: A total of 120 credit hours is required for graduation. A total of 40 upper division credit hours is required (courses numbered 3000 and above). Between 27 and 35 of these are required within the major, depending on the selected concentration.

To enroll in upper division Communication courses, a student must be admitted as a major or hold upper division standing in the university.

Students must successfully complete at least 50 percent of their Communication course work at Weber State University in order to receive a major or a minor in Communication

Advisement

Students are encouraged to meet with the appropriate department advisor depending on their selected interdisciplinary concentration. Refer to the Communication Department Web page for a current list of department advisors – weber.edu/communication.

Admission Requirements

Declare your program of study at the Communication department office, Elizabeth Hall 330. No special admission or application requirements are needed for this program.

General Education

Refer to Degree and General Education Requirements for either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science requirements. See specific requirements for the BA and BS under the major course requirements. The following courses, required for the Communication major, will also satisfy general education requirements: COMM 1020 , COMM 2010 , and COMM 2110 .

Interdisciplinary Concentration

select one of the following:

Civic Advocacy
Electronic Media
Interpersonal & Family Communication
Journalism
Organizational Communication
Public Relations & Advertising

Major Course Requirements for BS or BA Degree

Students must successfully complete a series of foundation, core, depth and breadth courses.

Foundation Courses – Communication courses required for admission to the major.

Core Courses – Communication courses required of all Communication majors regardless of their chosen concentrations.

Depth Courses – required and elective Communication courses that are specified and vary based on the interdisciplinary concentration and area of specialization selected.

Breadth Courses – required and elective courses from non-Communication departments within the University that are specified and vary based on the interdisciplinary concentration and area of specialization selected.

Foundation Courses for all Majors (9 credit hours)

COMM 1020 HU - Principles of Public Speaking (3)
COMM 1130 - Media Writing (3)
COMM 2110 HU - Interpersonal & Small Group Communication (3)

Core Courses for all Majors (15 credit hours)

COMM 3000 - Communication Theory (3)
COMM 3150 - Communication Research Methods (3)
COMM 3650 - Communication Law (3)
COMM 4890 - Communication Internship (1-3)
COMM 4990 - Senior Seminar (3)

Courses Required to fulfill the BA (12 credit hours)

Complete either Option 1 or Option 2

Option 1 - Foreign Language

Select 4 courses (12 credit hours) in a foreign language

Option 2 - Foreign Language with Language Arts

Select two courses (6 credit hours) from the following plus two courses (6 credit hours) in a foreign language

COMM 2270 - Argumentation & Debate (3)
COMM 3050 - Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Management (3)
COMM 3080 DV - Intercultural Communication (3)
COMM 3120 - Advanced Public Speaking (3)
COMM 3130 - News Reporting and Writing (3)
COMM 3220 - Editing (3)
COMM 3440 - Public Relations Writing (3)
COMM 3550 - Organizational Communication (3)
COMM 3650 - Communication Law (3)
COMM 3740 - Copy Writing for Audio and Video (3)
COMM 3780 - Broadcast News Writing & Production (3)
COMM 3810 - Persuasive Communication (3)
COMM 4130 - In-depth and Investigative Journalism (3)
COMM 4150 - Classical Rhetorical Theory & Criticism (3)
COMM 4160 - Contemporary Rhetorical and Communication Theories (3)

Journalism Interdisciplinary Concentration (45 credit hours)

The Journalism Interdisciplinary concentration teaches students how to collect and write information regarding current events, including trends, issues and people, for publication in a newspaper, magazine or Web site. The curriculum emphasizes writing skills, but students also learn about research, interviewing, editing, layout and design, and legal and ethical issues in journalism. Students can specialize in one of four multi-disciplinary areas: technical writing, web publishing, literary journalism, or general reporting.

Breadth Courses (21 credit hours)

NOTE: students may select a traditional minor in lieu of these breadth courses.

One of the following courses (3 credit hours);

See department advisor for an approved list of additional non-Communication Department elective breadth courses (18 credit hours).