Organizational Communication Emphasis, Communication (BS)

Communication Major

• Program Prerequisite: Not required.
• Minor: Students may complete a minor approved by their academic advisor OR one of the tracks associated with any of the six interdisciplinary emphasis areas: Civic Advocacy, Digital Media, Interpersonal & Family Communication, Multimedia Journalism, Organizational Communication, and 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 27-35 of these are required within the major, depending on the selected emphasis.
• Program Code: Communication (3017) with emphasis code Civic Advocacy (3051), Communication Studies/Communication Teaching (3016), Digital Media(3068), Interpersonal & Family (3053), Multimedia Journalism (3069), Multimedia Journalism/Communication Teaching (3070), Organizational Communication (3054), Public Relations & Advertising (3055).
• CIPC: Communication (090101) with emphasis code Civic Advocacy (090904), Communication Studies/Communication Teaching (131399), Digital Media(090199), Interpersonal & Family (090101), Multimedia Journalism (099999), Multimedia Journalism/Communication Teaching (131399), Organizational Communication (090901), Public Relations & Advertising (090999).​

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 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 emphasis. Refer to the Communication Department website 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 Emphasis Areas

Select one of the following:

• Civic Advocacy
• Digital Media
• Interpersonal & Family Communication
• Multimedia Journalism
• Organizational Communication
• Public Relations & Advertising

Courses Required to Fulfill the BS (12 credit hours)

Select 4 courses (12 credit hours) from the following.  Pick 3 credit hours from Physical Sciences and 3 credit hours from Life Sciences.

• COMM 3000 - Communication Theory Credits: (3)
• COMM 3150 - Communication Research Methods Credits: (3)
• CHEM 1360 PS - Principles of Physical Science Credits: (3)
• GEOG 1000 PS - Natural Environments of the Earth Credits: (3)
• GEO 1030 PS - Earthquakes and Volcanoes Credits: (3)
• GEO 1350 PS - Principles of Earth Science Credits: (3)
• HNRS 1500 PS - Perspectives in the Physical Sciences Credits: (3)
• PHYS 1010 PS - Elementary Physics Credits: (3)
• BTNY 1370 LS - Principles of Life Science Credits: (3)
• HNRS 1510 LS - Perspectives in the Life Sciences Credits: (3)
• NUTR 1020 LS - Science and Application of Human Nutrition Credits: (3)
• HLTH 1020 LS - Science and Application of Human Nutrition Credits: (3)
• ZOOL 1020 LS - Human Biology Credits: (3)
• ZOOL 1030 LS - The Nature of Sex Credits: (3)

Organizational Communication Interdisciplinary Emphasis (45 credit hours)

An Organizational Communication emphasis provides students with a foundation employers seek—effective professional communicators in the workplace, with particular knowledge and skills needed for:

Generalist: The Organizational Communication Generalist does not specialize.  The generalist has the communication skills and knowledge to lead groups and develop organizational strategies necessary for management.  Rather than focus on the career areas of technical writing or training and development, the generalist combines organizational communication with expertise in a secondary subject of interest.  Minors in disciplines such as Spanish, health administration, political science, psychology, or economics are a valuable combination with an Organizational Communication Generalist emphasis.

Technical Writing: Synthesize technical information into messages easily understood by a given audience.  Technical writers produce organizational policy and training manuals, employee newsletters, brochures, grant applications, and annual reports.   

Training & Development: Conduct training needs assessments for diverse groups, design workshop, write training manuals, evaluate classroom technology and equipment needs, and evaluate training.