Program Overview

Communication Studies Degree with Speech Teacher Certification

Program Overview

The Communication Studies Degree with Speech Teacher Certification is a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program that combines a degree in communication studies with a teaching certificate. This program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of communication theories and research, as well as the skills and knowledge necessary to become effective teachers.

Program Details

• Program Type: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with Teaching Certificate
• Major: Communication Studies
• Teaching Certification: Speech
• Format: On Campus
• Estimated Time to Complete: 4-5 years
• Credit Hours: 141

Program Description

The Communication Studies Degree with Speech Teacher Certification program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of communication theories and research, as well as the skills and knowledge necessary to become effective teachers. Students will investigate communication in aesthetic, cultural, international, interpersonal, legal, organizational, and political contexts. Opportunities to research gender and diversity, narrative and social change, politics, social influence, and other topics are also available.

Areas of Study

There are three areas of study in the Communication Studies Degree with Speech Teacher Certification program:

• Interpersonal, Digital and Organizational Communication: Examines the impact of communication theory in multiple contexts. It explores how human and digital communication influences cultures, groups, and individuals. It also teaches effective communication in different types of organizations.
• Communication, Culture and Public Discourse: Examines how communication is influential in the formation and growth of every culture. It explores the power of communication in terms of persuasion, public advocacy, public address, and public policy.
• Performance Studies: Examines how performance is central to the development of human beings and cultures. We are always performing different roles, and performance is a tool used to communicate different messages.

Marketable Skills

• Oral and written communication
• Multi-cultural/diversity competencies
• Conflict management
• Ethical communication
• Teamwork

Program Highlights

• Faculty members are dedicated to high-quality teaching and research, many having earned recognition for their contributions inside and outside the classroom.
• The department supports the UNT Debate Team, a student chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta national honor society, the NCA Future Pros organization, and the Performance Interest Group.
• The Debate Team is consistently recognized as one of the nation's best, and regularly has students participate in the prestigious National Debate Tournament.
• Faculty members have collaborated on projects for the North Texas Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, Denton County Friends of the Family, and the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy.
• Communication Studies majors have completed internships with Clear Channel Communications, ESPN Radio Dallas, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Red Bull Communications, and The Richards Group.

Career Opportunities

Communication Studies majors examine human communicative behavior and the symbolic processes through which humans interact. Many graduates pursue careers in:

• Consulting
• Corporate communication
• Human resources
• Law
• Management
• Marketing
• Non-profit administration
• Public relations
• Teaching

Courses

• Argumentation and Debate (3 hrs)
• Intercultural Communication (3 hrs)
• Communication Theories of Sexuality (3 hrs)
• Professional Issues in Teaching (3 hrs)
• Teaching Diverse Populations (3 hrs)
• Interpersonal Communication (3 hrs)