Program Overview

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Communication Studies, Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in communication studies requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including at least 39 s.h. of work for the major. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core.

Learning Outcomes

Graduating communication studies majors will be able to:

• explain the significance of the communicative process across personal, familial, organizational, civic, and mediated contexts;
• demonstrate effective written, oral, and/or digital communication skills;
• plan, evaluate, and conduct basic communication research using qualitative, quantitative, and critical-cultural methods;
• think critically about the role of communication in the production, maintenance, and transformation of culture;
• apply and reflect upon the skills and theories of communication in communities, professional settings, and a global context; and
• develop the ability to discuss controversial issues of public importance in a way that demonstrates intercultural competence and personal and social responsibility to a dynamic and globalizing world.

Requirements

The curriculum is designed to encourage learning that progresses from foundation courses that teach the basics of communication to intermediate and advanced (capstone) courses. Students may choose to build creative combinations of coursework that suit their individual learning and career goals.

• Foundations of Communication Courses: 9 s.h.
  • COMM:1112 Interpersonal Communication
  • COMM:1170 Communication Theory in Everyday Life
  • COMM:1168 Music and Social Change
  • COMM:1174 Media and Society
• Intermediate Courses: 15 s.h.
  • At least five communication studies courses (prefix COMM) numbered
• Capstone Experience Course: 3 s.h.
  • One of the following:
    • COMM:3118 Politics of Reproduction
    • COMM:4040 Practical Research Applications: Communication and Community
    • COMM:4044 Political Marketing: Media, Campaigns, and Persuasion
    • COMM:4111 360 Radio Experience
    • COMM:4131 Globalization and Culture
    • COMM:4140 Communication and Relationships
    • COMM:4147 Family Communication
    • COMM:4148 Advanced Health Communication
    • COMM:4154 Magic Machines: Technology and Social Change
    • COMM:4157 Advanced Topics in Communication Studies
    • COMM:4163 The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication
    • COMM:4168 Rhetoric of the Body
    • COMM:4169 Black Feminist Rhetorics
    • COMM:4171 Community Media
    • COMM:4174 Communication, Technology, and National Security
    • COMM:4183 Networking America: The Cultural History of Broadcasting
• Major Elective Courses: 12 s.h.
  • Students must complete 12 s.h. in communication studies courses (prefix COMM) numbered 1100–4999 not already taken for the major.

Internships and Professional Experiences

Internships enable students to supplement their coursework with professional experiences relevant to careers in communication-related fields. The department's internship program is open only to communication studies majors.

• COMM:2828 Experiential Learning in Communication Studies: 1-3 s.h.
  • To earn academic credit for internships, students must obtain approval for their internship experience and site before they register for COMM:2828.

Honors in the Major

Students majoring in communication studies have the opportunity to graduate with honors in the major. Students interested in honors in the major should consult the honors advisor as early as possible in their undergraduate career and work with a faculty member to supervise the honors project.

• Requirements:
  • Maintain a minimum cumulative University of Iowa grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.33.
  • Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.33 in coursework for the major.
  • Complete at least two authorized GROW activities.

GE CLAS Core

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core requirements provide students with a broad foundation of knowledge and a focused practice of transferable skills necessary for a lifetime of learning.

• Communication and Literacy:
  • Understanding Cultural Perspectives: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • Interpretation of Literature: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • Rhetoric: a minimum of 4 s.h.
  • World Languages Pathways: required credit varies
• Sustainability:
  • Students complete this requirement by choosing an approved GE CLAS Core course that integrates Sustainability with a course from the Natural, Quantitative, and Social Sciences category or the Culture, Society, and the Arts category.
• Natural, Quantitative, and Social Sciences:
  • Natural Sciences: a minimum of 7 s.h.; must include one lab
  • Quantitative or Formal Reasoning: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • Social Sciences: a minimum of 3 s.h.
• Culture, Society, and the Arts:
  • Historical Perspectives: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • International and Global Issues: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts: a minimum of 3 s.h.
  • Values and Society: a minimum of 3 s.h.

Career Advancement

Communication studies graduates have numerous career options. The major provides solid preparation for employment in almost any job that requires effective critical thinking and communication skills. It also prepares students for graduate school by providing a strong theoretical and methodological foundation in communication research. Graduates find work in fields such as the arts, entertainment, and media industries; consulting; sales and marketing; human resources; public advocacy; and higher education.

Four-Year Graduation Plan

The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the university's Four-Year Graduation Plan.

• Before the fifth semester begins: at least two courses in the major.
• Before the seventh semester begins: at least six courses in the major and at least 90 s.h. earned toward the degree.
• Before the eighth semester begins: at least eight courses in the major.
• During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining coursework in the major, all remaining GE CLAS Core courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate.

Sample Plan of Study

Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor.

• First Year:
  • Fall: COMM:1168 Music and Social Change, RHET:1030 Rhetoric: Writing and Communication, GE CLAS Core: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, CSI:1600 Success at Iowa, Elective course
  • Spring: COMM:1170 Communication Theory in Everyday Life, COMM:1117 Advocacy and Argument, RHET:1030 Rhetoric: Writing and Communication, GE CLAS Core: Historical Perspectives, Elective course
• Second Year:
  • Fall: Major: intermediate communication studies course, GE CLAS Core: Natural Sciences with Lab, GE CLAS Core: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning, GE CLAS Core: World Languages First Level Proficiency or elective course
  • Spring: Major: intermediate communication studies course, Major: intermediate communication studies course, GE CLAS Core: Natural Sciences without Lab, GE CLAS Core: Understanding Cultural Perspectives, GE CLAS Core: World Languages Second Level Proficiency or elective course
• Third Year:
  • Fall: Major: intermediate communication studies course, Major: intermediate communication studies course, GE CLAS Core: International and Global Issues, GE CLAS Core: World Languages Third Level Proficiency or elective course, Elective course
  • Spring: Major: communication studies elective course, GE CLAS Core: Values and Society, GE CLAS Core: Social Sciences, GE CLAS Core: World Languages Fourth Level Proficiency or elective course, Elective course
• Fourth Year:
  • Fall: Major: communication studies elective course, Major: communication studies capstone course, Elective course, Elective course, Elective course
  • Spring: Major: communication studies elective course, Major: communication studies elective course, Elective course, Elective course, Elective course, Degree Application: apply on MyUI before deadline