Communication: Communication Studies (BA)

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Offered by the School of Communication , the Communication: Communication Studies (BA) major is a degree in media studies and communication research, building on the School of Communication ’s areas of practice (journalism, public communication, film and media arts) with a liberal arts perspective for future thought leaders.

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale). Students should declare their major by the end of the sophomore year and no earlier than the end of the first year.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

39 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
- With approval of the student’s advisor, up to 6 credit hours taken abroad may be applied toward the communication major requirements
- Subject to the approval of an advisor, a maximum of 12 credit hours in communication transferred from another university may be substituted for required communication courses
Related requirements taken outside the School of Communication with grades of C or better:
Note: These courses are not included in the major GPA.
- 3 credit hours from United States history (HIST ) coursework
- 3 credit hours from ECON coursework
- Minor or second major outside the School of Communication

Course Requirements

Core (18 credit hours)

Media Studies (12 credit hours)

Complete 12 credit hours from the following, with maximum 3 credit hours of non-COMM courses approved by advisor:

Skills (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

COMM-465 Senior Research Capstone Seminar (3)

Related Requirements

Complete the following with grades of C or better:

Note: These courses are not included in the major GPA.

United States History

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Economics

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Outside Minor or Second Major

Minor or second major outside of the School of Communication

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.