Nov 23, 2024

American University Catalog 2024-2025

Communication, Language, and Culture (BA)

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Administered jointly by the Department of World Languages and Cultures , College of Arts and Sciences and School of Communication .

Admission to the Program

Students are admitted either to the Department of School of Communication or to the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences . Formal admission to the Communication, Language, and Culture (CLC) major requires a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00.

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

57 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 requirements
Tracks: Complete one Language and one Communication track from the following:
- Language: Arabic; Chinese; French; German; Russian; Spanish
- Communication: Broadcast Journalism; Communication Studies; Film and Media Arts; Journalism; Public Relations & Strategic Communication
Prerequisite competency in the major language at the intermediate level

Course Requirements

Foundation (3 credit hours)

COMM-100 Understanding Media (3)

Contemporary Culture (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following, or other contemporary culture courses approved by advisor:

Linguistics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Contemporary Culture, or other approved courses:

Language Track (18 credit hours)

Complete one of the following language tracks:

Arabic

Complete 18 credit hours in Arabic from the following, or other approved courses:

Chinese

Complete 18 credit hours in Chinese from the following, or other approved courses:

French

Complete 18 credit hours in French from the following, or other approved courses:

German

Complete 18 credit hours in German from the following, or other approved courses:

Russian

Complete 18 credit hours in Russian from the following, or other approved courses:

Spanish

Complete 18 credit hours in Spanish from the following, or other approved courses:

Communication Track (27 credit hours)

Complete one of the following communication tracks:

Broadcast Journalism

Required (21 credit hours)

Audio and Video Journalism (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

COMM-462 Journalism Capstone (3)

Communication Studies

Required (15 credit hours)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

COMM-465 Senior Research Capstone Seminar (3)

Electives (9 credit hours)

Complete 9 credit hours from the following, with at least 3 credit hours at or above 300-level, or other courses approved by advisor:

Film and Media Arts

Required (18 credit hours)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Electives (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Capstone, with at least 3 credit hours at or above 300-level, or other courses approved by advisor:

Journalism

Required (21 credit hours)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

COMM-462 Journalism Capstone (3)

Electives (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other courses approved by advisor:

Public Relations & Strategic Communication

Required (18 credit hours)

Capstone (3 credit hours)

COMM-437 Public Relations Portfolio (3)

Electives (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following, with at least 3 credit hours at or above 300-level, or other courses approved by advisor:

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.