Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies degree comprises 120 credit hours:

General Requirements (Core Curriculum)
A specific combination of coursework in English, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Fine Arts, and writing component courses. See the degree checklists below for detailed course information.

Major requirements
A minimum of 30 and maximum of 36 hours of major-specific coursework in the Department of Communication Studies

College of Communication requirements
Fourth semester proficiency in a foreign language.
Six hours of Communication courses outside your major.
Three hours Communication and Culture coursework.

Electives
Electives are used to bring a student’s total hours to 120.
Elective courses frequently taken by Communication students can be found here.
Students can also fill elective hours by completing a concentration, certificate program, other other Academic Enrichment activity.

Admission with Deficiencies
Students who are admitted with deficiencies from high school, will find these deficiencies listed in their acceptance letters and on their degree audit. The areas of deficiencies are: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. Students should check with the Office of Student Affairs (CMA 4.140) to learn more about the procedure to fulfill any deficient requirement that he/she may have. Deficiencies should be removed as early as possible to avoid problems later is the student’s

The College of Communication no longer assesses a penalty for foreign language deficiencies.

Specific information on the courses that fulfill the general requirements, major requirements, and College of Communication requirements can be found in the Degree Checklists. Please click on the appropriate catalog link to download a PDF of your checklist. (Your catalog year is determined by the first year you attend the University.)

Degree Checklists

Note: The College of Communication adopted the University Core Curriculum list for students entering a public university in Texas in the Fall 2008 semester or later. If you are unsure about which catalog you fall under, please contact the Office of Student Affairs.

Communication Studies: 2008-2010 Catalog

Communication Studies: 2006–2008 Catalog

Communication Studies: 2004–2006 Catalog

View course descriptions for the current (2008-2010) catalog here.

You should plan to meet with your academic advisor at least once per semester to review your academic progress. Students may also use IDA, Interactive Degree Audit, to help with academic planning.

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Program Information

Department of Communication Studies

Department of Communication Studies fact sheet (pdf)

Tracks

Students are asked to choose from three different tracks within CMS, based on their interests:

• Corporate Communication
• Human Relations
• Political Communication

Enrollment

Communication Studies majors may not take more than 9 hours of Communication Studies coursework per semester

Students who are not Communication Studies majors are limited to 9 hours of CMS coursework (including transfer work) total, until they are officially accepted as a major or have officially declared Communication Studies as their minor via their own college.

Communication Studies students many not take more than 42 hours in the College of Communication.

At least 15 hours of major-specific coursework must be upper-division.

Honors

A student may apply for admission to the Communication Studies honors program during the semester that he or she reaches 90 hours of coursework. More information can be found here.

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Rules to Live By

• No core curriculum requirement, foreign language course, or course in the College of Communication may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
• Only 15 hours of non-Communication electives may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
• 24 of the last 30 hours for the degree must be taken in-residence.
• Students must take at least 36 upper-division credit hours.
• At least 60 hours for the degree must be in-residence coursework under certain catalogs.
• A minimum GPA of 2.25 is required to take any upper-division courses in the College of Communication.
• A grade of C or better is required in every Communication course taken in order to count toward your degree.
• A minimum of a 2.0 UT and Communication GPA is required to graduate.
• Only 12 hours of transfer credit in the major will count toward the degree.