Communication Degrees Online

This sophomore required course introduces students to the varieties of methods and materials used throughout the communication design field. Students learn basic design processes—from conceptualizing to execution—as well as the importance of “design thinking” to creative and effective visual communication. A variety of projects will acclimate the student to the manipulation of two-dimensional space through color, form, scale, proximity, language, concept, and context. Students will use a combination of hand skills and digital skills to complete assignments.

Our students join the communication design program because they possess the ability to think, speak, draw, write, and design. They graduate design leaders, having learned to inform, guide, clarify, promote, and empower through visual form. Throughout the program, students benefit from a 15:1 teacher-student ratio. The Senior Thesis Exhibition, as well as internships, industry partnerships, and professional events like Career Day, bring students face to face with the design community. At the same time, students acquire valuable experience in problem solving and the application of design principles, making them cultural catalysts and sought-after design professionals.

The Communication Technician
If you have an aptitude for working with electrical and mechanical systems and equipment and possess a good measure of manual dexterity, you may find that working as a communication technician is a rewarding career choice.

Technicians install, test, repair, set up, and operate the electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio and television programs. They work with television cameras, micro-phones, tape recorders, light and sound effects, transmitters, antennas, and other equipment.

Required General Education Core Courses (38 hours)
Communications (9)
ENG 101Composition I
ENG 102 Composition II
SPE 101 Introductory Speech Communication

Social/Behavioral Sciences electives
Choose from two or more subject areas. PSY 101 is highly recommended.
9

Humanities elective
3

Fine Arts elective
3

Humanities/Fine Arts elective
One course from Soc/Beh Sci, Hum, or FA must fulfill the non-Western culture requirement.
3

Life Sciences elective
4

Mathematics elective
3

Physical Sciences elective
4

Required Mass Communication Core Courses (9 hours) 8
Select three of the following depending upon planned specialty (see specialties below).

COM 101 Introduction to Mass Communication
3

COM 105 Basic News Writing
3

COM 106 Broadcast Writing
3

COM 107 Basic News Editing
3

COM 121 Introduction to Advertising
3

COM 122 Introduction to Public Relations
3

COM 141 Basic Broadcast Announcing
3

COM 142 Introduction to Radio Production
3

COM 143 Introduction to Broadcasting
3

COM 144 Introduction to Studio Television Production
3

Radio/TV/Film
Choose one or both of the following:
COM 101 Introduction to Mass Communication
3

COM 143 Introduction to Broadcasting
3

Choose one or two courses from the following:

COM 142 Introduction to Radio Production
3

COM 144 Introduction to Studio Television Production
3

COM 141 Basic Broadcast Announcing
3

COM 106 Broadcast Writing
3

THE 124 Film History and Appreciation
3

THE 125 Film History
3

Advertising/Public Relations
COM 101 Introduction to Mass Communication
3

COM 121 Introduction to Advertising
3

Com 122 Introduction to Public Relations
3

Journalism/News Editorial/Photojournalism
COM 101 Introduction to Mass Communication
3

COM 105 Basic News Writing
3

COM 107 Basic News Editing
3

Multimedia
COM 101 Introduction to Mass Communication
3

CSC 121 Website Design and Development
3

Select one other course from the Mass Communication Core Courses list
3

A. Degree Requirement (3 hours)
LAS 189 Introduction to the Liberal Arts and Sciences
3

General Electives (10 hours)

General electives
COM 201 is highly recommended.
SPE 140 is highly recommended.
10

Total Semester Credit Hours Required
60

Bachelor’s degree programs in Mass Communication encompass three major areas: Advertising/Public Relations, Radio/TV/Film, and Journalism/News Editorial/Photojournalism. For each specialty, 9 semester credits in the desired major in addition to the 38 semester credit General Education Core Curriculum are recommended. The remaining credits necessary to complete an associate’s degree (a minimum of 60 semester credits) should be chosen with the assistance of a faculty advisor. Completion of at least 60 semester credits will permit students to transfer as juniors. Students are encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree prior to transfer. Students should be aware that some schools have specific requirements for admission to the major, e.g., minimum grade point average (GPA).

Required General Education Core Courses (38 hours)

Communications (9)
ENG 101 Composition I
ENG 102 Composition II
SPE 101 Introductory Speech Communication

Social/Behavioral Sciences electives
Choose from two or more subject areas.
PSY 101 is highly recommended.
9

Humanities elective
PHI 100 is highly recommended.
3

Fine Arts elective
3

Humanities or Fine Arts elective
One course from Soc/Beh Sci, Hum, or FA must fulfill the non-Western culture requirement.
3

Mathematics elective
3

Physical Sciences elective
4

Life Sciences elective
4

Required Speech Communication Core Courses (9-12 hours)
Choose from:
SPE 180 Advanced Public Speaking
3

SPE 205 Business and Professional Communication
3

THE 103 Performance of Literature
3

SPE 200 Group Discussion
3

SPE 120 Interpersonal Communication
3

SPE 140 Voice and Diction
3

A.A. Degree Requirement (3 hours)
LAS 189 Introduction to the Liberal Arts and Sciences
3

General Electives (7-10 hours)

General electives
7-10
COM 101 is highly recommended.

Total Semester Credit Hours Required
60-63

Students are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree prior to transfer. To transfer as a junior into a baccalaureate speech communication program, students must complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours. Students are encouraged to check the four-year institution of their choice for any additional requirements for B.A. or B.S. First- and second-year students who plan to major in speech communication are encouraged to fulfill general education requirements. Most of the major coursework should be taken at the upper-division and university level.

A colleague once asked me an interesting question. She was headed out to judge a debate tournament and thought she might be answering questions from college-bound high school students. “Why major in communication arts at Park University?” she asked. I’d like to share my answer with you.

At first I had a lot of high-minded ideas. However, this one extremely practical idea kept barking at me:

Hands-on, hands-on, hands-on!

That seemed right. So I said to my colleague, “Tell them this…

“If you want to do journalism, you’ll be knee-deep in the student newspaper a month after you arrive. You may be filling air-shifts on the radio by October. If you want to learn about photography, you’ll know where the lab key is hidden by Fall Break.

If you’re interested in doing public relations or if communication theory and human relations is your cup, you’ll be doing all these newspaper, radio and television things if you like, and more. You’ll be the human energy behind the “Communication Connection,” planning the next Communication Week and working to interest the rest of us in doing good work in the community through your next service project. Hands-on.

You’ll be learning from people who do what they teach. For example, the guy who teaches feature writing (me) may well be working out the problems of a magazine lede in his head while he talks to you about writing the lede for your own feature story. If he rags you about not missing deadlines, he is probably up against a deadline himself.

“The professor who works with you filming the Northland News may have only recently returned from some far-flung place like Azerbaijan where he taught broadcasting on his second Fulbright Fellowship.

“The teachers who lead you through the fascinating ideas of public information and the nature of human communication and interactions see themselves nurturing the community leaders of tomorrow. They are pioneering new thinking about motivation and leadership in an information-driven global environment.

“See, what makes this place special is simple. The folks who teach the arts of communication at Park University have both feet in the communications community. And, their students have both feet and both hands in Park University.

“We really care about teaching. Teaching isn’t just something we do to earn the right to go to conferences and present papers. We really care, one-to-one, about what you learn. We think about teaching, study teaching, agonize over teaching, every day.

Requirements for Communications Minors
Minors In journalism, photojournalism, broadcasting, public relations or communication theory and human relations require - 21 hours, 2.0 GPA.
CA 103 Public Speaking 3 cr.
CA 104 Interpersonal Communication I 3 cr.
CA 302 Communication Ethics and Law 3 cr.
CA 322 Theory & History of Mass Media 3 cr.

Three courses selected by faculty advisor from the appropriate concentration. 9 cr.
total core credit hours 21 cr.

Requirements for Communication Arts Majors
Core Curriculum: required for all majors
CA 103 Public Speaking 3 cr.
CA 104 Interpersonal Communication I 3 cr.
CA 302 Communication Ethics and Law 3 cr.
CA 322 Theory & History of Mass Media 3 cr.
total core credit hours 12 cr.

Journalism Concentration
In addition to the core curriculum above, majors will also complete a speciality area sequence of courses. 34 credits
CA 201 Reporting I 3 cr.
CA 241 Photography I 4 cr.
CA 311 Editing Layout and Design 3 cr.
CA 315-A,B or
CA 125 Journalism Practicum or
Journalism Workshop 3 cr.
CA 315-G Journalism Practicum - Magazine 3 cr.
CA 316 Reporting II 3 cr.
CA 317 Feature Writing 3 cr.
CA 341 Photography II 3 cr.
CA 450 450 Special Topics 3 cr.
English Courses above 200 level 6cr.

Photojournalism Concentration
In addition to the core curriculum above, majors will also complete a speciality area sequence of courses. 37 credits
CA 201 Reporting I 3 cr.
CA 241 Photography I 4 cr.
CA 311 Editing Layout and Design 3 cr.
CA 315-D Journalism Practicum — Photojournalism 3 cr.
CA 315-G Journalism Practicum – Magazine 3 cr.
CA 317 Feature Writing 3 cr.
CA 341 Photography II 3 cr.
CA 441 Photojournalism 3 cr.
CA 450 Special Topics 3 cr.
Art electives
6cr.

Broadcasting Concentration
In addition to the core curriculum above, majors will also complete a speciality area sequence of courses. 37 credits
CA 115 Introduction to Electronic Communication 3 cr.
CA 201 Reporting I 3 cr.
CA 241 241 Photography 4 cr.
TH 105 Oral Communication (theater) 3 cr.
CA 316 Reporting II 3 cr.
CA 231 Television Production 3 cr.
CA 221 221 Radio Production 3 cr.
CA 335 Television Practicum 3 cr.
CA 325 Radio Practicum 3 cr.
CA 490B Communication Arts Internship 3 cr.

Students are strongly urged to choose one of these two companion minors:
• Public Relations Minor
• Journalism Minor
Students who do not choose Public Relations or Journalism minor, add six hours of English above 200 6), not including EN 306.

Public Relations Concentration
In addition to the core curriculum above, majors will also complete a speciality area sequence of courses. 37 credits
CA 115 Introduction to Electronic Communication 3 cr.
CA 201 Reporting I 3 cr.
CA 218 Public Relations I 3 cr.
CA 231 Television Production 3 cr.
CA 301
301 Interpersonal Communication II 3 cr.
CA 317 Feature Writing 3 cr.
CA 241 Photography I 4 cr.
CA 311 311 Editing Layout and Design 3 cr.
CA 318 318 Public Relations II 3 cr.
PO 200
or
PO 201 American National Government
or
State and Local Government 3 cr.
CA 380 Advertising 3 cr.
CA 400 Interviewing Theory and Practice 3 cr.

Communications Theory & Human Relations Concentration
In addition to the core curriculum above, majors will also complete a speciality area sequence of courses.

NOTE: No new majors in Human Theory accepted as of Spring 2008. 42 credits
CA 201 Reporting I 3 cr.
CA 218 Public Relations I 3 cr.
CA 301 Interpersonal Communication II 3 cr.
MK 351 Principles of Marketing 3 cr.
CA 380 Advertising 3 cr.
MK 411 Marketing Management 3 cr.
CA 400 Interviewing Theory and Practice 3 cr.
CA 402 Organizational Communication 3 cr.
CA 404 Seminar: Special Topics in Group Interaction 3 cr.
CA 420 Human Relations in Group Interaction 3 cr.
CA 491 Senior Project 6 cr.
English above 200

Organizational Communication
this major serves a broad spectrum of professions in contemporary corporate, government, and non-profit environments. Career choices include management, training, development, human resources, consulting, or related fields.

This program is offered through:
Parkville 16 Week Program
Kansas City Accelerated Programs

Requirements for: B.A. Major - 42 Hours, 2.0 GPA

Required Courses
CA 104 Interpersonal Communication I 3 hrs
CA 200 Interviewing: Theories and Practice 3 hrs
CA 235 Multicultural Communication 3 hrs
CA 301 Interpersonal Communication II 3 hrs
CA 302 Communication Ethics and Law 3 hrs
CA 348 Theories of Communication 3 hrs
CA 382 Communication Research Methods 3 hrs
CA 402 Organizational Communication 3 hrs
CA 420 Human Relations in Group Interaction 3 hrs
CA 475 Case Studies in Communication Leadership 3 hrs
CA 490 Professional Learning Experience (PLE) 3 hrs
CA 491 Senior Project 3 hrs

Electives
CA 404 Special Topics in Communication and/or 6 hrs
CA Electives
TOTAL 42 hrs