Communication Degrees Online

Communication Minor
A minor in Communication requires five courses, including Communication 101 and 300; three courses are selected from two different tracks. These courses, chosen in consultation with a Communications Department faculty member, should represent a coherent study of communication relative and complementary to the student’s major.

Other Options
Students are also encouraged to have an internship experience, preferably during their Junior or Senior year. Other opportunities include field experience, independent studies, and service learning.

Minor Requirements
Required courses 18 hours

COM 280 Group Discussion (3)
COM 290 Public Speaking (3)
COM 324 Interpersonal Communication (3)
COM 340 Business and Professional Communication (3)
COM 350 Introduction to Mass Communication (3)
COM 380 Theories of Human Communication (3)

Elective Courses 3 hours
Choose three hours of electives in consultation with the department.
Total: 21 hours

CAREERS
The programme is designed to allow students to update, extend and deepen their knowledge in a flexible course to enhance their career opportunities in either the Microelectronics or Communication Engineering industry, or as a preparation for further academic research.

COURSEWORK AND ASSESSMENT
The programme consists of a balance of taught modules and a project making 180 credit points in total. Students will normally take one third of the programme as taught modules, together with a 30-credit point directed learning module and project equivalent to one half of the programme (90 credits 30+60).

Every project involves both research and practical work and culminates in a dissertation. Some modules will be taught conventionally, others may be taught using independent or distance learning materials, with the support of an appropriate tutor.

Students enrolling in the programme choose their project in consultation with the appropriate academic staff. The particular choice of project for a student will take into account the student’s interests, aspirations and previous experience.

Major and Minor Requirements

Baccalaureate Degrees

Major in communication studies; 39 hours: COMM 130, 256, 324, 360, 370, 477 or 499; 21 hours of electives chosen in consultation with advisor and approved by department chair.

Communication studies majors must successfully complete COMM 477 Senior Internship or COMM 499 Senior Research Project to meet the senior comprehensive evaluation requirement prior to graduation. Details are available from the department chair.

Minor in communication studies, 21 hours: COMM 130, 256, 324, 360; nine hours of electives selected in consultation with advisor and with approval of the department.

Additional Requirements
An additional 18 credit hours in communication studies courses numbered at the 600 level or above, including six credit hours of SPCH 899 (for students electing the thesis option); or an additional 18 credit hours, including 2 credit hours of SPCH 899 (for students electing the nonthesis (report) option).

Submission of an acceptable thesis or report.

Or
Successful completion of a comprehensive (written and oral) examination over coursework for those electing the coursework only degree option.

In consultation with his or her advisor, a student may develop a minor emphasis of up to 6 credit hours at the 500 level or above in academic areas outside the communication studies program.

Admission
Responsibility for admission to master’s and doctoral study rests with the Dean, who in consultation with faculty is charged with establishing standards of prior achievement. Minimum requirements for admission are the following:

A completed graduate application form (download here);
Proof of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent (this includes a German “Zwischenpruefung” with 2 additional semesters of study);
An official transcript of undergraduate courses and grades;
Two letters of recommendation from faculty members who can attest the quality of the candidate;
Proof of proficiency in English (see application form);
An essay explaining why the student is choosing Jacobs University Bremen for graduate work, what the student’s research interests are;
Examples of scholarly work, if they are available.

Liberal Arts Option (21 hours)

Required Courses (9 hours):
SP 100 Interpersonal Communication (3 hours) OR SP 101 Public Speaking (3 hours) (whichever is not used to meet the General Education Basic Skill requirement)
SP 201 Advanced Public Speaking (3 hours)
SP 306 Advanced lnterpersonal Communication (3 hours)
Electives (12 hours):

Students select in consultation with an advisor in communication an additional twelve (12) hours of courses in communication to complete the minor. No more than three (3) hours total from the following courses may apply toward the minor:

Intercollegiate Forensics (SP 142, 242, 342, and 442)
Communication Internship (SP 570 and SP 571) and
Independent Study (SP 471).

Business Option (21 hours)

Required Courses (15 hours):
SP 100 Interpersonal Communication (3 hours) OR SP 101 Public Speaking (3 hours) (whichever is not used to meet the General Education Basic Skill requirement)
SP 201 Advanced Public Speaking (3 hours)
SP 303 Organizational Communication (3 hours)
SP 313 Interviewing: Principles & Techniques (3 hours)
SP 403 Communication Training & Development (3 hours)
Electives (6 hours):

Students select in consultation with an advisor in communication an additional six (6) hours of courses in communication to complete the minor. No more than three (3) hours total from the following courses may apply toward the minor:

Intercollegiate Forensics (SP 142, 242, 342, and 442)
Communication Internship (SP 570 and SP 571) and
Independent Study (SP 471).

The mission of the Communication major is to help students develop an understanding of communication theories and humanistic approaches to communication, and to promote the development of skills in public and interpersonal communication. The Communication major provides a foundation for graduate studies, or for careers in diverse areas like mass media, public relations, journalism, politics, law, education and other related fields.

The 12-course curriculum allows students to create their programs of study according to their academic and career interests from courses within the Department, and upon consultation with their advisor, from complimentary courses outside the Department.

Personal and Professional Journalism and Media Intercultural and Critical
Communication Studies

I. Required Courses: 12 credit hours of coursework is required for all tracks.

Required Courses Required Courses Required Courses
Comn 102 Comn 102 Comn 102
Comn 103 Comn 103 Comn 103
Comn 160 Comn 160 Comn 160
Comn 248 Comn 105 or 261 Anth 120

II. Track Courses: 15 credit hours of coursework must be selected from courses in your declared track.

Track Courses Track Courses Track Courses
Comn 200 Comn 251 Comn 213
Comn 211 Comn 266 Comn 215
Comn 212 Comn 267 Comn 270
Comn 253 Comn 270 Comn 317
Comn 341 Comn 274 Comn 346
Comn 345 Comn 275 Comn 355
Comn 346 Comn 355 Comn 362
Comn 348 Comn 363 Comn 368
Comn 353 Comn 366 Anth 220
Comn 380 Comn 367 Anth 231
*1 course must be in Anth

III. Elective Courses: 9 additional credit hours of communication department courses (Comn prefix) must be selected in consultation with your advisor.

Freshmen entering the major must select their track no later than the pre-registration period of the spring semester of their sophomore year. Students who transfer into the major must select their track during the first pre-registration period following entry into the program. SUNY Geneseo freshman and transfer students who wish to complete the requirements for the dual-degree program with Moscow State University must declare the track in Intercultural and Critical Studies upon entry into the program. In the case of transfer students, additional semesters of study may be required to meet all dual-degree program requirements.
A minimum of 36 hours of credit is required for the degree program and a maximum of 51 credit hours in Communication may be applied to the 120 credit hour requirement of the College.
Students must achieve minimum competency of C- in COMN 102, 103, and 160.
A minimum of 12 credit hours (4 courses) must be at the 300-level. Courses may be chosen from track (II) or elective (III) categories.
With the exception of slot courses with different course subtitles, courses count only once for credit toward the major.
Students wishing to complete two tracks must choose a minimum of 9 credit hours of coursework (three courses) exclusive to the second track, and meet all requirements of the track. A maximum of two tracks of study may be pursued.
Completion of writing assignment(s) at the level of C- or better in Comn 103 and Comn 160 fulfills the departmental writing requirement. All communication majors and minors must fulfill the departmental writing requirement by successfully completing, with at least a C-, the designated writing assignments identified on course syllabi for Comn 103 and Comn 160. Those students who do not earn at least a C- must revise and resubmit the paper(s) until the minimal requirement is achieved. The grade for the revised paper(s) will not replace the original assignment grade when determining the final grade for the class. Failure to meet the C- minimum on all the designated writing assignments will result in an incomplete for the course grade. Upon completing the necessary work, the grade will be changed to the appropriate grade for the work done by the student. All rules and deadlines regarding incomplete grades are in effect during this time.
Up to a maximum of 3 credit hours of Comn 395 may be applied to the communication elective category (category III) and a maximum of 15 credit hours of Comn 395 may be applied to the 120 credit hour requirement of the College.
Those majors who declare the Intercultural and Critical Studies track AND apply to spend a full year of study at Moscow State University during their junior year must complete the following before their junior year of study: Anth 120, Anth 220, Anth 231 or another Anthropology course under advisement, and foreign language proficiency in Russian at the intermediate level (Russian 201)

Students in any major other than communication studies may declare a minor in communication studies. A total of 21 credit hours of course work is required for the minor distributed as follows:
A. Required courses: 12 credit hours
COM 100 - Human Communication (3 cr. hr.)
COM 200 - Communication History (3 cr. hr.)
COM 210 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3 cr. hr.)
COM 301 - Mass Media and Society (3 cr. hr.)
B. Elective Communication Studies Courses: nine credit hours

Select nine credit hours in communication studies in consultation with advisor. Elective courses may not include media participation or internship credits (COM 390, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396 or 399).
Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor: 21