USM Online

Online B.A. in Communication

Department of Communication and Media Studies

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General Overview
Admission & Transfer Information
Degree Requirements

PCE Student Services

General Overview:

Take a broad view of communication including the examination of both face-to-face interactions and those that happen through media. You will explore communication theories and their practices including intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, organizational, intercultural, gender and family, and mass media. Your degree in Communication will prepare you with skills and insight for the workplace and for your life.

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Admission & Transfer Information:

If you are interested in completing your bachelor’s degree through one of our online programs, simply complete the Pre-Admission Form or call us at 780-5900, and we will assist you through the application process.

A transfer student is an applicant who has attempted twelve semester hours of credit or more since graduating form high school or earning a GED. Students should have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 unless otherwise indicated by the desired program. For more information about how your courses might transfer to USM, contact Enrollment Advisor, Ashley Collins for an unofficial transfer credit evaluation.

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Degree Requirements:

Students must receive a grade of C or higher in all required Communication courses in order to graduate. The Department of Communication and Media Studies is pleased to accept transfer credit from other accredited institutions of higher learning. Students wishing to receive credit for courses taken outside of USM will need to meet with the chair of the Department in order to discuss specific courses. Students may transfer a maximum of 12 credits in the major. The transfer of credits is at the discretion of the Department.

Students must have a minimum of 120 credits to earn a bachelor’s degree.

USM Core Curriculum Requirements

Entry Year Experience (waived for students who transfer in 24 or more credits)
College Writing
Quantitative Reasoning
Creative Expression
Socio-Cultural Analysis
Science Exploration - with Lab
Cultural Interpretation
Ethical Inquiry, Social Responsibility, and Citizenship
Diversity
International
Cluster course 1 (See Note)
Cluster course 2 (See Note)
Cluster course 3 (See Note)
Capstone (taken as part of the major – CMS 495)

Note:
USM students must complete either a Thematic Cluster OR a minor OR a double major. Students may overlap one cluster course with their major.

Communication Major Requirements (36 credit hours)

I. Common Core (9 credit hours)

CMS 102 Introduction to Communication
CMS 103 Introduction to Media Studies
CMS 200 Research Methods in Communication

II. Communication Theory (9 credit hours - select three)

CMS 255 Business and Professional Communication
CMS 265 Intrapersonal Communication
CMS 272 Persuasion
CMS 275 Theories of Language
CMS 298 Topics in Communication I
CMS 330 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
CMS 332 Communication in the Family
CMS 345 Small Group Communication
CMS 375 Meaning and Communication
CMS 385 Intergenerational Communication and the Internet
CMS 390 Theories of Organizational Communication
CMS 398 Topics in Communication II

III. Media Theory (6 credit hours – select two)

CMS 284 Film Appreciation
CMS 294 Visual Communication
CMS 303 Media Effects
CMS 310 Topics in Media Criticism II
CMS 323 Understanding Technology
CMS 350 The Internet in Society
CMS 355 Consumer Culture
CMS 370 Media and Social Change
CMS 374 Media Criticism and Aesthetics
CMS 380 Film Genres
CMS 384 Film and Cultural Studies
CMS 394 Theories of Film

IV. Senior Experience (6 credit hours)

Senior Seminar (3 credit hours – select one)

CMS 420 Communication and Cognition
CMS 432 Topics in Interpersonal Communication
CMS 455 Computer-Mediated Communication
CMS 475 Discursive Practices
CMS 484 Topics in Film
CMS 485 Sex-Related Differences in Communication
CMS 486 Women in Film
CMS 490 Theories of Mass Communication
CMS 498 Topics in Communication III

Capstone (3 credit hours)
CMS 495 Theories of Communication

V. Electives (6 credit hours)

Communication majors may select any two courses offered by the Department as electives as long as they have met the prerequisites. The exceptions are internships and independent studies. These count toward the total number of credits needed for a bachelor of arts degree, but not as electives in the major.

To learn more about degree requirements for this program, please view the official 2012-2013 catalog. You can also use this degree check sheet to track your progress.

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