Academic Catalog 2023-2024 
    
    Sep 24, 2023  
Academic Catalog 2023-2024

Communication Major


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: College of Undergraduate Studies (Traditional; CUS)

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication equips students to be authentic, ethical, and effective communicators in a variety of interpersonal, group, organizational, and public settings. Developing a wide range of many of the skills most valuable for today’s workforce, including critical analysis, decision making, teamwork, relationship building, and more, a degree in Communication prepares students for a wide range of careers in business, ministry, education and law. Students are also well prepared for graduate work in communication, organizational management, law, and related fields.

Graduates of the Communication major will be able to:

1. Develop and deliver effective, visually-appealing presentations using appropriate media.

2. Demonstrate writing proficiency across various modes of writing for both academic and professional contexts. 

3. Explain how communication creates, sustains, manages, and changes persons, groups, organizations, and society, and use that knowledge in an ethical manner. 

4. Apply communication theories and skills to various communicative situations (e.g., developing healthy, supportive relationships, participating in and leading teams, solving problems and making decisions, managing conflict, presenting strategic messages, and cultivating healthy organizations).

5. Demonstrate an ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, and articulate how these research skills can be applied to address problems in the work environment.

6. Critically analyze rhetorical messages (both classical and contemporary) in terms of major communication principles, processes, and theories.

7. Demonstrate the integration of faith with communication knowledge and skill.

The Communication major has three specific emphases, Organizational Leadership, Interpersonal Relationships, and Professional Speaking, as well as a general emphasis, each of which positions graduates to be effective and strategic communicators in their chosen profession.

Students are encouraged to sharpen their speaking, critical thinking, and writing skills by competing on our inter-collegiate speech and debate and moot court teams, as well as joining the staff of our student media publications, CougMedia.

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication requires completion of the following 120 credits:
General Education Core (48 credit hours)
Communication Core (36 credit hours)
Electives (36 credit hours)

General Education Requirements (48 credit hours)


Arts and Humanities (9 credit hours)


Take one course from each of the following three academic disciplines:

Fine Arts (3 credit hours)


Choose one course from the following:

Philosophy (3 credit hours)


Biblical Studies (12 credit hours)


Take the following four courses (some courses are cross-listed and only one prefix needs to be taken):

Integrative Studies (3 credit hours)


Please see the First-Year Integration (FYI)  page for specific information about this required course.

Mathematics (3 credit hours)


Social Sciences (12 credit hours)


Take each of the following four courses:

Communication Major (36 credit hours)


Communication Emphases (12 credit hours)


Choose one of the following four emphases.

Interpersonal Relationship Emphasis (12 credit hours)


Choose 2 of the following.

Organizational Leadership Emphasis (12 credit hours)


Graduation Requirements for Bachelor of Arts in Communication


The faculty recommends students in the B.A. in Communication to the Board of Trustees as candidates for graduation when they have completed the following requirements.

  1. Completion of a total of 120 credits, including all general education, electives and Communication major program requirements.
  2. A letter grade of D or better and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in all CCU coursework, and a GPA of 2.0 or higher for all courses specified for the major.
  3. Completion of 180 hours of ministry/community service and 180 chapel credits. Transfer students are required to complete 45 hours of ministry/community service and 45 chapel credits each year of attendance at CCU. For further details on ministry/community service, see the Life Directions Center (LDC)  section of this catalog. For further details on chapel credits, see the Student Life  section of this catalog.
  4. Meet the CCU Residency requirements 
  5. Acceptable performance on exit exams, as required by the faculty.
  6. Formal and timely application for graduation by the date specified by the University Registrar.
  7. No outstanding financial obligation to the University.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: College of Undergraduate Studies (Traditional; CUS)