Communication, BS

Liberal Studies Hours (42 hours)

Liberal Studies Program Requirements  

Major Requirements

The major requires 40 hours including 19 hours in communication core courses and a 21-hour concentration.

Concentrations, 21 hours:

Broadcasting:

• COMM 254 - Radio Production I Credits: 3
• COMM 255 - Television Production I Credits: 3
• COMM 352 - Writing for Broadcast Credits: 3, R6
• LAW 406 - Media Law Credits: 3

Health Communication:

A program concentration that focuses on how people, individually and collectively, understand and accommodate to health and illness as well as on the role of communication and media in shaping professional health care messages and public acceptance of these messages. Includes instruction in the development and use of health-related and care-related messages and media; the goals and strategies of health care promotion; relationships, roles, situations, and social structures in the context of health maintenance and promotion; and the applications of communication to disease prevention, health advocacy, and treatments.

• COMM 303 - Public Relations Writing Credits: 3
• COMM 325 - Health Communication Credits: 3
• COMM 365 - Public Relations Case Studies Credits: 3
• COMM 400 - Crisis Communications Credits: 3
• COMM 403 - Communication Research Methods Credits: 3
• COMM 460 - Public Relations Campaigns Credits: 3

Journalism:

• COMM 330 - News Reporting I Credits: 3
• COMM 430 - News Reporting II Credits: 3
• CS 130 - Introduction to Computing Credits: 3
• LAW 406 - Media Law Credits: 3
• PSC 169 - Global Issues Credits: 3

Public Relations:

• COMM 204 - Desktop Publishing Credits: 3, R6
• COMM 260 - Introduction to Public Relations Credits: 3
• COMM 303 - Public Relations Writing Credits: 3
• COMM 365 - Public Relations Case Studies Credits: 3
• COMM 460 - Public Relations Campaigns Credits: 3

General Requirements

To become a Communication major:   The student must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.  First semester freshman and transfer students can declare without an established GPA and are required to obtain a 2.0 GPA at the end of their first semester. Required prerequisites:  All students must complete COMM 240  as a prerequisite to many communication classes.  Program Completion:  Students must pass with a grade of C (2.00) or better all required courses in the communication degree program.  To complete the degree, a total of 38 additional hours is required, including a minor, second communication concentration, second major, or other approved program and student selected general electives. To meet one of the general university degree requirements, students must take at least 30 hours at WCU and must be at the junior-senior level.

The Health Communication concentration requires 21 hours.  Students who have completed their Liberal Studies courses (42 hours) and the Health Sciences pre-professional major course requirements (20 hours) and who are in good academic standing shall have met the minor requirement for the communication major.