Online Communication Degree Curriculum

An online communication degree to fit your busy life.

The bachelor of science in communication in the communication major engages all aspects in the field of communication. The diverse course offerings prepare you to advance your career by developing transferrable and practical skills in communication that are sought by today’s employers.

Course offerings mix theory and practice, with content modules including:

• Foundational Knowledge and Skills - Courses in this area equip you with foundational literacy in oral, written, and visual communication across a variety of communication mediums. These competencies serve as the basis for more advanced study in the field.
• Practice - Courses in the practice sequence provide for more advanced opportunities for you to engage in visual, written, and oral communication. These courses focus on more advanced skills that will be valuable for communication-intensive positions across a wide variety of private, public, and non-profit organizations.
• Strategy - The ability to make strategic decisions on how best to deploy a wide range of communication tools is becoming critical for nearly every profession. You'll have a variety of options in this area to build strategic decision-making skills. You'll graduate knowing how to best utilize what you've learned in the program to meet specific communication objectives within your organization.

You'll complete a capstone project intended to implement and evaluate a communication plan, campaign, training program, or comparable communication activity within an organization, serving as a foundation for continued professional development.

Major Course Work:

In addition to your General Education credits, you'll choose from the following to complete your major coursework:

Work with your academic advisor to earn a journalism minor and/or social media certificate.

Foundational Knowledge and Skills (10 hrs)
Orientation: COMM 1000 - Using Communication Tools (1 credit)
Visual: VICO 1000 - Introduction to Visual Communication
Written: JOUR 1330 - Precision Language
ORAL: COMS 1030 - PUBLIC SPEAKING

Practice (9 hrs)
VICO 2514 - Publication Design OR VICO 2561 - Web Design
JOUR 2150 - Mass Media Writing Principles
COMS 2050 - Techniques of Group Communication

Strategy (15 hrs)
Students must take five classes (15 hrs) from the list below and 9 hrs must be at the 3000-4000 level.

Choose from:     
COMS 2060 - Communication and Interpersonal Relationships
COMS 2500 - Organizational Communication for Nonmajors 
COMS 3250 - Communication Technology and Organizing 
COMS 4100 - Cross-Cultural Communication
ITS 1010 - Consumer Issues in Telecommunication
ITS 2010 - Understanding Internet Technology
ITS 4310 - Privacy in the Internet Age
JOUR 2500 - Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations
JOUR 4660 - International Mass Media
JOUR 4923 - Seminar in Online Journalism
MDIA 1020 - Media & the Creative Process
MDIA 3105 - Audience Research
COMM 3900 - Special Topics in Communication

Synthesis (9 hrs)
COMS 3420 - Qualitative Inquiry in Communication
JOUR 3200 - Media Ethics
COMM 4000 - Scripps Capstone Seminar

Interdisciplinary Electives (~8 hrs)
You will take one or more general elective courses to reach the required 120 hours necessary for graduation.