Overview
The Associate of Arts in Communications is designed to prepare students to build successful careers in today’s complex, information-based and media-driven culture, as well as to allow them to transfer and to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Media Studies, Journalism, or related degree at a four-year college or university. The associate’s degree will prepare students to engage more knowledgeably with the communicative patterns, problems, and practices that they will encounter in their personal, professional, and civic lives. By studying communication in everyday relationships, groups, and organizations; students will discover how these systems are created, maintained, and improved. By learning about critical thinking, problem solving, conflict management, and strategies for interacting with colleagues and organizations; students will develop skills essential for leadership, career development, and understanding and interpreting different situations. By developing skills in writing, editing, social media, and analysis; students will learn to create and deliver effective messages through written, oral, digital, and broadcast channels. These communication skills derived from the degree can help students succeed in corporate settings or in organizations involving communications, media, broadcasting, journalism, photography, business, public relations, politics, law, health, human services, education, and ministry.
Communications Degree
FIRST YEAR
Course Number | Course Title | CL | LAB | CR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall Semester | |||||
ENGL 101C | English Composition | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
* | XX xxxC | Social Science | 3 | 0 | 3 |
MATH 120C | Quantitative Reasoning or higher | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
HIST 105C | Western Civilization II | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
14 | |||||
Spring Semester | |||||
ENGL 120C | Communications or | ||||
ENGL 120CM | Communicating Mindfully or | ||||
ENGL 125C | Communications and the Literature of Science and Technology | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
DCOM 150C | Social Media Strategy | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
* | XX xxxC | Social Science Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
** | XX xxxC | Humanities Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
*** | XX xxxC | Science (with lab) | 3 | 2 | 4 |
16 |
SECOND YEAR
Fall Semester | |||||
ENGL 135C | Introduction to Media Studies or | ||||
DCOM 130C | Ecommerce, Websites, Blogs or | ||||
SPTS 180C | Public Relations and Advertising for the Sports Industry or | ||||
VRTS 140C | Digital Photography | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
COMM 201C | Interpersonal Communication or | ||||
DCOM 210C | Search Engine Optimization or | ||||
SPTS 250C | Sports and Society or | ||||
VRTS 101C | Intro to Drawing | 3-4 | 0 | 3-4 | |
COMM 201C | Advanced Public Speaking | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
PHIL 242C | Contemporary Ethical Issues | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
MATH 1xxC | Math above Quantitative Reasoning | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
16-17 | |||||
Spring Semester | |||||
COMM 227C | Professional Communication or | ||||
SPTS 220C | Sports Communication or | ||||
VRTS 193C | Intro to Photoshop | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
COMM 202C | Intercultural Communication or | ||||
DCOM 230C | Email, Mobile Promotion, and Marketing or | ||||
VRTS 201C | Drawing II | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
* | XX xxxC | Social Science Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 |
** | XX xxxC | Science Elective (with or without lab) | 3-4 | 0 | 3-4 |
BUS 261C | Advertising or | ||||
DCOM 250C | Digital Analytics or | ||||
SPTS 270C | Introduction to Sports Analytics or | ||||
ENGL 221C | Film Genres and Directors | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
COMM 204C | Communications Capstone | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
16-17 | |||||
TOTAL CREDITS | 62-64 | ||||
*ANTH, ECON, HIST, POLS, PSYC, or SOCI prefix, excluding HIST 104C and HIST 105C; PSYC and SOCI strongly recommended **ENGL 102C Intro to Literature, ENGL 121C Film Studies, or Foreign Language ***Excluding BIOL 100C, CHEM 100C, and PHYS 100C CL – Number of lecture/classroom hours per week for the course |
Program Mission
It is the mission of the English Department to prepare students for:
- Competitive eligibility for jobs in the communication field
- Transfer to Baccalaureate programs
- Advancement in their current jobs
Program Outcomes
The Communications program seeks to guide and develop students into becoming ethical, hard-working, and thoughtful contributors in their personal lives, careers, and society. Accordingly, the program will develop students’ abilities to:
- Exemplify high ethical standards in personal and professional communication
- Participate in discussions about cultural diversity
- Communicate through individual and group presentations and speeches, as well as participate in a symposium
- Effectively employ communications and social media tools
- Assess the dynamics of interpersonal communication and conflict management involving personal and business relationships
- Develop a communication plan to enact during a crisis within an organization and then reflect and revise communication strategies used during the crisis
61 Credits Required
of students qualify for financial aid