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CMN2

The College of Communication offers a variety of courses leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media. The BA in Communication and Media offers students the opportunity to pursue coursework in communication and media that draws upon two or more related areas of study. This degree will provide flexibility for transfer students and others who have not determined their precise career trajectory, while affording them the fundamental communication and critical thinking skills needed to enter jobs across the public, private and non-profit sectors, or to continue their education in academic or professional post-graduate programs. In order to complete this degree, students have the option of pursuing coursework from any of the other majors offered in the College of Communication.​​​​​​​​

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
College Core Requirements 16
Liberal Studies Requirements 84
Major Requirements 40
Open Electives 52
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the complexities of human communication.
  • Construct a presentation that tailors ideas to a specific audience.
  • Analyze content from various media.

College Core Requirements 

Modern Language Requirement 

Language for Liberal Studies Option

All majors in the College of Communication consist of a four-course common core plus an additional combination of program requirements and electives.

College Core Requirements

Four core courses are required of all College of Communication students:

Course Title Quarter Hours
CMN 101INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION4
CMN 102INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION4
CMN 103INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION4
CMN 104PUBLIC SPEAKING4

Students are encouraged to complete all four prior to taking additional coursework in the major.

Modern Language Requirement

Students who intend to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Communication will be required to demonstrate a measure of competence in a modern language, as defined by the college. Such competence may be demonstrated in one of several ways:

  • completing the last course in a second year high school course work in a modern language or Latin
  • completing the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language
  • completing a college course beyond the first-year level in any language
  • achieving a satisfactory score on any of the Modern Language placement examinations administered at DePaul
  • achieving a satisfactory rating in a proficiency examination accepted by DePaul
  • achieving a score of 3 or higher on the Advance Placement (AP) test for any language (must be completed during high school)
  • achieving a score of 5 or higher in the Language B assessment from a Standard or Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) program
  • achieving a satisfactory score on the CLEP examination. 

Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement. Students with some modern language training should consult with the Modern Language Department about the course with which they should begin. Students with little or no previous work in the language will be required to complete the entire three-course introductory sequence.

Language For Liberal Studies Option

The Language for Liberal Studies Option is available to all BA students who wish to study a modern language beyond the level necessary to meet the College’s modern language requirement. Students selecting the option may substitute a three-course language sequence for three learning domain courses, or two upper-level courses in the same language for two learning domain requirements. Language for Liberal Studies waivers cannot be applied to courses in the Math and Computing Domain or courses in the Scientific Inquiry domain. Modern Language courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Language for Liberal Studies Option.

Any substitutions must be consistent with the principle that students complete at least one course in each learning domain. ​​​​​​

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
MAT 120 QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 4
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
CMN 396 CAPSTONE IN COMMUNICATION 1 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Learning Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the Scientific Inquiry Learning Domain.  The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam or it may be fulfilled by credit for advanced math coursework earned  in-residence at DePaul (MAT 135MAT 136MAT 147MAT 148MAT 149MAT 150MAT 151MAT 152 MAT 155MAT 156MAT 160MAT 161MAT 162 MAT 170MAT 171MAT 172, or equivalent) or earned externally either as transfer credit from another college/university or as test credit through AP, CLEP, IB, or International A and A/S Level exams. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfill any of the three QR/MCD requirements.

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  • 2 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Math and Computing (MC)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 CR Course and 1 SR Course]

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]​

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Note

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a major requirement or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

One presentation skills course from the following selection of classes3:

Course Title Quarter Hours
Presentation Skills4
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
PERFORMANCE: COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY AND THE BODY
TOPICS IN PERFORMANCE
STORYTELLING: COMMUNICATION AS NARRATIVE
PERFORMANCE OF GENDER & SEXUALITY
EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWING
PERFORMING MY FUTURE
ARGUMENTATION, ADVOCACY, AND DELIBERATION
PERFORMANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL

One media analysis course from the following selection of classes:

Course Title Quarter Hours
Media Analysis4
INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES
STORYTELLING & STYLE IN CINEMA

Two elective courses (8 hours) from CMNS2

Two elective courses (8 hours) from JOUR, MPOP, PRAD and/or SPRTCMN2

Four courses (16 hours) from CMN, CMNS, JOUR, MPOP, PRAD, SPRTCMN and/or the College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) courses listed below (maximum 2 CDM courses)1, 2:

Course Title Quarter Hours
CDM Elective Optionsup to 8 hours
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION I
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION II
DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I
CINEMA PRODUCTION II
MEDIA LITERACIES
CINEMATOGRAPHY I
EDITING I
SOUND DESIGN I
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING
DEVELOPING THE TELEVISION SERIES
WRITING THE FEATURE SCREENPLAY
1

Students may take up to 4 hours of credit in CMN 397 RESEARCH PRACTICUM and CMN 399 INDEPENDENT STUDY toward graduation requirements. 

2

A maximum of 8 credits from two credit College of Communication courses can be applied to major requirements. 

3

Students who take CMNS 201 instead of CMN 104 in the communication core can waive the presentation requirement and take an additional communication elective instead.

Internship Credit

Students in the major may take CMN 394 and/or CMN 395 (when work relates to the major). In order to take CMN 394 or CMN 395, students must have completed two of the four communication core classes (CMN 101CMN 102CMN 103CMN 104), two courses in the chosen major and have fulfilled internship program eligibility requirements.

​​​​​Open Electives

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.