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.
Some liberal studies requirements may not be offered online. Some communication major courses may not have online options.
| 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
College Core Requirements
Modern Language Requirement
Modern Language Option
College Core Requirements
Four core courses are required of all College of Communication students:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CMN 101 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION | 4 |
| CMN 102 | INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION | 4 |
| CMN 103 | INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION | 4 |
| CMN 104 | PUBLIC SPEAKING 1 | 4 |
| or ORGC 201 | ||
Students are encouraged to complete all four prior to taking additional coursework in the major.
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Students may choose to take CMN 104 or ORGC 201 to complete the communication core requirement. Students who complete ORGC 201 for the communication core requirement can waive the presentation requirement and take an additional communication elective instead.
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.
Modern Language Option
The Modern Language 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. Modern language option waivers cannot be applied to courses in the Math and Computing Domain or courses in the Scientific Inquiry domain. Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language 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.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | 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. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by credit already earned for advanced math coursework or by passing a dedicated proficiency exam. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing 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 SI Domain. |
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 Skills | 4 | |
| BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| PERFORMANCE: COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY AND THE BODY | ||
| TOPICS IN PERFORMANCE | ||
| STORYTELLING: COMMUNICATION AS NARRATIVE | ||
| PERFORMANCE OF GENDER & SEXUALITY | ||
| 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 Analysis | 4 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STUDIES | ||
| MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES | ||
| STORYTELLING & STYLE IN CINEMA | ||
Two elective courses (8 hours) from CMNS and/or ORGC2
Two elective courses (8 hours) from JOUR, MCS, PRAD and/or SPRTCMN2
Four courses (16 hours) from CMN, CMNS, ORGC, JOUR, MCS, 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 Options | up to 8 hours | |
| DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION II (FORMERLY DC 371 | ||
| DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I (FORMERLY DC 210) | ||
| CINEMA PRODUCTION II (FORMERLY DC 310) | ||
| MEDIA LITERACIES (FORMERLY DC 200) | ||
| CINEMATOGRAPHY I (FORMERLY DC 275) | ||
| EDITING I (FORMERLY DC 220) | ||
| SOUND DESIGN I (FORMERLY DC 215) | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING (FORMERLY DC 201) | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO TELEVISION WRITING (FORMERLY DC 272) | ||
| WRITING THE FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FORMERLY DC 301) | ||
| 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 ORGC 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 101, CMN 102, CMN 103, CMN 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.