Communications Major

Scott Gratson, Ph.D., Program Director
09C Annenberg Hall

215-204-6434

sgratson@temple.edu

www.temple.edu/sct/comm-major/index.html

The Communications Major is designed in the liberal arts tradition to provide students in the School of Communications and Theater (SCT) a broad exposure to all communications disciplines, as well as allowing for an in-depth focus in more than one area of study. The major is offered at the Main Campus and at the Ambler Campus and also can be completed at the Tokyo campus, but some elective advanced courses in special areas of interest are offered only at the Main Campus. Students are encouraged to propose individual programs using the comprehensive list of SCT course offerings that are compatible with the interdisciplinary objective of the major.

Positions in the communications industries are growing, and most SCT graduates seek employment there. The Communications Major also develops a broad range of interpersonal and mass media skills -- practical writing, oral skills, media production, and computer use. These are valuable to many careers in business, public service, and education, and many employers are looking for informed employees who understand communication processes. Communications Majors can develop a suitable set of marketable skills for a broad range of such careers.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of all University requirements, including the University Core Curriculum, and School requirements, with a minimum of 126 semester hours. The major requires completion of 14 courses with 43 s.h. minimum in the major. There is a maximum of 71 s.h. allowed in SCT.  Students must earn a 'C-' or better in all courses required for the major and a minimum 2.0 GPA in the major.

• Distribution Requirement:  Three SCT courses from three different departments. If numbered 200-300, these courses can also satisfy the level requirements below.

• Required SCT Course Levels:  200 or above:  Minimum four courses and 12 credits.  300 or above:  Minimum two courses and 6 credits (Internships and Independent Studies are excluded from this category). Outside SCT at 100 or above:  12 credits.

• At least four other courses (minimum 12 s.h.) in the major must be taken from SCT courses at the 200 level or higher. Internships, Independent Study, Special Projects, and Senior Seminar may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
• At least two courses (minimum 6 s.h.) in the Major must be taken from SCT courses at the 300 level, including one writing-intensive course. (Permission of the instructor may be required for Main Campus upper-division production courses in BTMM and FMA because of space limitation. Prerequisites in all departments apply.) Internships, Independent Study, Special Projects, and Senior Seminar may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
• Students must take, beyond the eight (8) required courses, one course in each of three (3) different SCT departments. This can be satisfied through SCT prerequisites, SCT distribution courses [Selected 200 and 300 level courses above] or SCT electives.
• At least 12 s.h. outside of SCT must be taken at the 100 level or higher.
• No more than 8 s.h. in Kinesiology (physical education activity) or dance courses may be credited toward the degree.
• Students may participate in study abroad programs.
• Transfer students are required to complete a minimum of 24 s.h. of Major courses at Temple.
• No more than 21 s.h. may be taken in any one department outside of SCT and counted toward the major (This will allow for non-SCT minors, if desired.)
• A maximum of 27 s.h. in any one SCT department may be counted toward the degree.
• A maximum of 4 s.h. of Internship credit may be counted toward the degree.
• A maximum of 8 s.h. combined of Independent study and or Special Projects may be counted toward the degree.

Communications majors may minor in established SCT minors subject to the policies of the individual department. The Communications student who declares a minor must complete the entire program requirements for both the major and the minor, with only the Communications Major introductory required courses listed above fulfilling both the major and minor requirements. Courses in a minor department above the minimum minor requirement may be used to fulfill Communications Major degree requirements.