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Degree Requirements

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THIS WEBPAGE:

  • This guide was created to give Penn State Greater Allegheny students and faculty an easy-to-read, condensed list of all the requirements for the B.A. Degree in Communications.
  • We encourage everyone to utilize this guide because the Communications degree has some flexible components built into it, which means there are some different variations depending on which campus you attend. For example, there are two different areas of focus, or ‘Options’, that are available (Corporate Communication and Digital Journalism), as well as two different ‘Tracks’ (PR/Marketing and Strategic Communication).
  • Our campus exclusively offers the Corporate Communications Option and the PR/Marketing Track, so we’ve put that specific information here on this webpage to help make things clear.
  • If you want to access the official documentation for the Communications degree, it is located in the Penn State Undergraduate Bulletin, which you can visit by clicking on the picture above.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Foundations

*NOTE: A grade of C or better is now required for all credits taken in this area

  • Quantification (GQ): MATH 21 or higher
  • Quantification (GQ): 3 additional credits
  • Writing and Speaking (GWS): CAS 100A  
  • Writing and Speaking (GWS): ENGL 15
  • Writing and Speaking (GWS): ENGL 202

Knowledge Domains

*NOTE: Six of the credits in this area must qualify as ‘Integrative Studies’ (they are listed in the course bulletin as Inter-Domain or Linked)

Additional University Requirements

*These requirements may be completed by designated courses that also satisfy other degree requirements

BACHELOR OF ARTS REQUIREMENTS

  • World Language: 12 credits *The languages offered at Greater Allegheny are French and Spanish
  • B.A. Fields: 9 credits in Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts, World Language, Natural Sciences, or Quantification. *COMM/CAS courses do not count for credit here
  • Other Cultures: 3 credits
  • Electives: 2-11 credits

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMMUNICATION MAJOR

  • COMM 100N – Mass Media and Society (3)
  • COMM 160 – Basic News Writing Skills (1)
  • COMM 260W – News Writing and Reporting (3) Pre-req: COMM 160
  • COMM 270 – Introduction to Multimedia Production (3)
  • COMM 370 – Public Relations (3)
  • COMM 430 – Mass Media & Politics (3) or 403 – Law of Mass Communications (3)
  • COMM 471 – Public Relations Media and Methods (3) Pre-reqs: COMM 260W, COMM 370
  • COMM 494 – Research Project (3)
  • COMM 495 – Internship (3) *Note: Students who want assistance finding an internship are strongly encouraged to enroll in 1-credit of CNED 280 (Job/Internship Search and Professional Skills) at least one semester before they plan to pursue their internship.
  • CAS 204 – Communication Research Methods (3)
  • CAS 252 (GS) – Business and Professional Communication (3)
  • CAS 301 (GH) – Rhetorical Theory (3) or  CAS 303 (GS) – Intro to Communication Theory (3)
  • ECON 102 – Intro Microeconomics (3) or  ECON 104 – Intro Macroeconomics (3)
  • MKTG 301 – Principles of Marketing (3) Pre-reqs: ENGL 15, ECON 102 or 104 and MATH 21 or higher 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS OPTION – ADDITIONAL COURSES

Select 5 additional courses (15-16 credits) from the following list:
* At least 3 credits must be at the 400 level
** Only 3 credits maximum of COMM 001, 002, 003 may apply (any combination)
*** Many of these courses are not regularly offered at Greater Allegheny

  • CAS 203 (GS) – Interpersonal Communication (3)
  • CAS 206 (GH) – Mediation and Communication (3)
  • CAS 222N (GH; GS; US; IL) – Foundations: Civic and Community Engagement (3)
  • CAS 271N (GH; GS; US; IL) – Intercultural Communication (3)
  • CAS 352 (GH) – Organizational Communication (3)
  • CAS 404 (GS) – Conflict Resolution and Negotiation (3)
  • CAS 426W – Communication Ethics (3)
  • CAS 452W – Organizational Communication Theory and Research (3)
  • CAS 471 (US;IL) – Intercultural Communication Theory and Research (3)
  • COMM 001 – Newspaper Practicum (1-3)
  • COMM 002 – Newspaper Editorial Staff (1-3)
  • COMM 003 – Radio Practicum (1-3)
  • COMM 205 (GS; US) – Gender, Diversity and the Media (3)
  • COMM 215 – Basic Photography for Communications (3)
  • COMM 241 – Graphic Design for Communications (3)
  • COMM 251 – The Nature of Media (3)
  • COMM 282 – Television Field Production (3)
  • COMM 292 (GH) – Introduction to Media & Politics (3)
  • COMM 297 – Special Topics (3) *Only 3 credits maximum may apply
  • COMM 299 (IL) – Foreign Studies (1-3)
  • COMM 304 – Mass Communication Research (3)
  • COMM 320 – Introduction to Advertising (3)
  • COMM 350 (IL) – Comparative Media Cultures (3)
  • COMM 407A – Media and Government (3)
  • COMM 407B – Perspectives on American Journalism (3)
  • COMM 407C – Media and World Politics (3)
  • COMM 408 – Cultural Foundations of Communications (3)
  • COMM 409 – News Media Ethics (3)
  • COMM 410 (IL) – International Mass Communications (3)
  • COMM 411 – Cultural Aspects of Mass Media (3)
  • COMM 412 – Sports, Media and Society (3)
  • COMM 413W – The Mass Media and the Public (3)
  • COMM 428A – Principles of Strategic Communications (3)
  • COMM 428C – Strategic Communications in a Global Environment (3)
  • COMM 428D – Research & Analytics (3)
  • COMM 462 – Feature Writing (3)
  • COMM 468 – Graphic Applications in Print Communications (3)
  • COMM 473 – Public Relations Campaigns (3)
  • COMM 476 – Sports Writing (3)
  • COMM 495 – Internship (3) *Only 3 credits maximum may apply
  • COMM 496 – Independent Studies (3)
  • ENGL 420 – Writing for the Web (3)
  • STAT 200 (GQ) – Elementary Statistics (4)

When offered, the following courses can also count for credit in this category:

  • COMM 242 – Basic Video/Filmmaking (3) *Subbed for COMM 282
  • COMM 452 – Topics in International Cinema (3) *Subbed for COMM 410

The following courses can also be substituted for credit above, but please note that courses with an N designation cannot double-count toward both the major and toward the completion of the University’s ‘Integrative Studies’ requirements. In other words, if one of these courses is taken for credit as a Communications course, it cannot also count as an Integrative Studies course in their degree audit:

  • COMM 222N – Social Justice and the Image (3) *Subbed for COMM 297
  • COMM 290N – Cinema & Globalization (3) *Subbed for COMM 350 
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