Communication is essential for participating in an increasingly complex and mediated global environment. Students in the Communication major will study and practice communication from a social scientific perspective; they will gain an understanding of how communication functions to create, sustain, and transform personal and public lives;  develop the competencies required for various contexts and modes of communication including but not limited to corporate communication, interpersonal, or family communication, in-person, virtual, or mass-mediated; and sharpen their skills for analyzing communication problems and questions—hence preparing  students to be industry-ready communication leaders and practitioners.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will be able to use scientific reasoning to interpret communication phenomena.
2. Students will be able to design and conduct basic communication research.
3. Students will be able to communicate well for professional purposes.
4. Students will be able to analyze and evaluate communication processes, understanding their impact on audiences and society.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

Freshman Students

In order to be admitted to a program of study in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, freshmen must meet all University admission requirements. In order to continue in the program, each student must attain a minimum USC GPA of 2.50 upon completion of 30 degree-applicable hours. Credit received for remedial work is not counted toward the 30 hours.

Transfer Students

A student desiring to transfer to the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, from either another college of the University or another institution, must have a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.50 on all work attempted. Transfer students from other institutions must take at least half the journalism and mass communications course work in residence at the University of South Carolina Columbia. Other journalism and mass communications courses from those institutions may be used as journalism and mass communications electives at the discretion of the SJMC administration. No more than 12 semester hours of journalism and mass communications related courses from non-ACEJMC-accredited institutions will be applied toward the journalism and mass communications degree.

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Program of Study

Program Summary

Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	31-46
2. College Requirements	0
3. Program Requirements	44-59
4. Major Requirements	30

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-46 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher​

• ENGL 101
• ENGL 102

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-7 hours) 

• any approved CC-ARP course 
• while any two approved CC-ARP courses fulfill this requirement, at least one course from the following is recommended: STAT 110, STAT 112, STAT 201, STAT 205, or STAT 206 

SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)

Two approved Carolina Core Scientific Literacy courses, including one laboratory course

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language  (0-6 hours)

• Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 110 or 121 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
• CC-GFL courses

GHS – ​Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours) 

• any CC-GHS course

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours) 

• any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3-4 hours)

• any CC-AIU course

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility¹ (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

¹

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (0 hours)

No college-required courses for this program.

3. Program Requirements (44-59 hours)

Electives (44-59 hours)

120 degree-applicable credits are required to complete the degree. Students who have completed all other degree requirements but have not yet reached 120 degree-applicable credits will use general electives to reach the 120-credit minimum.

Non-degree-applicable credits may not be used to fill general elective requirements. Non-degree-applicable credit includes, but is not limited to, physical education activity courses, repeats of non-repeatable courses, remedial courses, and technical courses. Students may seek additional clarification about degree applicability in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations section of the Undergraduate Bulletin, or they may contact the CIC Student Services Office.

4. Major Requirements (30 hours)

A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses.

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Introductory Material		6
COMM 101	Introduction to Human Communication
COMM 332	Communication Research
Communication Skills		6
Select six hours of the following:
COMM 201	Applied Interpersonal Communication
COMM 202	Social Influence and Persuasion
COMM 203	Communication in Teams
COMM 204	Conflict and Negotiation
Major Electives		15
Select six hours at 300 level and above
Select six hours at 400 level and above
Select three hours at 500 level
Internship		3
JOUR 597	Internship in Mass Communications
Total Credit Hours		30

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Communication, B.A.