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DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION |
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| Chair: Gerald L. Wilson
(251) 380-2800 |
| Professors: Aucoin, Wilson |
| Associate Professors:
Rockwell, Ward |
| Assistant Professors:
Carstens, Glover, Mark, Moody, Murphree |
| Instructors: Dardeau, Dupree Taylor, Rigsby |
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Department
of Communication web site
http://comm.southalabama.edu |
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| The primary objectives
of the Communication Department are: to understand
and teach the functions, processes, and effects
of communication; to attempt to influence communication
environments in which we live in a contributory
way; and to provide professional preparation
for communication-oriented careers, including
communication technology, journalism, public
relations, organizational communication, and
the mass media. |
| Given these goals, the
Department attempts to meet individual performance
and career needs with a flexible curriculum.
Thus, while a “core” of courses is
required of all Communication majors, students
select one of the six tracks offered and confer
with their advisors to plan their courses of
study. These focused areas of study are not
a vocational education, but they will help to
prepare students for several employment possibilities. |
| The six tracks, or concentrated
areas of study, offered in Communication are:
Communication Technology, Interpersonal Communication
and Rhetoric, Journalism (Print Journalism and
Broadcast Journalism), Organizational Communication,
Public Relations (Public Relations and Advertising),
and Radio-Television-Film.
In brief, the Department’s commitment to
a broad-based study of communication activities
permits a more intelligent choice of career
fields. In addition, it provides a more meaningful
classroom experience during the junior and senior
years. Students pursuing a degree in Communication also must have a minor in another discipline. |
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| All first-time freshmen with less than 15 semester hours are required to successfully complete CAS 100: New Student Seminar. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR
IN COMMUNICATION |
| Communication majors must
complete the College of
Arts and Sciences Public Speaking requirement
(CA 110), plus a two-course Communication Core
consisting of Communication Theory (CA 200) and Foundations of Communication
Research (CA 300). EH 101 and 102 are prerequisites
to CA 200. CA 200 is a prerequisite
to CA 300. |
| In addition to these three courses, all Communication majors must complete
33 semester hours in one of the department’s
six tracks listed below. At
least five communication classes must be numbered
300 or higher and must be taken at USA. |
| Only three hours of credit from CA 394 or CA 494 can be
used to satisfy this requirement. |
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| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
FOR COMMUNICATION MAJORS |
| General
Education Requirements for Communication are specified in the College of Arts and Sciences Section. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR
IN COMMUNICATION |
| Minors in Communication
must complete a total of 24 hours to include CA
110 (Public Speaking), CA 200 (Communication
Theory), CA 210 (Argumentation), CA 220 (Writing
for Communication Media), CA 300 (Foundation
of Communication Research), plus nine additional
hours in Communication including at least three
hours of upper level credit. At least nine hours must be taken at USA. |
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| TRACKS IN COMMUNICATION |
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| COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying communication technology, including Internet-based technology. |
| Required: CA 220, CA 260, CA 360, CA 366, CA 445 |
| Choose Two: CA 211, CA 230, CA 241, CA 286 |
| Choose Four: CA 340, CA 352, CA 435, CA 453, CA 455, CA 496 |
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| INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
AND RHETORIC TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying interpersonal communication
and rhetoric. |
| Required: CA 100, CA 210, CA 211, CA 310, CA 315, CA 410, CA 411, CA 422, CA 424 |
| Choose Two: CA 230, CA 360, CA 366, CA 400, CA 430 |
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| JOURNALISM TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying print or broadcast journalism. |
| Required: CA 101, CA 220, CA 445, CA 455 |
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| Print Journalism: |
| Required: CA 281,
CA 370, CA 387, CA 472 |
| Choose One: CA 381,
CA 382, CA 388, CA 453, CA 481, CA 496 |
| Choose Two from Group One or Group Two: |
| Group One: CA 241, CA 244, CA 250, CA 340, CA 350 |
| Group Two: CA 260, CA 360, CA 366, CA 457 |
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| Broadcast Journalism: |
| Required: CA 250,
CA 350, CA 450 |
| Choose Two: CA 241, CA 244,
CA 340, CA 382, CA 388, CA 440,
CA 453, CA 496 |
| Choose Two from Group One or Group Two: |
| Group One: CA 281, CA 370, CA 387 |
| Group Two: CA 260, CA 360, CA 366, CA 457 |
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| ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying organizational communication. |
| Required: CA 210, CA 211,
CA 230, CA 275, CA 286, CA 430 |
| Choose One: CA 310,
CA 411 |
| Choose One: CA 400,
CA 410, CA 422 |
| Choose Three: CA 221, CA 260, CA 360, CA 435, CA 457, CA 496 |
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| PUBLIC RELATIONS TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying public relations or advertising. |
| Public Relations: |
| Required: CA 101, CA 220, CA 286, CA 386, CA 445, CA 484, CA 486 |
| Choose Two: CA 221, CA 230, CA 381 |
| Choose Two: CA 210, CA 221 (if not selected above), CA 230 (if not selected above), CA 241, CA 244, CA 260, CA 320, CA 321, CA 350, CA 360, CA 370, CA 381 (if not selected above), CA 435, CA 496 |
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| ADVERTISING TRACK: |
| This track is for students interested in studying advertising. |
| Required: CA 101, CA 220, CA 221, CA 310, CA 321, CA 322, CA 381, CA 445, CA 455, CA 476 |
| Choose One: CA 340, CA 360, CA 496 |
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| RADIO/TV/FILM TRACK |
| This track is for students
interested in studying radio, television, or film. |
| Required: CA 101, CA 220, CA 241, CA 340, CA 356, CA 445 |
| Choose One: CA 343,
CA 344 |
| Choose Four: CA 244, CA 260, CA 343 (if not selected above), CA 344
(if not selected above), CA 350, CA 352, CA 360, CA 388,
CA 440, CA 441, CA 453,
CA 455, CA 457, CA 496 |
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| GRADUATE STUDIES |
| The Master of Arts degree
in communication provides education for the
student who wishes to pursue either
graduate study beyond the master’s degree
or a career in corporate or public communication.
The department offers a thesis program. Students
who select the thesis program will demonstrate
mastery of knowledge of corporate and/or public
communication and skills necessary to conduct
communication research. Students who select
the non-thesis program will demonstrate the
mastery of knowledge of corporate and/or public
communication and skills necessary to carry
out a project. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION |
| Students are admitted
each semester. The following criteria supplement
the Graduate School criteria (see Categories
of Admission). |
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| REGULAR ADMISSION |
| 1. Submission of a satisfactory score on the general portion of the Graduate Record Examination or the GMAT. The scores required for regular admission are as follow: A score of 1000 or better combined points on the quantitative and verbal portions on the GRE, or a combined score of 1000 or better on the GMAT when calculated as by the formula: 200 x undergraduate GPT + GMAT score. An earned master's degree may substitute for graduate entry exam scores. |
| 2. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. |
| 3. An undergraduate major
in communication or 36 semester hours in communication.
A master’s degree earned in a field other
than communication may be offered as
a substitute for a major in communication. All
such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. |
| 4. Satisfactory completion
of these courses at the University of South
Alabama or elsewhere:
Communication Theory (CA 200 or 400), Research
Methods (CA 300). An
undergraduate course in Statistics is recommended. |
| 5. International students must submit documentation of TOEFL test score of 525 or above, or its equivalent. |
| 6. Students who are required to take the English Language Proficiency Examination (see English Language Proficiency in the university of South Alabama Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin) and whose score suggests a deficiency in the command of English will be required to take appropriate ESL courses. These courses will not be counted as part of the student's 33-hour communication graduate degree program. |
| 7. Approval by the Graduate Program Coordinator for Communication, the Director of Graduate Studies for the college of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate Dean. |
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| PROVISIONAL ADMISSION |
| Provisional standing is awarded to students who do not meet the basic requirements for regular admission. Provisional admission requirements are the same as those for regular standing with the exception of the grade point average and required standardized scores. Provisional standing is granted to students with: |
| 1. A score of at least 800 on the GRE (or GMAT when calculated by the formula:200 x undergraduate GPA + GMAT score). |
| 2. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 on all undergraduate work (A = 4.0) or 2.75 on the last 64 hours of college work. |
| 3. An undergraduate minor
in communication or 24 semester hours in communication. Applicants with otherwise strong records may
be admitted provisionally
with fewer than 24 semester hours in communication,
but a student who does not have the required theory and/or research-methods background will be required to take up to 3 additional undergraduate e courses to make up this deficiency. While some of these courses may count toward the student's degree program, they WILL NOT be included in a student's calculated GPA. |
| Provisional-standing students will be eligible for regular standing after accruing at least nine 500-level semester hours (usually three courses) taken for graduate credit toward the degree requirements, provided at least a B average is maintained in all such work attempted. The provisional-standing student who does not have the required B average upon completing at least 15 semester hours of graduate credit toward degree requirements will be subject to dismissal from the graduate school. |
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| NON-DEGREE ADMISSION |
| An applicant for admission
to the Master of Arts in Corporate and Public
Communication program who does not meet the
requirements for admission under the regular
or provisional categories, especially mature
adults with considerable work experience, may
apply for and be admitted as non-degree candidates
if approved by the department’s graduate coordinator. Students must maintain a “B”
average on all courses attempted in the department
to remain in the program. |
| Upon successful completion
of nine or more credit hours of graduate core
courses with a grade of “B” or better
in each course, a non-degree student may apply
for regular admission to the program. Completion of the GRE with a combined score of at least 800 is required for admission to the program. Non-degree
students may take a maximum of 18 credit hours
over no more than two years. No more than 15
hours taken as a non-degree student may be applied
to degree status. |
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| GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS |
| Applicants for graduate
assistantships in communication should submit
an application and three letters of recommendation
to the Graduate Coordinator by July 15 at
which date review of completed applications
will commence for appointments for the following
academic year. An application may be obtained
by writing to the Graduate Coordinator. |
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| REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE |
| Thesis Program |
| In addition to satisfying
the requirements of the Graduate School, the
candidate for the Master of Arts Degree in Communication
must satisfy the following. |
| 1. Complete
at least 33 approved semester hours beyond the
bachelor’s degree with
a minimum overall 3.0 grade-point average. At
least 24 hours of these courses
must be in communication. At least 24 hours
of these courses must be at the
500 level. All 400 level courses must be approved
by the Graduate Coordinator.
A minimum of 24 semester hours must be taken
in residence at the University
of South Alabama. |
| 2. Complete successfully
a comprehensive written examination at least
one semester
before graduation. The comprehensive examination
may be attempted no
more than two times. A student who fails this
examination must wait a minimum
of three months before repeating it. Failure
of the examination on the second
attempt will result in dismissal from the program. |
| 3. Complete
a thesis representing original research. |
| 4. Defend
orally the thesis during the last semester of
residency. |
| 5. Complete
all requirements for the degree within seven calendar years from the date of
matriculation as a graduate student. |
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| Non-Thesis Program |
| This program is available
to students who do not wish to conduct research
or to continue graduate study beyond the master’s
degree. Students who select the non-thesis program
will complete an approved project instead of a
thesis. The student must defend orally the project
during the last semester of residency. At least
24 hours of courses in the non-thesis program
must be in Communication. All other requirements
of the thesis program apply to the non-thesis
program. |
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| THE CORE CURRICULUM |
| All candidates for the
Master of Arts Degree in Communication must
complete the following courses: |
