Major in Communication

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Communication is a discipline concerned with the study of messages in the context of human relationships. Courses in communication examine the nature, use, and role of messages among individuals and within small groups, organizations, and society in whatever form they assume--oral, written, visual, mediated, and technological.

College graduates are expected to change careers approximately seven times over the course of their lives. A major in Communication develops knowledge and skills that are required for many different fields, including advertising, business, international relations, education, government and politics, and public relations.

The Communication major at the University of Colorado Denver has as its focus and mission the development of the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to use communication to create a more civil and humane world. The curriculum was developed to counter the pervasive atmosphere of unrelenting contention and uncivil communication that characterizes the contemporary world.

Communication Major Course Requirements

Students need 39 hours of Communication courses to complete the major in Communication, 18 of which must be taken in residence at the Downtown Campus. At least 21 of the 39 hours must be upper division. Students must complete the four core courses shown below. The Department advises students to take CMMU 1011 as early as scheduling permits.

PATHWAY AREA COURSES - - 24 credit hours

In addition to the four entrance courses (12 hours), students must take at least eight courses from each of the Pathways Areas (24 hours). Note that the you can also choose a course from the ToolBox Course Area. For more help, please consult the undergraduate advisor, Wanda Lakota, wanda.lakota@ucdenver.edu

ELECTIVE COURSE -- 3 credit hours

Students must take one or more from the Exit Course Area to bring the total number of completed hours to 39.

Pathway Area Elective

In addition to the four communication core courses, students are required to complete at least 24 credits (8 classes) from among the Department’s nine pathways, which include community service and public affairs, health communication, human resources and organizational comm., political communication and government, public relations and advertising, legal communication, mass communication and media, mediation and conflict resolution, technical communication, and toolbox courses. Student may use the pathways to help craft a program of study, but they are not required to do so; the pathways are simply suggestions for ways to organize courses that will prepare students for careers.

Upper Division Elective

“Exit” Courses—majors are required to complete at least one “exit” class that concludes their course of study with a special experience focused on high-level research, community engagement, international travel, or workplace experience. Students may choose from 3939, Internships; 4041, Theories and Methods of Interpersona Communication;l4282, Environmental Advocacy; 4500, Health Communication; 4510, Usability Testing; 4620, Health Risk Communication; 4688, Transitioning from College to Career; 4710, Communication, Social Justice, and Prisons; or 4995, Travel Study.

REQUIRED ENTRANCE COURSES FOR COMMUNICATION MAJORS -- 12 credit hours

1011 Fundamentals of Communication
1021 Fundamentals of Mass Communication
2020 Communication and Citizenship
2101 Presentational Speaking or 2050 Business and Professional Speaking

PATHWAY AREA COURSES LISTED BELOW:

COMMUNITY SERVICE & PUBLLIC AFFAIRS

3271 Communicaton and Diversity
4015 Communication and Civility
4020 Feminist Perspective on Communication
4045 Male/Female Friendships
4111 Leadership
4140 Arugumentation
4151 Group Communication
4200 Persuasion
4255 Negotiations and Bargaining
4260 Communication and Conflict
4262 Mediation
4265 Gender and Communication
4270 Intercultural Communication
4280 Communication and Change
4282 Environmental Advocacy
46825 Political Communication
**** - Communication - Prison - and Social Justice

HEALTH COMMUNICATION

3120 Technical Communication
4041 Theories and Methods of Interpersonal Communicaiton
4240 Organizational Communicaiton
4275 Family Communicaiton
4500 Health Communication
4620 Health Risk Communication
4710 Marital Communication

HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

2041 Interpersonal Communication
3271 Communication and Diversity
4015 Communication and Civility
4111 Leadership
4151 Group Communication
4240 Organizational Communicaiton
4245 Advanced Organizational Communication
4250 Negotiations and Bargaining
4260 Communication and Conflict
4262 Mediation
4265 Gender and Communication
4710 Training and Development

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND GOVERNMENT

4022 Critical Analysis of Communication
4111 Leadership
4140 Arugumentation
4200 Persuasion
4250 Negotiations and Bargaining
4268 Communication Diversity in the U.S.
4270 Intercultural Communication
4282 Environmental Advocacy
4410 Science Writing
4680 Mass Communication Law and Policy
4682 Political Communication
4750 Legal Reasoning and Writing

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING

2000 Media Literacy
3650 Mass Communication and Society
3680 Mass Communication Skills
4015 Communication and Civility
4140 Argumentation
4200 Persuasion
4240 Organizational Communication
4635 Principlies of Public Relations
4640 Advanced Public Relations
4665 Principles of Advertising
4680 Mass Communication Law and Policy

LEGAL COMMUNICATION

4140 Argumentation
4200 Persuasion
4268 Communication and Diveristy in U.S. History
4680 Mass Media Law and Policy
4681 Communication Issues in Court Practices
4683 Media in the Courtroom
4750 Legal Reasoning and Writing
*** * Communication - Prison - and Social Justice

And note: interdisciplinary offerings from other departments that fulfill the legal studies minor.

MASS COMMUNICATON AND MEDIA

3650 Mass Communication and Society
3680 Mass Communication Skills
4200 Persuasion
4290 Web Design
4300 Multimedia Authoring
4805 Graphics

MEDIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

2041 Interpersonal Communication
3271 Communication and Diversity
4015 Communication and Civility
4140 Argumentation
4200 Persuasion
4240 Organizational Communication
4250 Negotiations and Bargaining
4260 Communication and Conflict
4262 Mediation

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

2050 Business and Professional Speaking
3120 Technical Communication
4290 Web Design
4300 Multimedia Authoring
4410 Science Writing
4510 Usability Testing
4605 Rhetorical Theory for Technical Communication
4760 Computer Mediated Communication
4805 Graphics

TOOLBOX COURSES

3271 Communication and Diversity
4011 Quantitative Research Methods
4015 Communication and Civility
4020 Feminist Perspectives on Rhetoric
4021 Perspectives on Rhetoric
4022 Critical Analysis of Communication
4031 Perspectives on Communication
4140 Argumentation
4200 Persuasion
4221 Qualitative Research Methods
4265 Gender and Communication
4621 Visual Communication

EXIT COURSES

3939 Internships
4995 Travel Study
4041 Theories and Methods of Interpersonal Comm. (Research)
4510 Usability Testing (Research)
4620 Health Risk Communication (Research)
4688 Transitioning from College to Career (Capstone)
4282 Environmental Advocacy (Service)
4500 Health Communication (Service)
Awaiting new # for Communication, Prisons, and Social Justice (Service)

Key Academic Policies for the Communication Major

Procedures for Becoming a Communication Major

To declare the intent to become a major, a student must complete the "Major/Minor Change/Declaration" form. The form may be downloaded here or is available from the Advising Office of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in North Classroom, #4002, the completed form should be returned back to the Advising Office of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Undergraduates must declare their intention to major in communication by the time they have completed 60 semester hours.

The undergraduate advisor in the Communication Department is Wanda Lakota (303-556-3373) or Wanda.Lakota@ucdenver.edu).

Applying Courses to the Pathway Area Requirements

Although some courses are listed in more than one Pathway Area, the same course may not count toward requirements in more than one area. Some courses that are not regular offerings in the curriculum may count toward the major if approved by the undergraduate advisor, Wanda Lakota. A maximum of 9 credit hours is allowed for internship credit (CMMU 3939)--6 hours and 3 hours as the upper division elective. Intership coordinator is Suzanne Stromberg, Plaza Bldg. 102N, 303-556-6662, Suzanne.Stromberg@ucdenver.edu

Maximum of 48 hours in Communication

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences allows students to take up to 48 hours from a single department. Therefore, after completion of the required 39 hours, students may take an additional 3 Communication courses (9 hours) and still fall within the 48-hour limit. If they take more than 48 hours from the Communication Department, those hours will not count toward the120 needed for the B. A. degree. At least 18 hours of the 39 hours required for the major must be taken from the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver.

Grade Requirements

To complete a Communication degree, students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or higher in each Communication course to recieve credit for a course in the major and must maintain a minimum GPA of C+ (2.75) in their communicatin courses.

Communication majors cannot take courses for a pass/fail grade unless the courses are above the 39 hours required for the major. Up to 6 hours of coursework completed in a study abroad program, however, may be counted toward the major (study abroad credits earned at a university other than the University of Colorado Denver are recorded as pass/fail grades).

Transfer Credits

Only 21 credit hours may be transferred toward the Communication major from other colleges and universities. To submit a request for transfer of credits, students should complete the "Faculty Approval Form for Course Equivalency," which may be downloaded here or is available from the Advising Office of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in room 2024 of the North Classroom. Transferred communication classes must be approved by the undergraduate advisor, Wanda Lakota Wanda.Lakota@ucdenver.edu, and a college level advisor.

Additional Information

Additional information about the major in Communication may be obtained from the undergraduate advisor in the Communication Department:

Wanda Lakota
Department of Communication
Plaza Building, room 102-N
303-556-3373
Wanda.Lakota@ucdenver.edu