Communication Major

Program Director: Leah Waks, Ph.D. 

Communication takes as its subject matter the history, processes, and effects of human communication through speech and its extensions.  The departmental curriculum is designed to provide a liberal education in the arts and sciences of human communication as well as preparation for career opportunities in business, government, education, law, and related fields.  Students pursue academic programs that emphasize many disciplinary areas, including intercultural communication, political communication, public relations, negotiation and conflict management, cognition and persuasion, rhetorical theory, risk communication, history of rhetoric, and criticism of public discourse.  Departmental advising is mandatory for new majors, second semester sophomores, and seniors.

Admission to the Major

First-time Freshman

All first-time freshmen who designate Communication as a major prior to the end of the final exam period of their first semester will be admitted directly to the program.  They must sign a Memorandum of Understanding that states that they understand that by the semester in which they attain 45 University of Maryland credits (excluding AP), they must meet the following gateway requirements:

1. Complete one of the following courses with a grade of "C-" or better:  BMGT230, CCJS200, EDMS451, PSYC200, SOCY201, STAT100, or equivalent.
2. Complete COMM107, COMM200, or COMM230 with a grade of "C-" or better
3. Complete COMM250 with a grade of "C-" or better and
4. A GPA of 2.0 or better

Students may repeat only one of the gateway requirements and that requirement may be repeated only once in their attempt to meet the requirements.  Students who fail to meet the gateway requirements by the semester in which they attain 45 credits will be dismissed from the program and cannot reapply.

Transfer Students

Internal and external transfer students who meet the gateway requirements specified above must also have a cumulative GPA of 2.70 in all college-level coursework to apply to the program.

Appeals

All students may appeal admission decisions.  Students directly admitted as freshmen, who are dismissed because of failure to meet gateway requirements or a failure to be in good academic standing at 45 credits, may appeal directly to the undergraduate director in the Department of Communication.  All other students who are denied admission may appeal to the university's Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the degree program in Communication, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills:

1. An ability to distinguish among a variety of theoretical approaches in the communication discipline and use them appropriately and effectively in academic and professional work.
2. An ability to conduct research and write research reports employing social scientific and/or humanistic approaches in the communication discipline.
3. An ability to argue clearly and effectively in a speech.

The course of study for a Communication major must satisfy all of the following requirements:

Communication Studies

Health and Science Communication

Media and Digital Communication

Political Communication and Public Advocacy

Public Relations

Click here for roadmaps for four-year plans in the College of Arts and Humanities.

Additional information on developing a four-year academic plan can be found on the following pages:

• 4yearplans.umd.edu
• the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog