Misericordia University

Catalog - Table of Index

Communications Major

College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, Communications
Program Director Richard Crew, PhD

Faculty

Richard Crew, Associate Professor, BA Michigan State University; MS Syracuse University; PhD Union Institute & University

Melissa Becker Sgroi, Assistant Professor, BA Kings College; MS Ed, Wilkes University

The communications major prepares students for careers in such areas as advertising, public relations, journalism (print, broadcast, and electronic), video and audio production, and writing for print and electronic media. Emphasis is on developing good writing and speaking skills, acquiring professionallevel experience across several media platforms, and nurturing aesthetic awareness and creativity.

Majors complete 48 credits in communications and six credits of additional English-related coursework. Required communications courses include human communication media criticism, video production I, Journalism I, and senior seminar – all three credit courses. Majors also take three, one-credit practicum courses (supervised work in student radio, TV and newspaper) over their first two years, followed by one, three-credit campus media internship in junior year. As seniors, majors will complete a three-credit internship with a professional media organization. The practicum courses and internships provide valuable experiential learning as well as contacts with professionals in the media. The student selects the remaining credit hours in the major in consultation with his/her advisor.

General Requirements

Incoming first-year students seeking admission as communications majors must meet the general and specific requirements as stated in this catalog, including a 2.5 GPA in high school. Where a student does not fully meet those requirements, they may become a communications major whenever they achieve an overall university GPA of 2.0 or better. Continuation as a communications major requires that the student maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 or “C” average, both in the major and in the overall grade point average.

Transfer students must complete all of the requirements listed in the sequence of required courses in this catalog. Approval for transfer credits in communications or approval of off-campus courses in communications rests with the program director.

Sequence of Required Courses

First Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	16
ENG	Core	3	ENG	Core	3
HIS	Core	3	HIS	Core	3
CPSSS	Core	3	PHL 100	Intro to Philosophy	3
MTH	Math Bank I	3	MTH	Math Bank II	3
COM 101	Human Communication	3	COM 220	Journalism	3
			COM 173	Practicum	1

Sophomore Year

First Semester	Total Credits	16	Second Semester	Total Credits	16
FA	Core	3	ENG	Composition	3
	Science Core	3		Science Core	3
PHL	Core	3	BSEB	Core	3
COM 232	Video I Production	3	COM	Elective	3
COM 215	Web Design & Production	3	COM	Elective	3
COM 272	Practicum	1	COM 273	Practicum	1

Junior Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	15
FA	Core	3	RLS	Core	3
RLS	Core	3	COM	Elective	3
COM 306	Media Criticism	3	COM	Elective	3
COM	Cognate	3		Free Elective	3
COM 370	Camp Media Intern	3		Free Elective	3

Senior Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	15
COM 470	Internship	3	COM 490	Senior Seminar	3
COM	Elective	3	COM	Elective	3
	Free Elective	3		Free Elective	3
	Free elective	3		Free elective	3
	Free elective	3		Free elective	3

Total required for graduation 123 credits

Communications Major - Public Relations & Advertising

Specialization