Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Communication, B.A.


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About the Bachelor of Arts in Communication


  • Three-year accelerated degree option
  • Opportunities for specialization in corporate, print or video
  • Professional internships—here or abroad
  • Preparation for careers in business, news and magazine writing, editing, technical writing, creative writing, video production and visual communication
  • Student-run newspaper, radio station, and TV channels
  • Opportunities to study abroad at some of the top universities around the world

Communication offers diverse job opportunities in the expanding field of media and information technology. Arcadia’s program balances theory with practice, providing a critical understanding of the communication process along with skills for specific careers. Students majoring in Communication specialize in one of the following areas:

  • Corporate Communication concentrates on the communication channels and processes at work in businesses and organizations.
  • Print Communication stresses the conventions of writing for the various media and provides skills in news and magazine writing, editing, technical writing and creative writing.
  • Video Communication provides training in the fundamentals of all phases of video production, along with a conceptual frame in film studies and in visual communication.
  • An Individualized Concentration develops a special combination of interdisciplinary courses to meet specific interests of individual students. (Approval by the Director of the program is required.)

Internships: Students in Communication complete a closely supervised, professional internship in their senior year. They can choose from among 400 media organizations in the greater Philadelphia area, utilizing their acquired knowledge within the challenges of the workplace. Recent internship sites have included: ABC Sports, the Academy of Natural Sciences, WYSP (radio), the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Arthritis Foundation, and Philadelphia Magazine.

Facilities: Murphy Hall houses the Communication studio, which includes three separate editing rooms. Students work with the most current software, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Intel Mac Pro computers and high-definition camcorders. In addition, they may utilize the audio recording facility, with Pro Tools and other software programs in PC and Mac platforms. Their work in various forms of video, documentary, narrative, experimental or animation is supported by expert guidance from the professionals and open access to the facilities. A campus-based television facility provides opportunities to work on individual and group projects. Student clubs produce a campus newspaper (The Tower), cable TV programming on AUTV, student-run online LOCO magazine, and a Web-based radio station, the ARC.

Double majors: Students may have an option to declare a double major. (Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures for total number of credits for double majors.) If Communication is one of the majors a student has chosen, no more than two courses may count in both major areas. The Director of the program must approve all double majors.

Requirements for the B.A. in Communication


(81–86 credits as listed below, with Undergraduate Curriculum and credit requirements.

The following requirements are for all of the Communication programs. Some required courses are offered evenings only.

Common Curriculum for all concentrations


Requirements for concentration (32 credits)


In addition to the common curriculum, students must select one of the following concentrations. All concentrations must be approved by the Director of the program.

Note:

MA 143  is not required but recommended as a math course for the Corporate Communication major.

Note


Students interested in declaring a minor in Business Administration must take three Business courses beyond those required for the major in Corporate Communication. Students should consult with their advisers and obtain the permission of the School of Global Business Dean by completing the declaration of minor form.

Four additional English courses are required

Including at least two in literature with one literature course at the 300 level. These courses satisfy the literature requirement: EN 219 , 220 , 224 , 225 , 226 , 227 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 233 , 329 , 335 , 336 , 342 , 344 , 346 , 350 , 351 , 352 , 353 , 355 , 359 , 360 , 361 , 362 , 363 , 364 , 381 .

Minor in humanities and social sciences (20 credits)


Recommended is a minor in Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Theater Arts, Modern Languages, or International Studies, or a concentration in Contemporary Cultures to be designed in consultation with the adviser. A minor in the sciences may be permitted as well. Minors must be approved by both the Director of the program and adviser in the area of the minor.

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