2020-2021 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Department of Communication Studies
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Mark Gring, Ph.D., Interim Chairperson
Professors: Hughes, Koerber, Olaniran, Punyanunt-Carter, Stewart
Associate Professors: Gring, Heuman, Langford
Assistant Professors: Condis, LaFreniere, LeFebvre
Instructors: Doran, Melhem, Schoonover
CONTACT INFORMATION: 1015 Media and Communication Building | Box 43083 | Lubbock, TX 79409-3083 | T 806.834.7064 | F 806.742.1025 | www.depts.ttu.edu/comc/programs/commstudies
About the Department
Communication studies is among the most popular and fastest-growing majors at colleges and universities across the country. Its majors are highly sought after by employers in a diverse array of fields because of their excellent oral and written communication skills, entrepreneurial spirit, capacity for critical thinking, collaboration and negotiation abilities, and relational and intercultural competence. Equipping students with such essential and transferable skills uniquely positions graduates to succeed in the rapidly changing, global information landscape of the 21st century.
The Department of Communication Studies at Texas Tech is committed to enriching and enhancing all aspects of students’ lives: personal, professional, and public. Toward that end, it fosters a welcoming, student-centered environment. The Department features an array of award-winning teachers who are passionate, supportive, and inspiring.
Requirements for the Major. Students seeking an undergraduate degree in communication studies will complete a course of study that consists of 33 hours of COMS courses. A minimum of 120 total hours is required for the degree (including the university core and College of Media & Communication core courses). The department recognizes that each student has unique educational objectives and professional goals. Therefore, a flexible and individualized plan of undergraduate study is developed to be compatible with the student’s aims. A total of 12 hours toward the major must be completed in residence at Texas Tech. All students who major in communication studies must complete four courses: (1) COMS 1310 , (2) COMS 2300 , (3) COMS 3302 , and (4) either COMS 3301 or COMS 3310 . The remaining 21 hours of coursework may be chosen from the list of COMS electives.
Communication Literacy Requirement. The Communication Literacy Plan for the B.A. in Communication Studies seeks to strike a balance between promoting an understanding of how communication works in specific contexts (theory) and practical skills development (practice). To achieve this crucial balance of theory and practice, the department has constructed a four-class cluster (12 credits) that promotes a critical understanding of communication in specific contexts along with basic skills development in oral and written communication. The four courses in the CL plan are identical to the four required classes in the degree program: (1) COMS 1310 , (2) COMS 2300 , (3) COMS 3302 , and (4) either COMS 3301 or COMS 3310 . So, any student who has met the degree requirements in communication studies has also completed the communication literacy requirement.
Teacher Certification. Students desiring secondary certification in speech communication must complete the following: COMS 1301 , COMS 1310 , COMS 2300 , COMS 3314 , COMS 3351 ; and 12 hours of electives in communication studies, 9 hours of which must be at the upper-division level. Students planning to become high school teachers should minor in secondary education. They must consult with an advisor in the College of Education to set their requirements for professional education courses and for student teaching.
Graduate Program
For information on graduate programs offered by the Department of Communication Studies, visit the Graduate Programs section of the catalog.
Undergraduate Program Offerings, Course Descriptions & Curricular Tables
(Click on program for curricular table.)
ProgramsBachelor’sUndergraduate MinorCoursesCOMS - Communication Studies (Undergraduate Courses)
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