Communication Studies, B.A.

About the B.A. in Communication Studies

Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts 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 state 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. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy (CL) requirement in their program(s) of study. Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program.

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.

Recommended Sample Curriculum

Total Hours: 120

This sample course sequence applies only if the student enters the department as a freshman.The total number of hours may vary according to the student’s choices of electives and optional minor.