Communication B.A./B.S.
At Portland State, the Department of Communication offers degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or minor in Communication.
The Communication program prepares students for careers in many professions by cultivating critical reasoning and writing skills. Compared to other majors, Communication has relatively few required courses. Our curriculum has three primary goals:
- Introduce students to major lines of communication research and theory.
- Train students in methods for studying and analyzing communication.
- Offer students the opportunity to tailor their coursework to their own Communication-related interests.
Major Requirements
All classes in the major or minor must be taken for a letter grade and only classes graded C- or better will be counted toward the major or minor. Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading system (pass/no pass) will not be counted.
In addition to meeting the general University requirements, Communication majors must complete a minimum of 56 credits in communication courses. 12 of those credits come from required core classes.
| Comm 300 | Principles of Communication | 4 |
| Comm 311 | Research Methods in Communication | 4 |
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| Comm 316 | Theory: Communication & Social Science | 4 |
| | or | |
| Comm 326 | Theory: Communication, Society & Culture | 4 |
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| | Communication electives | 44 |
Of the 44 credits of communication electives,
- At least 28 credits must be in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) communication studies courses
- At least 16 credits must be in courses numbered 400 and above--no more than 4 credits may be counted toward the major from courses numbered Comm 401 through Comm 409. For example a 4 credit Communication Internship can only be used once.
- Students will need to take at least 12 credits from courses numbered 410 and above.
Total Credit Hours: 56