| The Department of Communication's own written and approved policies are posted on the applicable websites as soon as possible, and every effort is made to ensure that material posted on the Department's World Wide Web site is accurate. However, should a conflict arise between a statement posted on the web and the Department's official written and approved curricula, course requirements and other policy matters, the Department's official written policies will apply. Students are responsible for ensuring that the major requirements and other curricular and program guidelines they are following are the correct ones. top - Students can only enroll in the three required Communication core courses (230/240/250) if they are official Communication majors. Absolutely no exceptions are made. The Department's student records assistant will not be able to add non-majors into core courses and will drop any she discovers as she regularly checks the rolls.
- Once they officially enter the major, Communication students must take 230 in one semester and pass it with a C- or better in order to take COM 240 in a following semester. They must then earn a C- or better in 240 to progress in a following semester to 250. They must get C- or better in 250. Students will not ever be allowed to take more than one core course in a semester, and they must always take the courses in the designated 230/240/250 sequence during 3 different semesters. We will be offering COM 250 in the first summer sessions, which means students who begin the major in a fall semester can take 230, then 240 and then 250 in two semesters plus a summer session.
- The Department of Communication requires that majors be in residence at NCSU as Communication majors for a minimum of three semesters, or two semesters and a summer session.
- Students must make a C- or better grade in all Communication courses they wish to use for credit in the major. Courses taken for Credit Only may not be used to satisfy any Departmental course requirement for the major.
- For all majors, at least 12 hours of Communication courses must be completed at the 300/400 level.
- Each major must select a Concentration on which to focus their work; 33 hours of specific Communication courses must be taken in the identified Concentration to graduate with a Communication major. Concentrations available Fall 2006 include: LCC – Public and Interpersonal Communication; LCD – Communication Disorders (Admission to this Concentration ends Sept. 5, 2006.); LCM – Communication Media; and LCP – Public Relations. Each concentration has its own set of requirements. They are posted on the Departmental website and described in handouts available at the main office. Some concentrations require prerequisite classes be taken before students enroll in upper-level courses. Students are expected to understand and follow the pre-requisite requirements in planning their curricula. In some but not all cases, instructors may waive prerequisites if students can provide convincing evidence that they are prepared for the advanced work in a specific upper-level course. Instructors do not consider students' desires to graduate at a particular time a valid reason to waive prerequisites. If students find that the concentration they prefer has a prerequisite structure that necessitates they remain at NCSU longer than they would otherwise prefer, they should choose another concentration.
Advising is available and students are encouraged to consult with their advisors. However, it is the student's responsibility to understand both the University and Departmental requirements for graduation. top In addition to the courses listed below, a student must meet NC State University's General Education Requirements. To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, a student must satisfactorily complete at least 36 semester credit hours of Communication courses as explained below. Four courses (totally 12 credit hours) are required of all students majoring in Communication. They are: COM 230 must be taken by entering Freshmen during their first semester on campus and by transfer students during their first semester as an NCSU Communication major. COM 230, 240 and 250 must be taken in sequence during successive semesters. COM 230 is a prerequisite to COM 240, and COM 240 is a prerequisite to COM 250. top Additional credit hours are required in one of the five departmental concentrations: top At least 12 credit hours in each of the concentrations must be taken at the 300 or 400 level. top "D" grades in Communication courses are not acceptable. If a student majoring in Communication earns the grade of "D" in a Communication course, that course will not count toward graduation requirements - not as a required or elective course in the 36-credit hour major, not as a free elective, and not for any other purpose. top All Communication majors must complete a departmental restricted elective for 3 credit hours. The student may choose one of the following courses to complete this requirement: - COM 486, Communication Research Methods
- FL_ 202, Foreign Language
- PS 371, Research Methodology of Political Science
NOTE: There may be prerequisites or other restrictions on enrollment for many of these courses. A course taken from the above list (except for COM 486) to satisfy the Departmental restricted elective requirement may not be used to satisfy any other requirement. COM 486 may be used for this requirement, as a COM elective, and as specified within the Public Relations and Organizational Communication concentration. top A student may opt to complete a maximum of 12 credit hours of free elective courses plus all required Physical Education courses on a credit-only basis. COM 293 and COM 454 are taught as credit-only courses ONLY and may be used by students to satisfy certain requirements, as explained elsewhere in these requirements. Otherwise, if a student completes on a credit-only basis a REQUIRED course such as Math, Natural Science, FL_ 201, Literature, etc., or a COM course taken for the Communication major, the requirement will NOT be satisfied and those credit hours will count only as free elective hours. top All freshmen and seniors majoring in Communication must schedule a conference with his/her advisor during the registration advising period in October of the fall semester and March of the spring semester. The TRACS Personal Identification Number (PIN) will be given to the student during this conference. PINs will not be given to casual office walk-ins or over the phone. Each student is required to complete an Application for Degree during the first week of the semester or summer session in which he/she plans to graduate. This must be signed by the student's advisor and returned to the Student Records Assistant in Winston 201. A minimum total GPA of 2.0 and a minimum GPA of 2.0 for courses taken in the Communication major is required to be eligible for graduation. top Admission to the Department of Communication is based upon academic record. Courses in progress at the time of the application deadline will not be considered. Two opportunities for admission exist: Automatic Admission and Admission by Application. Automatic Admission: Students will automatically be accepted into the Department of Communication if they have completed at least 12 hours at NC State with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Students who have met these criteria may enter the Department at any time in the year and should proceed to the CHASS Dean's Office in Caldwell 106. Admission by Application: Students not meeting the conditions for Automatic Admission may apply for entrance if they have completed 12 hours and have GPAs between 2.5-3.0 and have completed the following with a grade of "B-" or better: -
Completion of FL_201 with a grade of "B-" or better -
Completion of PHI 221, PHI 250, LOG 201, or ST 311 with a grade of "B-" or better (Transfer credit, AP or IB scores will be considered to satisfy these requirements) Application deadlines are February 15, June 15, and September 15. Students who have met these criteria should proceed to the CHASS Dean's Office in Caldwell 106. Applications will be reviewed after each deadline; students will be notified of their admission status within one month of the deadline. Please understand that admission is competitive and meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission. Residency Requirements for Graduation Once accepted into the Communication Department, all Communication majors must complete COM 230, COM 240, and COM 250 one-at-a-time and in sequence. There are NO exceptions. Students who wish to transfer Communication credits from programs at other colleges and universities are subject to the NC State University Department of Communication's Residency Policy. Under this Policy, students may have considered for transfer a maximum of 12 hours of coursework in Communication, but no more than 6 hours of Communication coursework may be transferred toward a particular Concentration. All transfer credits are subject to approval by Department faculty. There are NO exceptions to this policy. Students who wish to transfer Communication credits from programs at other colleges and universities are subject to the NC State University Department of Communication's Residency Policy. Under this Policy, students may have considered for transfer a maximum of 12 hours of coursework in Communication, but no more than 6 hours of Communication coursework may be transferred toward a particular Concentration. All transfer credits are subject to approval by Department faculty. There are no exceptions to this policy. For more information about this policy, contact Ms. Sandy Stallings, Assistant Department Head.
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