Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 128 semester hours, 42 of which must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the College of Arts and Sciences section of this catalog. Students wishing to major in communication studies should consult an adviser in the Undergraduate Advising Office, General Academic Building Room 220.

Supplemental Information for BA with a Major in Communication Studies

Students planning to declare a major in Communication Studies are admitted as pre-majors (PCOM) and must:

• complete all of the courses listed for the pre-major with a grade of "C" or better in each course;
• complete at least 30 hours of college credit (courses listed below count toward that 30 hours); and
• have a UNT grade point average of 2.50 or higher.

Courses required for the pre-major: English composition 1, English composition 2, COMM 1010, COMM 2020, COMM 2140, and COMM 2060. When all of the requirements for the pre-major have been satisfied, the student may declare Communication Studies (COMM) as a major.

The major in Communication Studies requires a total of 39 semester credit hours (including COMM courses in the pre-major and 3 hours of COMM 3010).

9 hours distributed, with one course taken form each group:

• Group A: COMM 3620 or 3720 or 3920 or 4420
• Group B: COMM 4240 or 4340
• Group C: COMM 3260 or 3760 or 3860 or 4360

Students majoring in Communication Studies are required to have a minimum grade of "C" in all COMM courses to graduate. Students must observe prerequisites for each COMM course. If a student registered for a course has not completed prerequisites for the course with a grade of "C" or better, the student is subject to being dropped from the course without notice. Prerequisites are listed with individual course descriptions.

Because of the high demand for many COMM courses, students who miss the first class day without prior consent of the instructor are subject to being dropped from the course so that other students may be added. It is the student's responsibility to secure prior consent of the instructor.

A student who has completed 90 hours with a minimum GPA of 3.50 is eligible to write a Senior Honors Thesis. Students who elect this option are expected to complete their theses in the course of a single semester.

Minor in Communication Studies

The minor in communication studies requires a total of 18 semester hours, 3 of which are core hours: COMM 1010, and 6 of which are upper-level hours. The core hours must be taken before enrolling in any of the 15 additional hours of course work. Minors must observe the system of prerequisites for upper-level courses.

Departmental advisers are available for consultations on the minor in communication studies.

Teacher Certification

Students who expect to teach communication in secondary schools must complete the requirements of the state of Texas for teacher certification as listed by the Department of Teacher Education and Administration in the College of Education.

We encourage all students who are interested in learning more about careers in teaching speech communication at the secondary level in public and private schools in Texas to inquire about such careers. High schools in Texas are required to offer a speech course in Communication Applications, and there is growing demand for well educated, competent, and certified teachers to provide this instruction. In addition, teaching opportunities in debate and forensics, oral interpretation/performance studies, language arts coordinator, etc., are also available. North Texas has a long and proud history of providing speech communication educators for Texas public schools, and we hope you will inquire about such opportunities.

Graduate Degrees

The department offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:

Master of Arts*

with a major in communication studies, or

Master of Science

with a major in communication studies.

The master's degree requires the completion of at least 36 hours of graduate course work on an approved Master's Degree Plan. There are three options for this degree:

• 36 hours of coursework, including, 6 hours of Master's Thesis and oral examination
• 36 hours of course work, including 3 hours of Research Problems in Communication (COMM 5930), plus a comprehensive examination
• 36 hours of course work, including 3 hours of Graduate Internship in Communication Studies (COMM 5481), plus a comprehensive examination.

* The Graduate School has a foreign language requirement for the Master of Arts degree.