The Associate of Arts with a concentration in Communication Studies is based on the Ohio Guaranteed Transfer Pathway in Communication Studies. It is recommended for students planning to start at Tri-C and transfer to a four-year institution to major in Communication Studies.
The Communication Studies program at Tri-C connects students with top-notch faculty and working professionals who can help them achieve their academic goals.
There are a variety of communication-related careers in public relations, social and community service agencies, marketing, corporate training/human resources, labor/industrial relations, sales, social media management, government relations, and more. Some of the many potential careers in the field of Communication Studies include the following: public relations specialist, event planner, social media manager, copywriter, communications director, speechwriter, digital marketing specialist, and crisis communications manager.
Program Admissions Requirements
- ENG-0995 Applied College Literacies with a grade of "C" or higher or appropriate English Placement Score to enroll in ENG-1010 College Composition I
- Eligibility to enroll in MATH-1190 Algebraic and Quantitative Reasoning or PHIL-1020 Introduction to Logic or higher Ohio Transfer 36 Approved Mathematics course.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Develop and effectively present speeches that are consistent and appropriate for the purpose, context, and audience.
- Engage in active listening and enact mindful responding to messages.
- Choose to communicate with ethical intention.
- Recognize individual and cultural similarities and differences and appropriately adapt one’s communication in diverse cultural contexts.
- Apply Communication theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts.
- Locate, use, and evaluate information to create messages appropriate to the audience, purpose, and context
- Articulate the characteristics and influence of mediated and non-mediated messages
| First Semester | Credit Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Speech Communication | ||
| Honors Speech Communication | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| Honors College Composition I | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Algebraic and Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Introduction to Logic (or Any Ohio Transfer 36 Approved Mathematics class) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| General Psychology | ||
| Honors General Psychology | ||
| Foreign Language (if needed) or Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| COMM-1000 | Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| Ohio Transfer 36 Natural Sciences requirement with lab | 3-4 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| College Composition II 1 | ||
| Honors College Composition II 1 | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| The Individual in Society | ||
| Honors Individual in Society | ||
| Foreign Language (if needed) or Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| COMM-1210 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| Ohio Transfer 36 Natural Science requirement | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Honors Introductory Sociology | ||
| Arts and Humanities Requirement (see recommended list below) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language (if needed) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| COMM-2000 | Introduction to Communication Theory | 3 |
| COMM-2160 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| POL-2020 | Introduction to Conflict and Peace Studies | 3 |
| Foreign Language (if needed) or Elective | 3 | |
| Ohio Transfer 36 Electives (see recommended list below) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 60-63 | |
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It is highly recommended for students to take ENG-1020 College Composition II or ENG-102H Honors College Composition II for this program.
Foreign Language Requirement
The majority of schools require at least 6-8 credits of foreign language at the College level to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies; however, the Foreign Language requirement varies from institution to institution and may depend on how many foreign language courses you took at the high school level. For this reason, you should check with your intended transfer institution to determine how many foreign language credits are required for your intended transfer program and plan accordingly. To fulfill foreign language requirements, you should select from the below Transfer Assurance Guide approved foreign language courses. If your intended program of study doesn't require foreign language or you have fulfilled the requirement based on coursework taken in high school, you may select other appropriate Ohio Transfer 36 or Transfer Assurance Guide approved courses as electives, in place of the foreign language requirement. See recommendations below for elective course selection.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| ASL-1010 | Beginning American Sign Language I | 4 |
| ASL-1020 | Beginning American Sign Language II | 4 |
| ASL-2010 | Intermediate American Sign Language I | 4 |
| ASL-2020 | Intermediate American Sign Language II | 4 |
| FREN-1010 | Beginning French I | 4 |
| FREN-1020 | Beginning French II | 4 |
| FREN-2010 | Intermediate French I | 3 |
| FREN-2020 | Intermediate French II | 3 |
| GER-1010 | Beginning German I | 4 |
| ITAL-1010 | Beginning Italian Language and Culture I | 4 |
| ITAL-1020 | Beginning Italian II | 4 |
| SPAN-1011 | Beginning Spanish Language and Cultures I | 4 |
| SPAN-1021 | Beginning Spanish Language and Culture II | 4 |
| SPAN-2010 | Intermediate Spanish Language and Culture I | 3 |
| SPAN-2020 | Intermediate Spanish Language and Cultures II | 3 |
Recommended Ohio Transfer 36 Electives
The below courses are recommended to fulfill the open Arts and Humanities requirements or the open Ohio Transfer 36 elective requirement.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities | ||
| PHIL-1000 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENG-2020 | Women Writers on the Experiences of Women | 3 |
| ENG-2310 | American Literature I | 3 |
| ENG-2320 | American Literature II | 3 |
| ENG-2350 | British Literature I | 3 |
| ENG-2360 | British Literature II | 3 |
| ENG-2410 | Introduction to Literature: Poetry | 3 |
| ENG-2420 | Introduction to Literature: Fiction | 3 |
| ENG-2430 | Introduction to Literature: Drama | 3 |
| ENG-2450 | Introduction to Literature: Science Fiction | 3 |
| ENG-2510 | African-American Literature I | 3 |
| ENG-2520 | African-American Literature II | 3 |
| ENG-2601 | Literature for Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| ENG-2700 | World Literature | 3 |
| ENG-2710 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENG-2730 | Exploration of World Mythology | 3 |
| ENG-2770 | Rhetorics of Gaming: Introduction to Video Game Analysis | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
| PSY-2040 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| SOC-2020 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| SOC-2550 | Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| UST-2020 | Urban Cultures | 3 |
MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement. These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016. Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.