The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication strives to produce graduates who are broadly educated, ethical, technologically proficient, iterate in the media of communication and able to assume leadership roles in the information age.

By stressing the study and the practice of communication in an urban environment, the school prepares students for lifetime careers in which they will shape, analyze, respond to, and work in the fields of communication. Students will acquire verbal, literate, numerate, visual, and social communication competencies through a combination of academic and professional experiences in an area of concentration selected by each student.

Professional internships are a key element in the broad education students may receive through the school. Students may qualify in their junior and senior years by meeting grade point requirements and completing relevant course work.

The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication with concentrations in journalism, public relations/advertising, media production, media studies, corporate communication, health communication, and interpersonal communication.

The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication also offers the Master of Arts degree in communication with emphases in public relations, mass communication studies and speech communication.

For more information about admission to the graduate programs, requirements for the degrees and course listings, consult the school's Director of Graduate Studies and refer to the Graduate and Professional Studies catalog.

General Requirements for the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication

Students in good academic standing may declare communication as their major and select a concentration at any time. Students interested in the school but uncertain about a concentration may declare themselves Communication Unspecified (COMM-UN) up to completion of 72 hours. Then they must choose a concentration.

All undergraduate majors in the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication must complete, with a GPA of at least 2.00, 12 semester hours as follows:

1. COMM: 1301, 1302, 2300, and 4303.
2. To take Jack J. Valenti School of Communication courses at the 3000- and 4000-level, students must complete the three lower level courses required of all Communication majors, COMM 1301, 1302, 2300. Majors should complete them in their first 60 hours; transfer students should do so in their first two semesters at the university.
   
   Students who enroll (register) for advanced courses without completing the nonadvanced requirements may be dropped by the instructor or the school. Neither the school nor the instructor will be responsible for tuition refunds.
3. To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in communication, students must achieve:
   
   1. A 2.00 cumulative GPA in all courses that count toward the major with at least a C in each.
   2. No COMM course for major (or minor) may be retaken more than twice.

Concentration in Corporate Communications

Students will learn theories and principles of mediated and nonmediated communication relevant to the management of corporate, nonprofit and governmental organizations. Students will develop analytical and critical skills needed to develop and implement effective communication goals and strategies. This concentration serves students interested in:

1. Developing internal communication plans, training others to develop effective communication skills including improving team development, managing supervisory and customer service relations, and making presentations ranging from brief speeches to sophisticated multi-media programs.

2. Developing communication designs using digital media technologies, and creating effective communication packages for regional, national and international organizations .

This concentration will prepare students for communication positions in a wide variety of organizations and with consulting firms. It will also provide a strong foundation for graduate work in communication studies and other fields of human behavior.

1. COMM: 2310, 2320, 3356, and 4355.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2320 before proceeding to advanced communication courses.)
2. Select 3 hours from COMM: 1333, 3330, 3352, 3360, 3368, 4356, 4357, or 4375 .
3. Select 6 hours from COMM: 3323, 3326, 3327, 3328, 3353, 4353, or 4378.
4. Select 6 hours from COMM: 2322, 3320, 3332, 3339, 4331, 4335, 4358, 4367, 4392, 4397, or 4398. NOTE: Other COMM courses may be used as electives if approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling.

Concentration in Health Communication

Students in health communication will develop and acquire knowledge and skills essential to becoming more effective health care consumers and advocates as well as learn the fundamentals of health campaign planning, implementation, and evaluation. Research, theory, and practical application are combined to help students develop communication strategies associated with positive health outcomes and successful negotiation of the health care system. Students interested in specializing in health care delivery (HCD) issues will complete coursework across a wide range of health care situations focusing on interpersonal, group, organizational, cultural, and computer-mediated levels of analysis. Students interested in specializing in public health promotion (PHP) will complete coursework across a wide range of health care contexts focusing on the role of gender, media, tailored messages, and e-health in building, delivering, and evaluating mediated health campaigns to promote health and behavior change.

Required Courses:

• COMM 1301, 1302, 2300, 3300, 4303, 4335, and HON 3301.

Select one concentration from:

Health Care Delivery (HCD) Sequence:

• Select 12 hours (4 courses) from the following:
  COMM 3301, 3302, 3303, 3304, 3305, 3331, 3376, ANTH 4384, HLT 4308, SOC 3371, 3345.

Public Health Promotion (PHP) Specialization:

• Select 12 hours (4 courses) from the following:
  COMM 3302, 3303, 3340, 3341, 3342, 3360, 3372, 3376, 4361 

Required Electives - 6 hours from the following:

COMM 3353, 3356, 4353, ANTH 3350, 4331, 4337, 4339, 4352, 4353, 4384, BIOE 1440, BIOL 1309, ECON 3368, ENGL 4371, HIST 3303, 3397, HLT 3306, 3381, 4306, 4308

Concentration in Interpersonal Communication

Students will gain knowledge of the interplay between communication and relationships on both micro and societal levels. At the micro level, students will develop analytic and communication skills needed to understand the process of relationship development, maintenance and deterioration. At the societal level, students will acquire critical reasoning skills needed to interpret images and messages about families and other small groups.

Students will be prepared for entry-level communication positions in organizations such as those allied with health care and human development or for advanced work in communication studies and other fields focusing on the analysis of human behavior.

1. COMM 1333, 3330, and 4331.
2. In addition to the required courses, students must take 18 advanced hours (six courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Concentration in Journalism

Students in print and broadcast will develop an understanding of the political, economic, social, and cultural contexts in which news is gathered and disseminated. They will acquire the skills needed to investigate effectively the world of news and to report these findings accurately, clearly, completely, and in the public interest. They will graduate with the know-ledge of the critical, analytical, and ethical perspectives necessary to succeed in entry-level jobs and in lifelong careers .

Print Media Sequence

1. COMM 2310, 3310, and 3311.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2310 before proceeding to advanced communication courses.)
2. Select three hours from COMM 4312. 4313, or 3326.
3. Select three hours from COMM 3323, 3324, or 3326.
4. In addition to the required courses, students must take 12 advanced hours (four courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Broadcast Sequence

1. COMM 2310, 3311, and 3316.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2310 before proceeding to advanced communication courses.)
2. Select three hours from COMM 2322, 3320, 3323, or 3380.
3. In addition to the required courses, students must take 12 advanced hours (four courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Concentration in Media Production

Students will acquire the ability to create communications using audio, video, motion picture, photography and computer graphics techniques. An appreciation and ethical concern for the professional values and effects on an audience of utilizing such techniques will accompany both practical and theoretical instruction. Skills needed to perform the research and writing functions that precede actual production of media programs as well as performance studies are included.

This concentration provides the preparation for internships and entry-level positions available in a wide variety of careers that require media production knowledge and skills, and the foundation for advancement in those fields.

1. COMM: 2320, 2350, and 3328.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2320 before proceeding to advanced production courses.)
2. Select 3 hours from: COMM: 2322, 3320, 3321, or 3323.
3. In addition to the required courses, students must take fifteen advanced hours (five courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Concentration in Media Studies

Students will deal critically with media issues that create and affect public policy and will explore media management policy. Course materials will also cover content, technology, training, programming, marketing, and audiences in national and international contexts.

1. COMM 2350 and 4378.
2. Select 6 hours from: COMM 3350, 3376 or 4372.
3. In addition to the required courses, students must take fifteen advanced hours (five courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Concentration in Public Relations/Advertising

The concentration provides basic knowledge, skills and ethical considerations to prepare students for entry into public relations and advertising careers. Students will learn the communication requirements to represent organizations, products, services, operations and policies effectively. Study areas include theory, principles, analytical and critical skills, ethical requirements, public policy development, campaign design and execution requirements, research methodologies, data analysis techniques and communication skills especially appropriate for an urban setting.

Public Relations Sequence

1. COMM 2310, 3311, 3368, 3369, and 4368.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2310 before proceeding to advanced communication courses.)
2. Select 3 hours from: COMM 4364 or 4367.
3. In addition to the required courses, students must take nine advanced hours (three courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

Advertising Sequence

1. Take COMM 2310, 3311, 3360, 3361, 4360, and 4361.
   (Must earn a C in COMM 2310 before proceeding to advanced communication courses.)
2. In addition to the required courses, students must take nine advanced hours (three courses) in communication selected from an approved list available from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.