Degrees, Certificates, & Transfer Programs

Communication Studies 2020-2021

The Communication Studies department offers a wide variety of courses and special programs to meet the needs of our students. Whether you aspire to become a communication specialist, enhance your marketability in the workplace, or improve your people skills, our faculty and advisers can help you identify the right program to meet your needs. Coursework involves collaboration, presentation, listening, cross-cultural understanding, rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and professional communication. The program includes application of these foundational principles in a collaborative and supportive environment.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers rated oral communication as the highest among attributes necessary in achieving professional success. More and more businesses and occupations prefer to hire employees who possess strong communication skills. When evaluating applicants, four-year universities look favorably upon students with strong backgrounds in communication. Effective communication skills assist in individual development and enhancement of human relations.

Program Learning Outcomes:

-Students will be able to identify patterns of communication in a variety of contexts.
-Students will be able to utilize appropriate methods of communication in critical thinking and/or communication situations.

Career Opportunities:

Communication Studies students often find careers in mass media, corporate training, consulting, advertising/marketing, education, law, sales, human resources, healthcare, social media, government, telecommunications, social services, public relations, and political campaigning.

Units Required

Degree Requirements:

-English proficiency: ENGL 1A, 1AH, 1S & 1T, or equivalent.
-Mathematics proficiency: MATH 105, 180, or any MATH course approved for Foothill GE Area V, Communication & Analytical Thinking.
A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:
-Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
-Core courses (15 units)
-Support courses (15 units)

*Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

NOTE: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificates.

Additional Information:

NOTE: If the student is interested in a concentration in either Rhetoric or Intercultural Communication, please see a Communication instructor for advisement.

Core Courses (15 units)

COMM 1A Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 2 Interpersonal Communication (5 units)
COMM 4 Group Discussion (5 units)

Support Courses (15 units)

Select 15 units from the following:
COMM 1B Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 3 Introduction to Communication Studies (5 units)
COMM 5 Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 10 Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
COMM 12 Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55 Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Communication Studies II

Units: 25

Select 10 units from the following:
COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 5* Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 12* Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55* Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

And 15 units from the following:
COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 1B Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 2 Interpersonal Communication (5 units)
COMM 3 Introduction to Communication Studies (5 units)
COMM 4 Group Discussion (5 units)
COMM 5* Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 10 Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
COMM 12* Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55* Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy certificate requirements.

Certificate of Achievement in Communication Studies I (15 Units)

COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 2* Interpersonal Communication (5 units)

And 10 units from the following:
COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 1B Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 2* Interpersonal Communication (5 units)
COMM 3 Introduction to Communication Studies (5 units)
COMM 4 Group Discussion (5 units)
COMM 5 Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 10 Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
COMM 12 Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55 Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy certificate requirements.

Communication Studies Certificate of Specialization (20 Units) [Non-Transcriptable]

COMM 10* Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
or COMM 12* Intercultural Communication (5 units)

And ONE course from the following:
COMM 1B* Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH* Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 5* Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 55* Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

And TWO courses from the following:
COMM 1A Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 1B* Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH* Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 2 Interpersonal Communication (5 units)
COMM 3 Introduction to Communication Studies (5 units)
COMM 4 Group Discussion (5 units)
COMM 5* Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 10* Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
COMM 12* Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55* Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy certificate requirements.

Communication Studies Certificate of Proficiency (15 Units) [Non-Transcriptable]

COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 2* Interpersonal Communication (5 units)

And TWO courses from the following:
COMM 1A* Public Speaking (5 units)
or COMM 1AH* Honors Public Speaking (5 units)
COMM 1B Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
or COMM 1BH Honors Argumentation & Persuasion (5 units)
COMM 2* Interpersonal Communication (5 units)
COMM 3 Introduction to Communication Studies (5 units)
COMM 4 Group Discussion (5 units)
COMM 5 Mass Communication (5 units)
COMM 10 Gender, Communication & Culture (5 units)
COMM 12 Intercultural Communication (5 units)
COMM 55 Career & Leadership Communication in the Global Workplace (5 units)

* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy certificate requirements.

Control Information:
2020-2021 | Status: Approved | Modified: 2020-11-10 07:40:56 | Dept Code: COMM