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Current Students
Undergraduate Programs:
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts
Full admission into FIU is required before Communication Arts is declared as a major. Once you have met the Communication Arts admissions criteria, you can declare your major. See full admission requirements below:
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 for all lower division courses and upper division
non-Communication Arts courses (including transfer coursework). - COM 1004 (Communication Arts Orientation)
- SPC 2608 (Public Speaking or equivalent course)
All students, in all areas of specialization, must take 15 hours of core requirements:
COM 1004 Introduction to Communication Arts
COM 3461 Intercultural/Interracial Communication
SPC 3210 Communication Theory
SPC 3602 – Advanced Public Speaking
COM 3120 – Organizational Communication
COM 4310- Research Methods in Communication Arts
All students, in all areas of specialization, must take 15 hours of foundational requirements:
Interviewing Principles and Practices (Required)
Small Group Communication (Required)
Business and Professional Communication (P)
Crisis Communication (P)
Nonverbal Communication (GRW) (UCC)
Social Media’s Impact on Communication (P)
Interpersonal Communication (P)
Persuasion (P)
Communication and Effective Leadership (P)
Conflict Management (P)
Gender and Communication (P)
Track requirements
All students majoring in Communication Arts must choose one specific track to pursue. Each track is comprised of different courses, and requires 12 credits completion. Tracks are listed as follows:
Acceptance prior to Fall 2019:
Core Requirements
All students, in all areas of specialization, must take 30 hours of core courses:
- COM 1004 Introduction to Communication Arts
- COM 3110 Business and Professional Communication
- COM 3461 Intercultural/Interracial Communication
- COM 4346 Interviewing Principles and Practices and Lab
- COM 4462 Conflict Management
- SPC 3210 Communication Theory
- SPC 3230 Rhetorical Communication: A Theory of Civil Discourse OR SPC 3271 – Rhetoric and Public Address
- SPC 3301 – Interpersonal Communication
- SPC 3540 – Persuasion
- SPC 3602 – Advanced Public Speaking
- SPC 4445 – Corporate Communication Theory and Leadership Dynamics
Track requirements
All students majoring in Communication Arts must choose one specific track to pursue. Each track is comprised of different courses, and requires 18 credits completion. Tracks are listed as follows:
- Organizational Communication Studies
- Art & Performance Studies
- Design studies (For Architecture students only)
**Please refer to the undergraduate catalog (catalog.fiu.edu) for specific courses relative to each track**
Communication Arts Policies and Graduation Requirements
- Students need a minimum of 120 credit hours to be eligible for a bachelor’s degree.
- Students must have at least a 2.0 FIU grade point average to be eligible for graduation.
- Minimum of a C or better in all courses required within the Communication Arts major.
Bachelor of Science in Communication
The Department offers a BS in Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication (PRAAC). Approximately 30 percent of a student’s course work is within the School. The purpose is to provide professional career entry skills as well as a broader understanding of communication processes and techniques and their impact on society.
Additionally, students will select an area of concentration outside the field of communication to pursue in depth. Advisors in the Communication Department can provide recommendations for students with particular career goals.
Degree Requirements
Declaring your Upper-Division Status
Full admission is a prerequisite for many of the upper-division courses taught in the SCJ. Once you have met all three of the admissions criteria, you can be fully admitted into the major. See full admission requirements below:
- 2.85 cumulative GPA (this includes all transfer work, in addition to current FIU work)
- 60 earned credits
- MMC 3003 (Mass Communication Orientation)
Full admission is not an automatic process. Students who want to declare upper-division status (be fully admitted) need to contact their assigned advisor at the end of the semester when they have met all three of the requirements.
Core Requirements
All students, in all areas of specialization, must take 15 hours of core courses:
- MMC 3003 Mass Communication Orientation (0)
- MMC 3123 Writing Fundamentals for Communicators (Prereq: ENC 1101 & ENC 1102)
- MMC 3303 Global Media and Society (3) (Global Learning)
- MMC 4200 Mass Communication Law and Ethics (3)
- VIC 3400 Visual Design for Media (3) (Global Learning)
- IDS 3309 How We Know What We Know (Prereq: ENC 1101 & ENC 1102)
Area of Concentration Requirements-AOC
Concerning the Area of Concentration, it’s every student’s responsibility to pick what subject matter and courses you want to take to satisfy the 12 credits. Here are the guidelines: make sure you pick one subject from the same school or department outside of Communication BS, make sure all the 12 credits you pick for that subject are all 3000/4000 level courses. Students should try and pick an Area of Concentration that would help to complement their major. The Department of Communication will hold all students responsible for choosing their AOC’s, so make sure that you pick a subject that has plenty of courses to choose from and do not have a lot of prerequisites for the courses. It is always a good idea to check with your assigned advisor before starting on these courses.
PRAAC Policies and Graduation Requirements
The 2.75 GPA Rule
Students must maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA for SCJ courses as well as for the outside requirements UDLA (upper division liberal arts) and AOC (area of concentration) courses listed on the track sheet. The grade point averages will be computed separately to maintain the 2.75 standard in both categories.
Transfer Credit Rule
Students can transfer a maximum of 6 credits toward their SCJ track. Transfer courses must be approved by the department chairs. To evaluate a course, obtain a copy of the syllabus and fill out a Course Substitution Form.
School of Communication Policies and Graduation Requirements
The C or Better Rule
Students must earn a final grade of at least a C to pass any SCJ or outside requirement course on the track sheet. A All credit SCJ and outside-required courses on the track sheet must be taken for letter grade. A pass (P) grade is not acceptable for credit courses. Please keep in mind that a C average will not meet graduation requirements.
Incomplete Grade
An incomplete grade IN is a temporary grade given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed, because of serious interruption not caused by the student’s own negligence. An incomplete must be made up as quickly as possible but no longer than two consecutive semesters after the initial taking of the course; otherwise, it will automatically default to an F. The student must not register again for the course to make up the incomplete. There is no extension to the two consecutive semester deadline. Students, who have incomplete grades on their records, must remove the incomplete by the end of the fourth week of the term in which they plan to graduate. Failure to do so will result in a cancellation of graduation. The student will need to reapply for graduation. Students are responsible for following-up with their professors to ensure the timely submission of a grade change.
Forgiveness Policy
Undergraduate students may use the forgiveness policy a maximum of three times for the purpose of improving their GPA. The forgiveness policy is a method by which students may repeat a limited number of courses, provided the grade earned is less than a C, to improve their grade point average (GPA). Only the grade received on the last repeat is used in the GPA calculation. There is no time limit on the use of the forgiveness policy for grades; however, the forgiveness policy cannot be used once a degree is posted.
All courses taken with the grades earned will be recorded on the student’s transcript. Repeated courses will be appropriately designated (T: attempted; R: last repeat). A course taken on a letter grade basis must be repeated on the same basis. Under the University’s forgiveness policy, students must file a Forgiveness Policy Form with the Office of Enrollment Services.
Foreign Language Requirement
In addition to the above University Core Curriculum requirements, any student who was admitted with a foreign language deficiency must successfully complete appropriate coursework in one foreign language prior to graduation. Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to discuss options to meet this requirement including two years of foreign language in high school, credit-by-exam, transfer credit, and foreign credentials (TOEFL, completion of high school equivalent outside of the U.S. in a language other than English). A previously earned Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution also meets this requirement. Please refer to the Undergraduate Admissions section for more information.
Summer Enrollment Requirement
All students entering FIU or any university within the State University System (SUS) of Florida with fewer than 60 credit hours are required to earn at least nine credit hours prior to graduation by attending one or more summer terms at a university in the SUS.
Administrative Drops
Prerequisites are strictly enforced for all students enrolled in any communication course. Students lacking the proper prerequisites or documentation will be administratively dropped. This may occur after the add/drop period which may result in the student being financially liable for the course.
Students will be notified of the administrative drop via their FIU e-mail account only. However, if a professor issues an administrative drop, students might not receive any notice.
Repeat Course Tuition Surcharge
The 1997 Legislature passed House Bill 1545 mandates that undergraduate students pay additional charges for the third time a student either takes or attempts the same college credit course. Any undergraduate course, taken, beginning Fall 1997, and all courses taken after this date will be subject to the repeat surcharge. Attempted hours mean those hours dropped/withdrawn after the drop/add period or failed. Withdrawals, incompletes and dropped courses will be subject to the tuition surcharge, if they are fee liable. All students are included regardless of type of residency.
More information can be found on the Undergraduate Catalog.
Graduate Programs:
Global Strategic Communications
