USC
University of Southern California
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School of Communication

Undergraduate Degrees

The School of Communication offers programs of study leading to a B.A. degree and minors in Communication and the Entertainment Industry, Interactive Media and the Culture of New Technologies, Global Communication, Health Communication, Professional and Managerial Communication, and Communication Law and Media Policy. Many communication majors pursue, with the school's encouragement, a double major with another discipline or a minor to complement the major. Through careful planning, students can complete these options within four years.

Students must consult with an undergraduate academic advisor at least once each semester to explore course selections within the major, the minor, general education offerings and electives.

Admission
Admission to the School of Communication is competitive. Fall 2004 incoming freshmen had an average GPA of 3.99 with a combined SAT score over 1333. Transfer students have averaged over a 3.5 GPA.

Students who wish to declare communication as their major may apply in three ways: (1) entering freshmen and transfer students must meet the criteria set by USC and the School of Communication for admission; (2) current USC students need to have 32 units completed at USC with a minimum GPA of 3.0; (3) transfer students need to have 16 units at USC with a minimum 3.0 USC GPA to apply. The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

For current USC students, the application period is the first week of classes each fall and spring semester. No applications will be accepted after the first week of classes.

Students who have not been admitted to the communication major or one of the minors may complete a maximum of 20 communication (COMM) units at USC. No further communication course work may be taken until the student is admitted. Students who complete the maximum number of units without gaining admission to the school will be advised to select another major. Students are encouraged to contact the Annenberg Student Services Office, ASC 140, (213) 740-0900, for advisement on communication admission criteria and major requirements. In certain cases when admission to the Annenberg School is unlikely, students may be referred to the Office of College Advising, CAS 120, (213) 740-2534, to consult with an advisor to select another major.

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication

General Education Requirements
The university's general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This new program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing, foreign language and diversity requirements, which together comprise the USC Core. See pages 60 and 219 for more information.

Course Requirements
Required coursesUnits
COMM 200Communication as a Social Science4
COMM 201Communication as a Liberal Art4

and four of the following five:
COMM 202Introduction to Communication Technology4
COMM 203Introduction to Mass Communication Theory and Research 4
COMM 204*Public Speaking4
COMM 301LEmpirical Research in Communication4
COMM 322Argumentation and Advocacy4

electivesUnits
six 300-400 level COMM courses24

*Can be used to meet core requirement only if taken during freshman or sophomore years. Students admitted into the communication major with junior or senior status may use COMM 204 to fulfill core requirement if it is taken during the first complete semester as a major.

Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 overall GPA in their upper division course work. No more than 8 upper division elective units may be taken prior to completing successfully COMM 200 and COMM 201. Further, no more than 16 upper division elective units may be taken prior to completion of the entire core. No more than 4 units of COMM 380 may be counted toward the department major. The School of Communication is committed to ensuring that all declared communication majors follow the necessary requirements. Mandatory advisement is required of all communication majors each semester prior to registration. All students taking communication classes are held to the highest academic integrity standards and may be denied admission or have admission revoked as a result of conduct violations.

Qualified nonmajors (generally, students with junior/senior status, a minimum 3.0 GPA and a declared major elsewhere at the university) with appropriate academic preparation may be permitted to enroll in communication electives without fulfilling prerequisite requirements. Application for a waiver should be made to an undergraduate advisor.

Academic Integrity Policy
Since its founding, the USC School of Communication has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found responsible for plagiarism, fabrication, cheating on examinations, or purchasing papers or other assignments will be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards and may be dismissed from the School of Communication. There are no exceptions to the school's policy.

Curriculum Areas of Study
By design, the courses in the curriculum tend to cluster into different areas of study. These areas represent important foci in the communication discipline and are areas in which the school's faculty possess special expertise. Four such areas of study are described below. They are not mutually exclusive, nor do they exhaust the curriculum; rather, they represent partially overlapping areas of unusual depth. Students may specialize in one of these areas or may design individual programs of study by choosing other combinations of electives that best meet their needs and career objectives.

Media, Law and Politics Option:
This option is designed for students who are interested in careers in government and public service, the law, and political and legal consulting, as well as advanced graduate study. Students examine communication processes in the public sphere and learn how to participate competently in these practices. Courses emphasize the role of persuasion in the political and legal processes; the techniques used by individuals, institutions and social movements to influence public affairs; the history, design, implementation and evaluation of political campaigns; the role of public opinion; ethical issues in public communication, including the influence of media in the political and justice systems, the role of the First Amendment and the changing nature of freedom of expression in a mass-mediated environment, and problems of public participation. Relevant courses include:

COMM 302Persuasion4
COMM 310Media and Society4
COMM 330Rhetoric in Classical Culture4
COMM 335Rhetoric in Contemporary Culture4
COMM 370The Rhetoric of Ideas: Ideology and Propaganda4
COMM 388Ethics in Human Communication4
COMM 402Public Communication Campaigns4
COMM 411Communication Criticism4
COMM 412Communication and Social Movements4
COMM 421Legal Communication4
COMM 422Legal Issues and New Media4
COMM 489Campaign Communication4
JOUR 371Censorship and the Law: From the Press to Cyberspace4

Organizational and Interpersonal Communication Option:
This option is most relevant to students interested in careers in business, management, human resources and development, corporate communications, and consulting, as well as advanced graduate study. Courses emphasize: interpersonal communication processes that affect and reflect personality, motives, beliefs, attitudes and values; communication's role in the development, maintenance and disintegration of social, family and intimate relationships; managing interpersonal conflict; communication between superiors and subordinates and in teams; communication's role in determining organizational culture; managing information in organizations; and the role of information technology in processes of globalization. Relevant courses include:

COMM 304Interpersonal Communication4
COMM 308Communication and Conflict4
COMM 315Health Communication4
COMM 320Small Group and Team Communication4
COMM 321Communication in the Virtual Group4
COMM 345Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies4
COMM 375Business and Professional Communication4
COMM 385Survey of Organizational Communication4
COMM 480Nonverbal Communication4
COMM 486Human and Technological Systems in Organizations4
COMM 487Communication and Global Organizations4

Communication and Culture Option:
This option will be attractive to a broad range of students whose careers have an international or multicultural dimension, from those interested in foreign service, travel and consulting to those seeking careers in the arts. In addition, students taking this option will be well prepared for advanced graduate study. Courses emphasize: communication as an essential component of culture and cultural production; cultural forces that shape communication practices; cultural barriers to communication; gender and diversity issues in human and mass communication and cultural production; media representations of race, ethnicity and gender; the production of meaning in diverse modes such as art, religion, popular culture and technology; and cultural criticism. Relevant courses include:

COMM 324Intercultural Communication4
COMM 330Rhetoric in Classical Culture4
COMM 335Rhetoric in Contemporary Culture4
COMM 339Communication Technology and Culture4
COMM 340The Cultures of New Media4
COMM 345Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies4
COMM 360The Rhetoric of Los Angeles4
COMM 365The Rhetoric of London4
COMM 384Interpreting Popular Culture4
COMM 395Gender, Media and Communication4
COMM 424Millennium in the Media4
COMM 425Communicating Religion4
COMM 465Gender in Media Industries and Products4

Entertainment, Communication and Society Option:
This option is for students who wish to pursue careers in the entertainment industry, as well as students interested in the relationship of communication and entertainment to popular culture, globalization, cultural studies, marketing, advertising and ethics. Students taking this option will be well prepared for graduate study; they will also be able to enter the entertainment industry with a grounding in the theory, roles, issues and effects of entertainment. Courses emphasize the theoretical underpinnings of entertainment studies; the historical context of entertainment; the roles and effects of entertainment concepts in "high art" and popular culture; the impact of entertainment on politics; advertising in an entertainment society; the blurring of marketing and entertainment and the effects of this on culture; the effects of entertainment in general and specifically on constructions of race and childhood; issues in the blurring of fact and fiction; ethical dilemmas; and the globalization of entertainment industries. Relevant courses include:

COMM 300Foundations for the Study of Entertainment, Communication and Society4
COMM 306The Communication Revolution and the Arts4
COMM 310Media and Society4
COMM 339Communication Technology and Culture4
COMM 340The Cultures of New Media4
COMM 360The Rhetoric of Los Angeles4
COMM 384Interpreting Popular Culture4
COMM 395Gender, Media and Communication4
COMM 401Audience Analysis4
COMM 430Global Entertainment4
COMM 431Global Strategy for the Communications Industry4
COMM 432American Media and Entertainment Industries4
COMM 455Advertising and Society4
COMM 456Entertainment, Marketing and Culture4
COMM 457Children and Media4
COMM 458Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts4
COMM 465Gender in Media Industries and Products4
COMM 471Communication Systems and Technologies4
COMM 472Telecommunication Strategic Analysis4
COMM 480Nonverbal Communication4
COMM 498Ethical Issues in Entertainment and Communication4
CTIN 483Programming for Interactivity4
CTPR 386Art and Industry of the Theatrical Film4
CTPR 410Movie Business: From Story Concept to Exhibition2
CTWR 459abEntertainment Industry Seminar2-2
JOUR 459Fact and Fiction: From Journalism to the Docudrama4

Communication majors in this option are required to take one of the following courses, which will count toward the requirement for six upper-division courses.

COLT 365Literature and Popular Culture4
CSCI 480Computer Graphics3
CTCS 411Film, Television and Cultural Studies4
ENGL 392Visual and Popular Culture4
FA 350Art Theory and Criticism4
HP 400Culture, Lifestyle, and Health4
JOUR 375The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture4
MKT 450Consumer Behavior and Marketing4
MUIN 385Radio in the Music Industry4
PPD 354Los Angeles: The City, The Novel, The Movie2
REL 461Business and Society4
SOCI 315Sociology of Sport4
THTR 303The Performing Arts4

Accelerated B.A., Communication/M.A., Communication Management

This accelerated 152-unit program allows superior students to complete a dual B.A. in Communication and M.A. degree in Communication Management in five years. Students with at least a 3.5 overall GPA in all classes taken at the university level and a 3.5 GPA in all undergraduate communication classes may apply for admission to the accelerated program during their junior year. A 3.5 GPA does not guarantee acceptance. Students will submit sample essays and research projects for an assessment of their ability to complete graduate level course work and an independent research practicum. Students admitted into the accelerated program begin taking M.A.-level courses in their senior year and will complete the degree in year five. See undergraduate advisors for the admission process.

Program Requirements
Undergraduate coursesunits
COMM 200Communication as a Social Science4
COMM 201Communication as a Liberal Art4
COMM 301LEmpirical Research in Communication4

Three of the following four courses:
COMM 202Introduction to Communication Technology4
COMM 203Introduction to Mass Communication Theory and Research4
COMM 204Public Speaking4
COMM 322Argumentation and Advocacy4

Two of the following three courses:
COMM 385Survey of Organizational Communication4
COMM 486Human and Technological Systems in Organizations4
COMM 487Communication and Global Organizations4
Two 400-level elective courses8

Graduate coursesunits
COMM 597Communication Research Practicum4

One research methods tool (prerequisite with COMM 597):
COMM 540Uses of Communication Research, or
COMM 587Audience Analysis4

Core theory course -- select one of the following:
4
COMM 500Managing Communication
COMM 510Communication, Values, Attitudes, and Behavior
COMM 520Social Roles of Communication Media
COMM 530Social Dynamics of Communication Technology
COMM 533Emerging Communication Technologies
COMM 545Communication and Global Competition
COMM 560Communications Policy
COMM 570Economics of the Communication Industries
Graduate Elective Units20*

*With approval, up to 8 elective units may be taken at USC outside the School of Communication.