Communication, BA, Concentration: Public Advocacy and Media Studies

About the Program

The Concentration in Public Advocacy and Media Studies will allow students to confront current public issues while studying the role of the media and its impact on social change. Students interested in robust civic engagement will take four courses designed to develop skills in creating persuasive discourse. 

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C required for all Major Core courses; minimum grade of C- required for all Gen Ed and CHESS College Core courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 Fundamentals Of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): select from the Quantitative Reasoning Core List  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Natural Science Core list   
• Technology (3 Credits): select from the Technology Core list  
• Humanities (3 Credits): select from the Humanities Core list    
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Social Sciences Core List  
• Additional Credits (3 Credits): Select from any Communication & Creative Arts from the select from the Gen Ed Core List  
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): COM 10300 The Freshman Seminar In Communication   

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

Major Core (21 Credits)

• AD 32800 - Visual Communication Design I
• COM 20400 - Critical Perspectives On Communication
• COM 22500 - Introduction To Rhetoric And Social Influence
• COM 25000 - Mass Communication And Society
• COM 31800 - Principles Of Persuasion
• COM 32000 - Small Group Communication
• COM 37000 - Writing For Media

Concentration Core (15 Credits)

• COM 21000 - Addressing Public Issues
• COM 30101 - Political Economy Of Global Media
• COM 31510 - Persuasion And Social Movements
• COM 34900 - Media And Culture
• COM 46700 - Media, Influence, And Power

Other Required Courses (30 Credits)

Free Electives (30 Credits) (See Note 2)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Additional Information and Guidelines

Note 1: Freshman Seminar in Communication (FYE) requirement also met with any other PNW (FYE) course from 1-3 credit hours.

Note 2: Free Elective: Choose electives for further study in Communication or for a Minor in any department. Prerequisites may apply. Up to 15 credits of free electives at 30000 level or higher may be required to meet Purdue University Northwest residency rule.

Note 3: Select from any Communication & Creative Arts General Education Core courses, once you use a course for this section, it cannot be used for other sections.

Note 4: Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

• Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
• Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
• Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
• Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=0901&fos_credential=3