About the Program
The Communication degree offers students the opportunity to prepare for a wide range of careers where effective visual, oral and written communication is essential. By combining a study of communication theory with practical application, communication majors will see improvement in critical thinking, research, writing, teamwork, interpersonal, and public speaking skills. Graduates of the program may find work in such diverse areas as advertising, broadcasting, journalism, public relations, visual communication and a variety of art-related fields. Internship opportunities are available to students that will allow them to network with professionals while continuing to build their communication skills.
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)
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:
- 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)
Other Required Courses (30 Credits)
- Free Electives (30 Credits)
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
Requirements
Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C required for all Major Core courses; minimum grade of C- required for all Gen Ed and CHESS College Core courses; 2.0 GPA
General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.
Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.
Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.
Semester 7 (15 Credits)
- COM Elective
- COM Elective
- Free Elective (See Note 2)
- Free Elective (See Note 2)
- Quantitative Reasoning - select from the Quantitative Reasoning list
Semester 8 (15 Credits)
- Additional Gen Ed Credits (See Note 3)
- CHESS Elective (See Note 4)
- COM Elective
- Free Elective (See Note 2)
- Free Elective (See Note 2)
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 20 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
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