Current Students
Information and Resources for Declared Communication Majors (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science)
Each emphasis is 14 Communication courses and all 14 Communication courses must be passed with a ‘C’ or better.
Students must complete a total of 122 credit hours to earn their Bachelor’s degree. 40 of those credit hours must be upper division (3000-level or higher). Students may need to complete additional courses outside of general education and major requirements in order to meet total required hours.
Important Notice: At the beginning of each academic year (in the fall) major requirements are subject to change. Click below for a printable list of your requirements based on your declared catalog year.
Printable Requirement Worksheets:
2024 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS 2023 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS 2022 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS 2020 & 2021 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Undergraduate Emphases
Communiction Majors complete one of the following four emphases based on their area of interest. Each emphasis is 14 Communication courses and all 14 Communication courses must be passed with a ‘C’ or better.
Learn More
Major declaration can be completed by clicking here.
A student’s catalog year (major requirements) is determined by when the major is officially declared. Major requirements are subject to change at the beginning of each academic year and therefore it is very important for students to be aware of their catalog year and know how they can access it. Students will be required to complete the set of requirements that are associated with their catalog year. For example, if a student declares their major at the beginning of the spring 2022 semester they would be completing the requirements associated with the 2021-2022 catalog year. Once a student if officially declared they are not subject to any new changes made to major requirements.
A maximum of four (4) Communication courses from another college or university may fulfill major requirements. See an advisor to find out how your transfer communication courses can be applied to the major.
Bachelor of Arts demonstrates and requires fourth semester proficiency in a second language. Bachelor of Science demonstrates proficiency in math and requires 2 QI classes (upper division statistics/logic).
One course may fulfill both a university and a major requirement, but one course cannot double-count within the major.
- HF: COMM 1020, 1270, 1500, 2020, and 2040
- BF: COMM 2110
- CW: COMM 3030, COMM 3555, and COMM 4590
- DV: COMM 3070 and 3190
- IR: COMM 5610 and 5620
- QI: COMM 3710
- DI: COMM 3460, 3700, and 3720
It is the student’s responsibility to check the Academic Calendar for important dates and deadlines. Students should also be aware of registration dates and deadlines for each upcoming semester.
Students are expected to be generating their Degree Audit regularly. It is the official degree tracking tool and is used to clear student for graduation and award degrees. Therefore, students should generate a Degree Audit before and during an academic advising appointment. Click here for detailed instrcutions on how to properly generate and view a Degree Audit.
Communication classes sometimes fill quickly, so students are encouraged to plan ahead and enroll on your assigned Registration Date to help ensure timely graduation. The Department of Communication does not issue permission codes or manage wait lists for classes that are full.
If a class is full when a student registers, wait listing allows a student to add their name to an electronic wait list and potentially be added to the class if space opens up, and they meet all the requirements. Wait listing is not a guarantee to enrollment into a class.
Once a student wait lists into a class, it is up to them to monitor whether they are added to the class or not. If a student is added and decides they no longer want the class, they are responsible for dropping the class prior to the last day to drop deadline. It is recommended that the student drop themselves from any classes they are wait listed in once they have set their final schedule.
Questions? Email comm-advisor@utah.edu
According to the Humanities Academic Misconduct Policy, academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarizing, research misconduct, misrepresenting one’s work, and inappropriately collaborating. Definitions can be found in the Regulations Library at Policy 6-400: Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities (“Student Code”). If a student is suspected of academic misconduct, the process proceeds according to the rules found in the Student Code, University Policy 6-400(V). According to that policy, after an initial meeting between the student and the instructor, the instructor must determine whether academic misconduct has, in fact, occurred.
If the instructor determines that no academic misconduct has occurred, he or she will document that the student is not responsible for any academic misconduct.
If the instructor determines that academic misconduct has occurred and this is the first instance in which the student has been alleged to have committed academic misconduct, the instructor will take into account whether the act was intentional or a result of negligence in determining the appropriate sanction, which can be up to failing the course. The sanction will be noted in the resolution of the case. The student’s right of appeal is as specified in Policy 6-400(V).
If the instructor determines academic misconduct has occurred, and the student has previously been sanctioned for an act of academic misconduct, and the prior instance of misconduct resulted in a sanction less than failing the course, the department will follow the process to fail the student for the course. If the prior sanction was failure of the course, the student’s new act of misconduct will result in failure of the course and the department will also follow the process to seek the student’s dismissal from both the program and the University.
Strategic Communication Emphasis
(Public Relations, Advertising, Integrated Marketing)
Strategic Communication is used in growing professions, including public relations, advertising, marketing, event planning, project management, and health communication.
Through the study of persuasion, social influence, and behavior change, students learn the basic framework for Strategic Communication. Students design social media messages, logos, brochures, websites, and promotional videos for their clients and organizations.
Intro Course: COMM 2580, Strat Comm Theory & Practice
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Curtis Newbold, curtis.newbold@utah.edu
For more information and course descriptions, visit the university General Catalog:
Catalog requirements Printable RequirementsJournalism Emphasis
(Digital, Broadcast, and Print Media)
The Journalism emphasis ensures a strong foundation to support creativity and career exploration. Students sharpen their skills in reporting, writing, and producing news for evolving audiences; engage with communities by combining innovative storytelling with ethical, historical, and legal principles; and use digital and social media and evolving methods of data and algorithmic journalism to bring their engaging projects to life.
Intro Course: COMM 1610, Intro to News Reporting & Writing
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Jake Nelson, jake.nelson@utah.edu
For more information and course descriptions, visit the university General Catalog:
Catalog requirements Printable RequirementsCommunication Studies Emphasis
(Argumentation, Interpersonal, Cultural & Media Studies)
Students in the Communication Studies emphasis are exposed to the full breadth of the Communication discipline. They learn the key theories and methods that motivate effective communication and improve written and spoken skills. Students in this sequence are prepared for positions in professional, media, corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, as well as graduate study in law, social work, business, and public administration.
Intro Course: COMM 2020, Comm Theory & Everyday Life
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Natasha Seegert, n.seegert@utah.edu
For more information and course descriptions, visit the university General Catalog:
Catalog requirements Printable RequirementsCommSHER
(Science, Health, Environmental, and Risk Communication)
Science, Health, Environmental, and Risk Communication involves developing expertise about the ways in which these topics are discussed. This applies to professional communication among scientists and physicians, to public communication like media coverage and social marketing campaigns, and to interpersonal communication between doctors and patients. Students consider how such topics might be communicated persuasively, as well as the ethical issues involved in the communication of science, health, the environment, and risk.
Intro Course: COMM 3115, Comm, Science, Health, and Environment
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Robin Jensen, jensenrobine@gmail.com
For more information and course descriptions, visit the university General Catalog:
Catalog requirements Printable Requirements