Communication

Communication BA

Students fulfilling the major in Communication must complete the seven required lower-division courses and a minimum of 10 or 11 upper-division courses as set forth below. Enrollment in the major is limited. Admission to the major is by application to the committee in charge. Applications are available on the department website to regularly enrolled UCLA students during spring quarter.

The Communication major has the following learning outcomes:

• Demonstrated mastery of substantive areas of the field, including mass communication and media institutions, interpersonal communication, communication technology and digital systems, and political and legal communication
• Placement of particular communication events or examples in the context of broader patterns of human activity
• Critical evaluation of arguments based on evidence
• Design and implementation of original research projects
• Completion, using acquired knowledge and skills, of a project that demonstrates core competencies in the field
• Active participation in learning-in-practice opportunities
• Evaluation and critique of oral presentations
• Demonstrated mastery of conceptualization, formulation, and oral presentation of the student’s own ideas

Students are encouraged but not required to complete as many lower-division preparation for the major courses as possible before admission to the program.

Required: Communication 1, 10, one course selected from Anthropology 4, Communication M70, Linguistics 1, or Philosophy 23, one statistics course from Economics 41 or Statistics 10. Three additional courses must be selected from Political Science 40, Psychology 10, Sociology 1, and Economics 1 or 5 or Political Science 30.

Transfer applicants to the Communication major with 90 or more units must complete at least four of the following seven lower-division required courses: Communication 10 or one interpersonal communication and one mass communication course, one public address course, one linguistics course, one statistics course, and three courses from psychology, American government, sociology, and microeconomics or political economy.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Students must complete 10 or 11 upper-division courses. The practicum requirement can be satisfied by a course that also satisfies a core or an additional area elective course requirement.

Required Core Courses: Communication 100, 150.

Required Area Courses: A total of eight courses from the following four areas, including at least one core course in each area:

Communication Technology and Digital Systems — Core courses: Communication 129, 151, 154, 156, 158; elective courses: Communication 157, 188C, 191C, Geography 138.

Interpersonal Communication — Core courses: Communication 110, 111, M113, 114, 115, 120, 126; elective courses: Anthropology 136A, M150, 151, Communication 109, 112, 116, M117, 118, 119, M123W, M125, M127, M144A, M144B, 188B, 191B, Linguistics 103, 170, Philosophy 172, Psychology 135 (or Sociology 132), 137C, M165, 177, 178, Sociology 134, 156.

Mass Communication and Media Institutions — Core courses: Communication 133, 140, M147, 152; elective courses: Communication 105, 106, 107, 128, 132, 136, M137, 141, 143, 145, 146, 148, M149, M153, M159, M165, 166, M169, 175, 179, 182, 183, 187, 188A, 191A, Film and Television 108, Political Science M142D.

Political and Legal Communication — Core courses: Communication 101, 160, 162, 170; elective courses: Communication 102, 163, 164, 167, 168, 171, M172, M176, 178, 184, 188D, 191D, Political Science M141A, 141B (or Sociology 133), 141C, 141E.

Required Practicum Course: One course from Communication 101, 102, 103A, 103B, 104, 109, 111, 116, M117, 160, M176, 188E, or 191E.

The departmental honors program provides exceptional students an opportunity for advanced research and study, under the guidance of a faculty member, that leads to the completion of an honors thesis. To qualify for graduation with departmental honors, students must (1) complete all requirements for the major, (2) have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.6 or better in upper-division coursework in the major and an overall GPA of 3.3 or better in all completed UC coursework, (3) complete Communication 198A, 198B, and 198C, and (4) produce a completed satisfactory honors thesis (as determined by a recommendation of their thesis adviser and final approval by the department chair). Contact the student affairs officer for more information.

Majors in Communication may select a specialization in Computing by (1) satisfying all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in the major, (2) completing Program in Computing 10A and 10B, and (3) completing four courses (at least one of which must be in communication) from Communication 129, 151, 154, 155, 156, 158, Program in Computing 10C, 20A, 20B, 40A. Courses need to be completed with a grade of C− or better in each course and a combined grade-point average of at least 2.0. Students must petition for admission to the program and are advised to do so after they complete Program in Computing 10B (petitions should be filed in the Counseling Office). Students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a specialization in Computing.