Communications
School of Communications
Administration
Chair: Mark Alden Callister
Department Information:
360 BRMB
801-422-2997
comms_secretary@byu.edu
Advisement Center:
1190 WCCB
801-422-3777
cfacadvise@byu.edu
The Discipline
The BYU School of Communications prepares students for careers in fields related to mass communication, such as advertising, journalism, sports media, public relations, and communications graduate studies. The school is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation, this program provides a balance between scholarship and professional skills. This goal is accomplished by requiring core courses and electives that enhance critical thinking about the discipline, while providing courses in emphasis areas that afford additional skills for each profession. See emphasis descriptions for additional information about their discipline and career opportunities.
Educational Outcomes
The School of Communications exists to help students become professional and scholarly communicators whose messages contribute to a better society by benefiting the organizations for which they work and the audiences they reach.
1. Effective Communication: Students will communicate effectively with their audiences: Specifically, students will be literate in the language of the media industries, and be able to plan and prepare mass communication messages in the appropriate style, using the appropriate research method, and appropriate technologies, to serve audience needs.
2. Professional practice: Students will act professionally in their practice. Specifically, students will demonstrate they. value freedom of speech in the marketplace of ideas, and be able to practice communication within legal boundaries, while exhibiting standards of professional behavior and demonstrating sensitivity to ethical behavior. Students will also be literate in the language of media industries.
3. Mass Communication Process: Students will be scholars of the mass communication process. Specifically, students will be able to apply relevant theory to communication practice, understand factory that shape their profession and think critically about the relationship between mass media and society.
4. Applying Gospel-centered Values: Students will be able to apply Gospel-centered values as they contribute to society. Specifically, they will promote diversity, inclusiveness, and agency in a global society, be able to exercise moral reasoning when faced with ethical dilemmas, and show a commitment to making a difference in their sphere of influence.
*See the BYU School of Communications website (https://comms.byu.edu/about/accreditation) for more information on our learning outcomes.
Admission to Degree Program
The degree programs in the School of Communications have a school application process with specific enrollment limitations. Please see the college advisement center for details, telephone 1-801-422-3777, or online at http://comms.byu.edu/.
General Information
Working under faculty direction, students in the school create creative advertising campaigns in the AdLab, use data to design public relations and advertising strategies in the Intelligence Lab, conduct biometric research in the BioComms lab, and publish journalistic and sports media content for the Daily Universe.
The School of Communications seeks to broaden students' awareness of worldwide communications issues and practices, through classes, inspiring learning initiatives, mentored research, lab projects and study abroad.
School Requirements
1. Each student must be formally accepted into a degree program. Contact the college advisement center for admission requirements or online at http://comms.byu.edu.
2. All students must take a campus writing course before applying for admission to the major. AP credit does not fulfill this requirement. The following writing course fulfills this requirement and satisfies the GE First-Year Writing requirement: WRTG 150. Our WRTG 150 requirement must be fulfilled by WRTG 150, ELANG 150, M COM 320, an Advanced Written and Oral Communication GE course (WRTG 311, WRTG 312, WRTG 313, WRTG 315 or WRTG 316) or an equivalent transfer course (Transfer classes from other universities must be cleared by the advisement center prior to applying to the program). We do not accept AP English credits or English 115.
3. Every student is required to complete an inspiring learning faculty-mentored experience. If a student does the internship option, the school operates an internship office (280 BRMB) that serves as a clearinghouse for internship information. The responsibility for securing an internship or a faculty mentored experience rests with the student. Students who do an internship (Comms 496R) must process appropriate documents with the Internship Office, and be enrolled in Comms 496R. Students who choose the faculty- mentored options must find a faculty mentor and work with that faculty member to complete and sign a contract for the class.
4. Communications students are required to own or rent a computer.
Graduation Requirements
To receive a BYU bachelor's degree a student must complete, in addition to all requirements for a specific major, the following university requirements:
The University Core, consisting of requirements in general and religious education.
At least 30 credit hours must be earned in residence on the BYU campus in Provo as an admitted day student
A minimum of 120 credit hours
A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0
Be in good standing with the Honor Code Office
Students should see their college advisement center for help or information concerning the undergraduate programs.
Graduate Programs Available
This department also offers graduate degree programs. For more information, see Graduate Studies.
