UNDERGRADUATE

Communication

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Program Snapshot
Program Type
B.A.
Minor
School
School of Arts and Humanities
Department
Communication
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Bring Meaning and Clarity to Complex Situations with a BA in Communication

Prepare for a creative career in one of the most popular majors in the country.

Employers consistently rank communication skills at the top when making hiring decisions.

Why earn your Communication degree at St. Edward’s?

Located in the heart of Austin, there are ample opportunities to gain hands-on experience and apply your communication skills. Our faculty creatively integrate their scholarly research, public engagement, and expertise in communication with a wide range of interests and disciplines in their work with students.

Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)

The Public Relations Student Society of America is all about making connections. Our PRSSA chapter provides out-of-the-classroom experiences that give students enhanced knowledge of the public relations field.  Members have access to exclusive internships and job postings, networking events with local professionals, personalized agency and corporation tours and fun social events.

Lambda Pi Eta (LPH)

Lambda Pi Eta is the National Communication Association’s official honor society at four-year colleges and universities. With more than 450 active chapters nationwide, LPH recognizes, fosters and rewards scholastic achievement, stimulates interest in the field of communication, and promotes professional development and interest in graduate studies among communication majors.

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Reap the Rewards of Austin

And Austin is the perfect place to be a Communication major. Our students intern at places like Livestrong, Margin Walker Presents, ACL, SXSW, and the Austin Film Society.

What will you learn?

As a Communication major, you’ll begin by studying the principles of communication, but you’ll also become adept at applying them — so you can take your skills to a Fortune 500 company, fledgling nonprofit or buzzing startup.

A few examples of courses students take in the major:

  • In Public Relations for Nonprofit Organizations, you’ll learn the public relations process by creating your own project for an Austin client.
  • In Communication and Popular Culture, you’ll analyze a pop-culture event occurring in the Austin community.
  • In Rhetoric and Public Memory, you’ll study monuments and memorials around campus and around Austin. You’ll analyze what they communicate about the population’s values and power structure.

What skills will you gain?

Upon completing the Communication program, you’ll be ready to…

  • Gain the ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
  • Participate actively in the communication revolution, wielding the power of narrative to navigate the complexities of the modern world and drive positive change.
  • Listen and speak effectively, embrace multiple viewpoints, and discover shared values.
  • Understand human connections and relationships.
  • Analyze persuasive communication’s role in driving positive change by examining impactful speeches, influences and media trends in public relations and advertising.
  • Use persuasive techniques, message crafting and audience analysis to navigate our interconnected world.
  • Critically examine language, imagery, symbols and media’s influence in shaping perception and societal change through critical media studies.
  • Actively shape contemporary discourse and communication practices.

What do our graduates do?

Communication majors go on to a variety of careers (PDF) and graduate schools from St. Edward’s. Here’s a sample:

  • Launched a growing nonprofit for hearing and vision screenings
  • Landed the prestigious Alfred Fleishman Diversity Fellowship at FleishmanHillard
  • Emmy Award winner for coverage of a Pittsburgh water main break that grew into a water crisis
  • Technical writer at leading employment search engine and Austin company Indeed
  • Director of Marketing and Communications for a Bay Area nonprofit
  • Broker for a real estate investment firm
  • Created a cancer foundation to provide financial support to families impacted by cancer
  • Co-wrote and co-directed a film which earned a Grand Jury award at SXSW
  • Movie prop master in New York City
  • Law school graduate
  • Marketing executive in the music industry

Explore Details About the BA in Communication

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication requires 45 hours of major courses. Students complete five “core” communication courses, totaling 15 hours. Students will also choose from one of four concentrations totaling 30 hours.

General Education Requirements: The Communication degree requires 43 hours of general education courses that students complete over four years in addition to their major courses and electives.

View and download the full degree plan for our Communication major (PDF).

 

Get involved with student productions in whatever medium interests you most.

  • Hilltop Views, the weekly student newspaper, is published both in print and online. Student journalists report news from the campus and greater Austin community. You can get involved as early as your freshman year as a writer, editor, photographer or designer.
  • Sorin Oak Review is a literary magazine that showcases the poetry, prose and artwork of St. Edward’s students. Working on the editorial staff is a great way to gain experience in project management and the practical details of putting together a publication.
  • Arete is a student-produced academic journal that publishes student-written research, nonfiction essays and commentary. Editors choose from among the dozens of submissions to create a cohesive journal that represents a variety of perspectives.
  • New Literati publishes both creative and academic work.
  • B. Hooved is the student humor journal, inspired by our Hilltopper goat mascot.
  • Topper Radio is the student-run radio station.
  • Topper Studios is the digital media club. Members are involved in creating podcasts, YouTube channels, short films, music videos and comedy sketches, and helping their fellow students produce digital content. Students in Topper Studios also frequently make promotional videos for other clubs at St. Edward’s.

The Digital Media Center in the Munday Library is a resource for creating your own content and learning new skills. Here, you can produce and edit videos, podcasts and visual design projects with the help of your fellow students. The lab is equipped with top-of-the-line computers running the latest software including the Adobe Creative Suite. It also has a group editing/podcasting room, a green screen room and a “whisper room” used for voiceovers. If you are skilled at software, hardware repair, graphic design or video editing, you can apply to work in the lab as a digital media specialist. 

The Communication minor is designed as a broad-based introduction to the discipline of Communication as well as an opportunity for students to explore—in more depth—a specific concentration. Students who wish to earn a Communication minor must take the following coursework, totaling 18 hours.

Required Courses

  • Introduction to Communication – COMM 1306 
  • Interpersonal Communication – COMM 2312 

Elective Courses

Choose 12 elective hours in communication; at least nine of these hours must be level 3000 or higher.

Are you a current student? Contact your advisor for next steps in declaring your major or minor. 

The Communication department offers a minor in Health Communication. For more information, please view the Health Communication minor webpage.

Student working on computer in Video Game Class

Earn Two Degrees in Five Years

With our Accelerated Graduate Pathways, you can complete your BA in Communication and master’s degree in as little as five years, saving time and money. See details and requirements.