Communication Studies effective Fall Term 2001 | previous requirements May be elected as a departmental concentration program Prerequisites to Concentration. To declare Communication Studies as a concentration, the student must have completed COMM 101, 102, and 111 with a grade of C- or higher in each course. The student's average grade point in these three courses must be at least 2.7 (B-). If students do no meet these criteria it is advised that they NOT elect Communication Studies as a concentration. However, in accord with LS&A policy, they may opt to retake one prerequisite course in order to qualify for the concentration. These requirements will not affect students who had junior status as of Fall Term 2001. Concentration Program. A minimum of 30 credits: at least 24 credits in Communication Studies beyond 100-level introductory courses and 6 credits of cognate work. These must include the following: Introductory Research Methods: COMM 211. COMM 211 should be completed by declared concentrators early in their program. Areas of Communication Study: COMM 351 or 371, and COMM 361 or 381 should be completed by the end of the junior year. Advanced Communication Study: A minimum of 12 credits of COMM courses numbered 300 and above, not used to satisfy requirement 2 above, at least six credits of which must be at the 400-level and above. Undergraduate Internship (COMM 321) may not be included in this requirement, and no more than three credits of independent reading/research or Honors seminar courses can be used to meet this requirement. Cognates: Six credits of approved cognate work from a single department at the 300-level or above, chosen in consultation with and approved by a concentration advisor. In order to ensure that concentrators can enroll in required courses, 75% of spaces in most 300- and 400-level Communication Studies courses are reserved for declared concentrators. In cross-listed courses, the other 25% of spaces are reserved for the other departments. Undergraduate Internship: COMM 321. Internships can be an ideal way for students to gain valuable hands-on skills and define an area of interest within the field of communications. The Department encourages and supports its concentrators in their efforts to acquire internships that supplement their academic training. Communication Studies concentrators who have reached junior standing may receive some amount of experiential course credit for an internship. Experiential credit is granted for work that takes place outside a university classroom, laboratory, library, or studio and is directly related to an academic discipline. In order to be approved for credit, internships must: (1) involve systematic learning with demonstrated application of experience to the theory, concepts, or research methods of the field; (2) be approved in advance by the faculty internship coordinator; and (3) result in a product (e.g., an analytical paper) that is evaluated as acceptable by the faculty internship coordinator. Communication Studies concentrators learn of available internships through the University of Michigan's Career Planning and Placement Department. Additional internship and professional career opportunities are provided through the Department's website, undergraduate program coordinator, and the Internship and Career Resource Center, 2035 Frieze Building. Internship credit cannot be used to satisfy Communication Studies electives in the concentration plan. No more than three credits can be earned in a single academic term, and no more than six credits total can be received through any combination of internships (COMM 321). The amount of credit awarded will be based on the number of hours spent in the internship experience. Independent Reading/Research, COMM 441/442. Independent reading (COMM 441) and independent research (COMM 442) are designed to investigate an area or field of specialization not covered in the regular curriculum. As a rule, junior and senior years are the most appropriate time for undertaking independent study projects. COMM 441 and 442 may be taken only for three or four credits. A maximum of three credits from either COMM 441 or 442 may apply to the concentration requirements; additional credit may be applied to the general bachelor's degree requirements. To register for COMM 441 or 442: Identify a research topic of interest to you; Find a faculty member whose area of interest relates to your topic; Pick up an Independent Reading/Research Form from the Department; Complete the form and have it signed by your faculty advisor; Return the form to the Department's undergraduate program coordinator; who will give you an override/permission to enter the course. Honors Program. Qualified students are encouraged to undertake an Honors concentration. The Honors Program in Communication Studies is available in the senior year to students with a grade point average by their final term of junior year of 3.5 in Communication Studies courses and 3.3 overall. Application and formal admission by the Department are required. Qualified students should contact the Department's Honors concentration advisor as early as possible for curricular planning, but applications for Honors concentration are generally accepted only after March 1 of the student's junior year. In addition to satisfying all regular concentration requirements, an Honors concentration must also include: Communication Research: COMM 311 must be completed by the end of the junior year with a grade of B or better. Senior Honors Seminars: COMM 491 and 492, a two-term seminar sequence involving the design and completion of an Honors thesis. Only three credits of Honors Seminar will count toward the concentration requirements. Advising. Advising appointments are scheduled online at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/comm/undergrad/BA.html. Students should use the online appointment system only to declare a Communications Studies concentration or to discuss progress in the concentration. The Department's faculty provide additional regular office hours to discuss current courses or other issues. Prospective concentrators should schedule an appointment with a concentration advisor during the second term of the sophomore year. Most students continue to see an advisor at least once a year. In any case, students should consult an advisor during the first term of the senior year to ensure that required courses will be completed for graduation. Transfer Credit. Credit for coursework completed at another institution is handled through a two-step process. Students begin this process by filling out an Out-of-Residence Transfer Pre-Evaluation Form available from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Once this form has been submitted, they should receive notice within two weeks of whether the coursework they plan to take elsewhere may transfer in as Michigan credit, and if so, to what school or department. It is the student's responsibility to submit this form prior to pursuing coursework at another institution. No more than six credits of course work counting toward the concentration may be taken at another institution. If coursework taken at another institution is approved for LS&A credit in Communication Studies, a student may then make an appointment with a faculty member in the Department to determine whether this coursework may be applied toward their Communication Studies concentration. Students should bring a copy of the syllabus and work completed in their course(s). Faculty members will make a decision based upon the subject matter and the workload of a course in relation to the Department's curriculum. They will then inform the student of their decision and make a note of it in the student's file. Coursework that does not count toward the concentration may still be applied toward the 120 credits required for graduation from LS&A. For more information, see http://www.lsa.umich.edu/saa/transfer/index.html Study Abroad. Students seeking credit for coursework completed abroad must have this coursework approved by the Department's foreign credit evaluator if they wish to count it toward their Communication Studies concentration (see transfer credit procedures above). University of Michigan | College of LS&A | Student Academic Affairs | LS&A Bulletin Index This page maintained by LS&A Academic Information and Publications, 1228 Angell Hall Copyright © 2002 The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA +1 734 764-1817 Trademarks of the University of Michigan may not be electronically or otherwise altered or separated from this document or used for any non-University purpose.