COMBA (Behrend Communication) Program change proposal 7-31-14
Current Bulletin Listing
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (COMBA)
The B.A. major in Communication offers a liberal arts background with emphasis in mass media
studies and corporate communication. It prepares students for careers in corporate
communication, print and broadcast journalism, multi-media and video production, and
advertising/public relations by providing an interdisciplinary study of spoken, written, visual,
and technically mediated messages.
For the B.A. degree in Communication, a minimum of 120 credits is required.
Scheduling Recommendation by Semester Standing given like (Sem: 1-2)
GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits
(3 of these credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
(See description of General Education in this bulletin.)
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR:
(Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)
UNITED STATES CULTURES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURES:
(Included in ELECTIVES, GENERAL EDUCATION course selection, or REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE MAJOR)
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:
(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
ELECTIVES: 6-18 credits
BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credits
(See description of Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements in this bulletin.)
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR: 45 credits
PRESCRIBED COURSES (13 credits)[1]
CAS 202 GS(3), COMM 160(1), COMM 251(3) (Sem: 1-4)
CAS 204(3), COMM 315(3) (Sem: 5-6)
ADDITIONAL COURSES (14 credits)
COMM 242(3) or COMM 270(3) (Sem: 1-4)
CAS 211(3), CAS 212(3), CAS 213(3), CAS 215(3), CAS 252(3) or CAS 280W(3) (Sem: 5-6)
CAS 271 US;IL(3), or COMM 410 IL(3)
COMM 494(3) or COMM 495(3-6) (Sem: 7-8)
COMM 001(1-3), COMM 002(1-3), COMM 003(1-3), or COMM 004(1-3) (2 credits total)
(Sem: 1-8)[1]
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (18 credits)
COMBA students are required to complete 18 credits of supporting coursework, from
department approved list. Nine of these credits must be at the 400-level. In consultation with an
academic advisor, students will select 9 credits from 2 of 3 Concentrations; 1. Communication
Studies, 2. Strategic Communication, and 3. Journalism/Media Production. (Sem: 1-8)
*Courses may count in either Prescribed/Additional or Supporting Course Categories, but
not both.
[1] A student enrolled in this major must receive a grade of C or better, as specified in Senate
Policy 82-44.
a. Proposed New Bulletin Listing: changes in red
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (COMBA)
The B.A. major in Communication offers a liberal arts background with emphasis in mass media
studies and corporate communication. It prepares students for careers in corporate
communication, print and broadcast journalism, multi-media and video production, and
advertising/public relations by providing an interdisciplinary study of spoken, written, visual,
and technically mediated messages.
For the B.A. degree in Communication, a minimum of 120 credits is required.
Scheduling Recommendation by Semester Standing given like (Sem: 1-2)
GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits
(0-3 of these credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
(See description of General Education in this bulletin.)
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR:
(Included in ELECTIVES or GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)
UNITED STATES CULTURES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURES:
(Included in ELECTIVES, GENERAL EDUCATION course selection, or REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE MAJOR)
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:
(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
ELECTIVES: 6-18 credits
BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credits
(See description of Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements in this bulletin.)
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR: 45 credits
PRESCRIBED COURSES (13 credits)[1]
CAS 202 GS(3), COMM 160(1), COMM 251(3) (Sem: 1-4)
CAS 204(3), COMM 315(3) (Sem: 5-6)
ADDITIONAL COURSES (14 17 credits) [1]
CAS 101GS(3), CAS 175GH(3), COMM 100GS(3), COMM 110GH(3), COMM 118GS(3),
COMM 150GA(3), COMM 168GH (3), or COMM 180GS (3) (Sem: 1-2)
COMM 242(3) or COMM 270(3) (Sem: 1-4)
CAS 211(3), CAS 212(3), CAS 213(3), CAS 215(3), or CAS 252(3) or CAS 280W(3) (Sem: 56)
CAS 271 US;IL(3), or COMM 410 IL(3)
COMM 494(3) or COMM 495(3-6) (Sem: 7-8)
COMM 001(1-3), COMM 002(1-3), COMM 003(1-3), or COMM 004(1-3) (2 credits total are to
be drawn from 2 different courses/areas) (Sem: 1-8) [1]
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (18 15 credits) [1]
COMBA students are required to complete 18 15 credits of supporting coursework, from
department approved list. Nine of these credits must be at the 400-level. In consultation with an
academic advisor, students will select 6-9 credits from 2 of 3 Concentrations; 1.
Communication Studies, 2. Strategic Communication, and 3. Journalism/Media Production.
(Sem: 1-8)
Note: the details of these “Supporting Course Concentrations” do not appear on the
website but are included here to clarify the changes being proposed.
Supporting Course Concentrations:
Select 2-3 courses from: Communication Studies
Corporate Communication Area: CAS 250(3), CAS 252(3)*, CAS 271(2)*, CAS 340(3), CAS
352(3), CAS 360(3), CAS 404(3), CAS 426W (3), CAS 452(3), CAS 471(3)
OR
Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Area: CAS 203GS (3)*, CAS 250(3), CAS
271US;IL (3)*, CAS 360(3), CAS 403(3), CAS 404(3), CAS 450W (3), CAS 471(3)
OR
Rhetoric and Public Address Area: CAS 201GH (3)*, CAS 211(3)*, CAS 212(3)*, CAS
213(3)*, CAS 272(3) GH, CAS 302(3), CAS 375(3), CAS 404(3), CAS 415(3), CAS 478(3)
OR
Select 2-3 courses from: Strategic Communication
Advertising Area: COMM 320(3), COMM 421W (3), COMM 422(3), COMM 424(3), COMM
428E(3)
OR
Public Relations Area: COMM 370(3), COMM 372(3), COMM 471(3), COMM 472(3),
COMM 473(3), COMM 428E(3)
OR
Select 2-3 courses from: Journalism/Media Production
Filmmaking Area: CAS 415(3), COMM 242(3)*, COMM 346(3), COMM 337W(3), COMM
338(3), COMM 339 (3), COMM 439(3)
OR
Broadcast Journalism Area: COMM 205 GS (3), COMM 260W (3)(asterisk removed),
COMM 282(3), COMM 360(3), COMM 406(3), COMM 410(3)*, COMM 470A-B-C (3),
COMM 481(3)
OR
Multimedia Area: COMM 270(3)*, COMM 339 (3), COMM 363(3), COMM 410(3)*, COMM
439(3), COMM 470A-B-C (3), COMM 481(3), GD 100 GA (3)
*Courses may count in either Prescribed/Additional or Supporting Course Categories, but
not both.
[1] A student enrolled in this major must receive a grade of C or better in all prescribed,
additional, and supporting courses, as specified in Senate Policy 82-44.
a. Provide a list of newly created courses; a list of current courses, which are being added to
the program; a list of changed courses; and a list of courses that will be removed from the
program.
No newly created courses.
Courses being added:
Additional Course Category: CAS 101GS, CAS 175GH, COMM 100GS,
COMM 110GH, COMM 118GS, COMM 150GA, COMM 168GH, COMM
180GS
Supporting Course Category: CAS 272, CAS 404, COMM 339, COMM 372,
COMM 410, COMM 428E, COMM 439, and COMM 481
Courses Being Deleted:
Additional Course Category: CAS 211, CAS 213, CAS 215, and CAS 280W.
Supporting Course Category: CAS 211, CAS 213, CAS 403, CAS 452, CAS
471, COMM 337W, COMM 338, and COMM 363
b. In instances where a requirement is selected from a department list, or area, include a
copy of the list of courses that are acceptable for meeting that requirement.
Add COMM 260W and CAS 450W to the list of approved “W” courses for the COMBA
major. Other approved should include COMM 421W, and CAS 426W.
See specific changes to Additional and Supporting Course Categories listed above under
b. above.
c. Provide a justification statement that explains the reason for each of the changes. An
estimate of expected enrollment and effects, if any, on existing programs should be
addressed. Course changes necessitated by the program revision should be submitted
simultaneously with the program proposal.
1. Additional Course Category: Our goals are simple. We want to enable first year
students to count a communication-related 100 level General Education course
toward the COMBA major. These courses are often tied to our First Year
Seminars and serve as a valuable introduction to the field of communication and a
recruiting tool/opportunity for the COMBA major. Without this change, there is a
disincentive for students to take such credits since they would “only” count in the
elective category. As introductory courses, these offerings are the first time
students encounter the formal study of communication and as such we anticipate
the change will positively influence enrollment.
2. Updated courses: CAS 272, COMM 339, COMM 372, COMM 428E, and
COMM 439 were not available when the major was last revised. We believe
COMM 339-439 allow more flexibility for our production students than COMM
337W-338. CAS 404 is a useful additional 400 CAS selection for COMBA
majors, and once approved can also serve as a non-business support course.
3. We believe the broad description of CAS 212 Professional Public Speaking is
sufficient to cover a variety of types of advanced speaking situations students will
encounter. We will continue to alternate this course with CAS 252, Business and
Professional Speaking.
4.
The reason we seek to delete CAS 211 and 213 is listed above; CAS 212 is
sufficient for this need. Enrollments have not supported offering CAS 452 and
CAS 363.
5. The minor change requiring practicum hours in more than one area is designed to
enforce the original program faculty intent that students take practicum credits in
more than one practicum area (i.e. newspaper, radio, TV/video) rather than only
one area.
6. Supporting Course Concentrations: Increasing the Additional Course Category by
3 credits and decreasing the Supporting Course Category by 3 credits requires that
students take 2-3 courses per concentration instead of 3 courses per concentration.
We believe that the increased flexibility will help students arrive, in conjunction
with their academic advisor, at appropriate academic and career course
combinations within these concentrations. We anticipate this flexibility will
positively influence enrollment and student satisfaction.
7. Asterisks: Under the Supporting Course Category, Journalism/Media Production
Concentration, “Broadcast Journalism Area,” was improperly marked with an
asterisk in the 2012 version. COMM 260W is not in the prescribed/additional
categories of courses, but may be taken as a supporting course and fulfill the “W”
requirement.
8. The adds and drops to the list of supporting courses outlined in b. above are
simply to up-date the list of our current course offerings based on enrollment
demand and faculty/program resources and capability.
d. Documentation of the necessary consultation.
A one-page prospectus was submitted by Dr. John Magenau to the Office of
Undergraduate Education and shared at the May 1, 2014, ACUE meeting. Approval is
attached.
The proposal was sent for consultation to the following individuals:
Name and contact information
Comment
Jennifer K. Wood, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Communication Arts & Sciences
3550 Seventh Street Road
Penn State New Kensington
New Kensington, PA 15068
jkwood@psu.edu
724-334-6727
Dear Rod,
I think it’s an excellent idea to
include 100-level CAS and
COMM courses to the Additional
Course offerings and your
rationale explains that well. In
the COMMCC program, COMM
100 serves as a gateway course
for our majors, and is often
indispensable in that regard. In
addition to helping with
recruitment and retention,
occasionally we have a student
Response
Name and contact information
Comment
Response
who learns as a result of taking
COMM 100 that she doesn’t
want to major in
Communications; that is a good
thing to learn as a first year
student!
If you’d like a more formal
response, please let me know.
Yours,
Jennifer
Tom Smith, Abington
Dear Rodney Troester,
Tom
These changes seem fine to
me. I agree that double counting
Gen. Ed courses in a major can
further attract students otherwise
inclined toward it.
We plan to move forward as the
Gen Ed folks decide what to do.
Likely there will be many
changes to make.
One issue to be aware of: is that
discussions about the Gen Ed
revisions include setting up
"firewalls" between the new Gen.
Ed theme courses and majors, so
the changes you're
proposing may have to be
undone when the new Gen. Ed
program comes into existence in
Fall 16. Perhaps you should talk
with someone on your campus
involved with the Gen Ed Task
Force or one of its
subcommittees.
FWIW
Margaret Signorella
Greater Allegheny
I like the changes you have made
in your program.
Zack Furness
Greater Allegheny
I appreciate you including me in
the loop and I look forward to
seeing the proposed changes for
the COMBA program.
Name and contact information
Comment
Samuel P. Winch, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of
Humanities and Communications
Communications Graduate
Program Coordinator
School of Humanities
Penn State Harrisburg
777 West Harrisburg Pike
Middletown PA 17057
(717) 948-6391
Dear Rod,
These changes sound like a
positive step, giving first-year
students an incentive to explore
the communications major, and
keeping your program
description up to date.
I support the proposal.
best wishes,
—Sam
Bob Trumpbour, Ph.D.
Chair, AEJMC Council of
Divisions
Associate Professor of
Communications
Pennsylvania State University
3000 Ivyside Park, Cypress 102
Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 949-5769
Rod,
John Chapin
Penn State Beaver
Rod,
Comm 100 is required for
CommCC. It has attracted new
majors and acts as an "intro to
everything" for new majors. We
also routinely petition Comm 150
to count as a GA for our majors
(current policy says students can't
take courses in their major as gen
eds.
This makes good sense. I am in
support of what you propose
here. I wish you luck with the
changes.
Thanks!
Two thumbs up from Beaver.
John
MARY LOU NEMANIC
Penn State Altoona Campus
Hi Rod,
Thanks for sending this. I'm
okay with the changes.
mun1@psu.edu
Should I formally approve on
Angel?
Best,
Mary Lou
Response
Name and contact information
Comment
Marie Hardin
mch208@psu.edu
Associate Dean Undergraduate
Education, College of COMM
We are A-OK with this proposal,
Rod. Thanks. Have a good
commencement weekend.
—mh
Catherine Dunning Catanach,
APR
Program Coordinator
Penn State Berks
Communication Arts and
Sciences
Office Ph. 610.396.6159 142
Franco
Hi Rod,
Dr. Mary Mino
Assoc. Professor of
Communication Arts and
Sciences
Penn State DuBois
No response received
I'm fine with your changes.
Thanks,
Catherine
Dr. Wayne McMullen
Assoc. Professor of
Communication Arts and
Sciences
Penn State Brandywine
Dr. William Bachman
Sr. Inst. of Communications
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Dr. Allen Larson
Assoc. Professor
Penn State New Kensington
Dr. John Gastil
Head and Professor
Dept. of CAS, College of the
Liberal Arts
College of Communication:
Dr. Anthony Olorunnisolo
Head of Department of Film,
Video and Media Studies
Professor of Media Studies
Dr. Ford Risley
No response received
Response
Name and contact information
Comment
Head of Department of
Journalism
Professor of Journalism
Dr. Matthew Jackson
Head of Department of
Telecommunications
Professor of Telecommunications
Dr. Michel Haigh
Assoc. Professor of Advertising
and Public Relations
Dr. Robert Baukus
Head of Department of
Advertising and Public Relations
Assoc. Professor of Advertising
and Public Relations
Dr. Robert Speel
Associate Professor of Political
Science
Chair, H&SS Academic program
and Policy Committee
Penn State Erie, the Behrend
college
The AP&P Committee approved
the proposal with the stipulation
that communication courses not
double count for general
education for communication
majors, since that affects whether
COMBA majors can take other
general education courses.
Dr. Steven Hicks
Director, School of Humanities
and Social Science
Penn State Erie, the Behrend
college
I support the proposal
Response
ACUE consultation took place during the period July 31 – August 15, 2014. The following responses
were collected:
Name
Comments
Stephanie L. Knight
Associate Dean,
Undergraduate and Graduate
Education,
College of Education
Professor,
Department of Educational
Psychology
Dr. David Christiansen
Associate Vice President for
the Commonwealth Campuses
and Senior Associate Dean for
Academic Programs
You have my support Dawn.
Dawn,
The University College supports
this proposal.
David
Behrend Response