Bachelor of Arts in Communication

Mission

The B.A. in Communication offers an interdisciplinary liberal arts and sciences curriculum balancing theory, research, professional practice, and critical inquiry. It prepares students to become innovative, professional, and ethical communicators capable of thriving in a rapidly evolving communication field and industry. It also enables them to be life-long learners, scholars, and critical thinkers who possess innovative and resilient capacities to adapt, succeed, and lead in an ever-changing and diverse global environment.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates shall be able to:

Demonstrate conceptual and practical knowledge for careers in communication across various specializations, such as advertising, public relations, social and political communication, and organizational communication,
Exhibit an appreciation of the theoretical aspects of communication, and an understanding of the cultural, economic, and political contexts that affect communication professions and processes in the Arab region and globally,
Exhibit technical competences with a wide range of convergent communication technologies and create professional, ethical, and civically engaged communication strategies and content, in order to communicate with diverse stakeholders in an increasingly multicultural and global environment, and
Demonstrate the required research, critical, and analytical competencies that enable them to pursue scholarly work and graduate studies.

Student Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of the functions and roles of various communication professions,
Understand the value and needs of effective relationship management in today’s participatory media environment,
Critically apply major theories to various genres of communication studies,
Comprehend the historical, political, economical, legal, ethical, and technological developments in the communication industry and profession, globally, and in the Arab region,
Demonstrate technical abilities with a wide range of convergent communication technologies to research, plan, manage, and produce communication content, as well as design communication campaigns and strategies, and
Conduct research using quantitative and qualitative methods of scientific inquiry.

Curriculum

For the B.A. in Communication, a student must complete a minimum of 92 credits, distributed as follows:

Major Core Courses (25 credits)
Major General Electives (15 credits)
Major Professional Electives (15 credits)
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Courses (30 credits)
Free Electives (6 credits)
CSC Elective (1 credit)

Major Core Courses (25 credits)

JSC224 Social Media (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media & Society (3 cr.)
JSC419 Media Law & Ethics (3 cr.)
JSC451 Media Research Methods (3 cr.)
COM202 Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
COM213 Public Relations (3 cr.)
COM226 Principles of Advertising (3 cr.)
COM498 Internship (1 cr.)
COM499R Undergraduate Research (3 cr.) or COM499P Capstone Project (3 cr.)

Major General Electives (15 credits)

COM223 Persuasive Communication (3 cr.)
COM260 Advanced Public Speaking (3 cr.)
COM301 Human Communication Theory (3 cr.)
COM312 Media and Gender (3 cr.)
COM313 Nonverbal Communication (3 cr.)
COM488 Topics in Communication (3 cr.)
JSC330 Arab & International Media (3 cr.)
JSC480 Global Media Literacy (3 cr.)
JSC481 Global Change, Cooperation, & News (3 cr.)

Major Professional Electives (15 credits)

COM305 Crisis Communication & Conflict Management (3 cr.)
COM316 Political Communication (3 cr.)
COM350 Media Entrepreneurship & Information Architecture (3 cr.)
COM353 Organizational Communication (3 cr.)
COM354 Health Communication (3 cr.)
COM358 Small Group Communication (3 cr.)
COM430 Writing for Advertising & PR (3 cr.)
GRDE313 Advertising Design (3 cr.)
JSC220 News Writing and Reporting (3 cr.)
JSC222 Digital Media Design (3 cr.)
JSC226 Multimedia Journalism Basics (3 cr.)
JSC228 Arabic News Writing and Reporting (3 cr.)
JSC314 Data and Society (3 cr.)
MKT201 Introduction to Marketing (3 cr.)
MKT302 Integrated Marketing Communication (3 cr.)
TVF222 Introduction to Audiovisual Media (3 cr.)

Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Courses (30 credits)

Courses in the major cannot be counted towards the 30 LAC elective credits.

Free Electives (6 credits)

CSC Elective (1 credit)

Study Plan

Important: English Level

The below 3-year study plans are based on the English level at which the student started: ENG009, ENG101, or ENG102. Please choose the right study plan according to your English level.

Students starting in Byblos

Students who start in Byblos may complete the first 3-4 semesters in Byblos. For the last 3-4 semesters, they need to transfer to the Beirut camps and complete their program there. Or they can split their courses between Beirut (T-TH) and Byblos (MWF). The department will try its best to schedule all required second/third year courses in Beirut on Tuesday-Thursday to limit the number of visits Byblos students need to make.

Students are required to check their CAPP degree evaluation for details about LAS courses (cores and electives). Always consult with your advisor.

For Students Starting at ENG009 Remedial English

Year One

Fall (15 credits)

ENG009 Remedial English (3cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
COM202 Interpersonal Communication (Beirut Campus only) (3 cr.)
COM213 Public Relations (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

COM226 Principles of Advertising(may be taken first semester) (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Students who enter ENG 009 are urged to take summer courses to catch up.

Optional courses, in case major courses are closed:
  1. COM226 (Core Course)
  2. JSC222 (Professional Elective - Beirut)
  3. MKT201 (Professional Elective)
Those with ENG 102 can take:
  1. COM203 (LAS-Core)
  2. JSC220 (Major Elective - Beirut)
  3. JSC224 (Core Course - Beirut)
Those who start with ENG 202 can take:
  1. JSC312 (Core Course - Beirut)
  2. COM203 (LAS-Core)
  3. JSC220 (Major Elective - Beirut)
  4. JSC224 (Core Course - Beirut)
  5. COM312 (Major Elective)
LAS: 24 Credits
  1. Digital Culture: 3cr.
  2. Change Makers: 6cr.
  3. Humanities and Arts: 3cr.
  4. Free LAS Electives: 12cr.

Summer (3credits)

ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (18 credits)

JSC224 Social Media (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media & Society (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)

Spring (18 credits)

JSC419 Media Law and Ethics (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Summer (1 credit)

COM498 Internship (1 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

JSC451 Media Research Methods (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

COM499R Undergraduate Research (3 cr.) or COM499P Capstone Project (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (1 cr.)

*Students can take COM499R or COM499P in Fall and complete it over the course of one academic year.

For Students Starting at ENG101 Academic English I

Year One

Fall (15 credits)

COM202 Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
COM213 Public Relations (3 cr.)
ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

COM226 Principles of Advertising (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media and Society (3 cr.)
ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (18 credits)

ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
JSC224 Social Media (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (18 credits)

JSC419 Media Law and Ethics (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Summer (1 credit)

COM498 Internship (1 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

JSC451 Media Research Methods (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

COM499R Undergraduate Research (3 cr.) or COM499P Capstone Project (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (1 cr.)

*Students can take COM499R or COM499P in Fall and complete it over the course of one academic year.

For Students Starting at ENG102 Academic English II

Year One

Fall (15credits)

COM202 Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
COM213 Public Relations (3 cr.)
ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (15credits)

COM226 Principles of Advertising (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media and Society (3 cr.)
ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (18 credits)

JSC224 Social Media (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (18 credits)

JSC419 Media Law and Ethics (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major Professional Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Summer (1 credit)

COM498 Internship (1 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

JSC451 Media Research Methods (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (13 credits)

COM499R Undergraduate Research (3 cr.) or COM499P Capstone Project (3 cr.)
COM Major General Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (1 cr.)

*Students can take COM499R or COM499P in Fall and complete it over the course of one academic year.