Communication Bachelor of Arts
Every organization needs someone who can tell its story. In Shawnee State’s B.A. in Communication, you’ll report it, pitch it and write it for a client while learning how people actually talk to each other at work and across cultures.
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication prepares you to communicate with skill in almost any workplace, and gives you a strong base for graduate study. A 30-hour core covers both sides of the field: mass communication (journalism, strategic communication, research) and applied communication (public speaking, interpersonal, intercultural and organizational communication).
Then you choose. Eighteen hours of communication electives let you go deeper into public relations and PR writing, multimedia and broadcast journalism, publication editing and design, social media management, technical and health communication, or grant writing.
With 34 hours of general electives, there’s room to add a minor in business, marketing, graphic design or Spanish without adding semesters. Most of the jobs you’ll apply for want a strong communicator who knows something else, too.
Write for The Chronicle, Shawnee State’s student newspaper, and earn credit for it through the Communication Practicum.
Career Outcomes
How to Apply
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Start your application
Free, takes about 15 minutes.
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Send transcripts
Have your high school guidance counselor send them to admissions@shawnee.edu
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File the FAFSA
School code 009942. Required for financial aid.
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Get your decision
Most admission decisions in under 7 days.
At A Glance - Solid Background
More about this Program - Linked Cards
Degree
B.S.
Format
On Campus
Length
4 Years
Credits
120
Why Study Communication at Shawnee State
You learn both halves of the field. Most programs make you choose between media and interpersonal or organizational communication. The core here covers journalism, strategic communication and PR alongside interpersonal, intercultural and organizational communication.
You write for a real client. In Grant Writing and Rhetoric, you write a professional-quality grant for a local nonprofit, aimed at a real funding opportunity.
Room to add a second skill. Thirty-four hours of general electives make it easy to pair Communication with a minor that sharpens your job search.
Tuition stays low and locked in. The Shawnee Advantage Tuition Guarantee freezes your rate for four years.
Beyond the General Education Program (GEP), the B.A. in Communication includes:
- 30 credit hours in the Communication core
- 18 credit hours of Communication electives
- 34 credit hours of general electives, enough for a minor
Core courses include Introduction to Communication, Public Speaking, Introduction to Mass Communication, News Reporting and Writing, Interpersonal Communication, Communication Research Methods, Strategic Communication, Intercultural Communication and Organizational Communication. You finish with a senior capstone that pairs a major research project with an oral presentation and a review of your writing portfolio.
Electives include Public Relations, Advanced PR Writing, Social Media Management, Multimedia and Narrative Journalism, Radio and Television Journalism, Publication Editing and Design, Technical Communication, Small Group Communication, Health Communication and Medical Rhetoric, and Grant Writing and Rhetoric.
View the full curriculum and sample schedule in the Academic CatalogCommunication is learned by doing it, so the program gets you doing it early.
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Report and publish. Cover assignments in News Reporting and Writing, then produce long-form and multimedia stories that run on the student news site.
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Work the newsroom. Earn up to four credits through the Communication Practicum for your work on the student newspaper, reviewed as a portfolio.
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Intern. Earn one to four credits through an internship on campus or with a business, nonprofit or government office, supervised by communication faculty.
Every Shawnee State undergraduate completes at least one approved hands-on experience before graduating. In Communication, the internship and client work make that requirement part of the degree, not an extra.
By the time you finish the program, you’ll be able to:
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Write clear, accurate copy for news, public relations, social media and professional audiences
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Plan and deliver presentations and speak with confidence on camera, on air and in the room
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Design and carry out communication research, and use the results to make decisions
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Build strategic messages for a specific audience, goal and channel
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Communicate effectively across cultures, in small groups and inside organizations
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Apply ethical and legal standards to the work you publish
On campus in Portsmouth, Ohio, through the Department of English & Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences. Classes are small, so faculty read your writing and watch you present.
Every industry needs people who can write, present and explain. Graduates of this program go on to roles like:
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Public relations or communications specialist
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Reporter, editor or multimedia journalist
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Social media or content manager
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Marketing or advertising coordinator
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Grant writer or development associate
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Corporate trainer or human resources specialist
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Technical or health communication writer
Hiring sectors include news media, healthcare, higher education, nonprofits, government, marketing and advertising, and business. The degree is also solid preparation for graduate study in communication, rhetoric, law and public administration, including Shawnee State’s own M.A. in Composition and Rhetoric.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Shawnee State’s tuition is among the lowest in Ohio, and the Shawnee Advantage Tuition Guarantee keeps your rate flat for four years. Scholarships including Choose Ohio First and the Pell-Eligible Free Tuition Program may also apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost anything that involves an audience: public relations, journalism, social media and content, marketing, fundraising and grant writing, corporate training and human resources. Communication skills are among the ones employers say are hardest to find.
Both build strong writers. English & Humanities centers on literature, language and analysis. Communication centers on audiences: reporting, public relations, strategic messaging, and how people communicate in groups, organizations and across cultures. The two share a department, so you can take courses in both.
Yes. You can publish on the student news site, earn credit working on the student newspaper, write a grant for a nonprofit, and complete an internship. Every Shawnee State undergraduate completes at least one approved hands-on experience before graduating.
Yes, and most students should. The degree includes 34 hours of general electives, which is enough room for a minor in business, marketing, graphic design or Spanish without adding semesters. Your advisor can help you plan it.
Program handbook
Contact the Department of English & Humanities for the current program handbook and course rotation.
Department of English & Humanities
Phone: (740) 351-3300
Email: English-Humanities@shawnee.edu
Accreditation
Shawnee State University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Additional information about Shawnee State’s accreditation status may be found at hlcommission.org.
