Undergraduate Handbook
Since its inception in the 1920s, the University of Oklahoma Department of Communication has been committed to a social scientific approach to the study of the nature, processes and effects of human communicative behavior. The OU Department of Communication provides a broad-based liberal arts education and promotes communication research and development.
The goal of the undergraduate program is to share the best available theories of communication and facilitate the application of these theories for the improvement of the student’s communication skills, organization skills, research and analytical skills, and to prepare the student for advanced study; to increase understanding of the communication process; and to develop the student’s ability to analyze and interpret the elements of the communication process as they occur in society.
Communication courses explore the process of human interaction in interpersonal/social influence intercultural/international, organizational, health, and media/political contexts.
For more information about the department not included in this handbook please visit our website at:
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Communication:
Majors must complete 36 hours of course work in Communication. A student must earn a C or better in all core courses with a maximum of two attempts in each individual course. These core classes are as follows: 2713, 3023, and 4713. A student majoring in Communication must have a 2.0 OU GPA in their college and major and meet the general education and college requirements to be eligible to graduate.
For more information on sequencing and course requirements, please refer to the “Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Communication” form at the end of the handbook.
Requirements for the Communication Minor:
A minor in Communication may be obtained by taking at least 21 hours of courses acceptable for major credit in Communication including at least nine hours at the upper-division level. COMM 1113 must be taken before other courses for the minor. If COMM 2713 or 3023 are taken a grade of C or better must be earned with a maximum of two attempts allowed for this course. Students may choose from a list of general Communication electives. No more than three hours of COMM 4990 may count toward the total required for the minor. No more than six hours of COMM 3810 may count toward the total required for the minor or major.
For more information on the Communication minor please refer to the minor requirements at the end of the handbook.
A student in the College of Arts and Sciences must be advised prior to enrollment each semester. Students must set an appointment time with Kathy Martin, the Communication undergraduate advisor, before each semester’s enrollment period. To schedule an advising appointment, log onto iadvise.ou.edu and select "departmental advisor." You must be advised in order to enroll in your classes.
Students may also set up advising appointments in the manner listed above with the Graduate Advising Assistant, Brittney Wallace.
Please see the Communication Advisor’s door for posted walk-in hours during non-advising season. For other questions and concerns please feel free to visit as the door is always open for students.
Advising staff contact information:
Stephanie Terrazas, Academic Counselor
610 Elm Avenue, Room 110
Norman, Ok 73019
405-325-7710
terrazas@ou.edu
Sarah Lasser, Graduate Advising Assistant
610 Elm Avenue, Room 107
Norman, OK 73019
405-325-8649
Sarah.Lasser@ou.edu
In addition to being advised each semester, when a student has earned 90 hours, he or she must set up a degree check with the College of Arts and Sciences Advisor. This meeting will help the student confirm exact credit hours needed until graduation, how many upper division courses must be taken, etc. A student with fewer than 90 credits can receive a degree consultation for help with their schedule. The degree check and degree consultation can be scheduled either online at http://iadvise.ou.edu and selecting "college advisor" or by calling (405) 325-4411.
The Department of Communication offers four undergraduate scholarships carrying cash stipends to outstanding Communication majors. Application materials are due February 1st. Applications are available online through the Centralized Academic Scholarship Hub (CASH) and can be accessed at the following link: CASH.
Ralph E. Cooley Memorial Award is presented to one undergraduate and one graduate student who demonstrate significant work in cross-cultural Communication or Native American Language study. This award will be given each April. The scholarship is available to juniors and seniors who have completed their core courses in Communication and have a minimum GPA of 3.00. Candidates are chosen by faculty.
Roger Babich Award for Outstanding Undergraduates is awarded to up to two outstanding Communication majors with a minimum GPA of 3.25. The student must also have 15 hours of COMM credit, six hours of which must be upper division. Junior standing is required. The scholarship will be awarded each April. The award is open to junior and senior students, even if the student is planning to graduate before the upcoming fall. Students may apply for these scholarships online here. Applications must include an unofficial transcript, and a current resume detailing honors and awards and your departmental, campus, and community involvement. One letter of recommendation from a member of the Communication faculty must also be included.
Scholarly Achievement Awards in Communication is awarded to up to two outstanding undergraduate Communication majors with a minimum GPA of 3.25. The student must also have 15 hours of COMM credit, six hours of which must be upper division. Junior standing is required. The scholarship will be awarded each April. The award is open to junior and senior students, even if the student is planning to graduate before the upcoming fall. Students may apply for these scholarships online here. Applications must include an unofficial transcript, and a current resume detailing honors and awards and your departmental, campus, and community involvement. One letter of recommendation from a member of the Communication faculty must also be included.
Political Communication Heritage Scholarship is awarded to one student who is a major in Communication. The student is awarded this scholarship based on GPA and other academic merits. The applicant must have taken COMM 3003 or COMM 4323. The scholarship is open to undergraduates and candidates are selected by faculty. The scholarship will be awarded each April.
In addition to the four Communication scholarships, there are scholarships that are offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may apply for these scholarships online here. A student can also learn more about scholarships and financial aid at financialaid.ou.edu. Please refer to the Scholarship board outside of Burton Hall 107 for additional scholarships.
The Department of Communication highly suggests and encourages majors to participate in an internship. An internship is a planned work experience related to a student’s personal career and academic goals. It can help a student to learn about a career, apply knowledge gained in the classroom, develop skills, and enrich understanding of self and organizations. A primary purpose of an internship is to help students relate academic experiences to those in the workplace.
An internship board is located near Burton Hall Lounge and is regularly updated with new internship opportunities for students. In addition, Career Services houses an online internship board here. A student may participate in these internships for course credit or no course credit. A student may also find his or her own internship and submit an application for course credit if it was not posted by the department.
To be eligible for course credit in an internship, a student must have junior, senior, or graduate standing at the time the internship begins. Undergraduate applicants must have an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher and a GPA of 2.75 or higher in Communication courses. Graduate applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher and a GPA of 3.50 or higher for communication courses. A student also must have completed approximately two-thirds of required Communication courses (24 credit hours for undergraduates) and then must gain approval of the internship from the Internship Director.
For more information and to obtain internship application, please see Stephanie Terrazas, the Communication undergraduate advisor. Her contact information is listed below in the “Advisors and Advisement” section.
Graduates from the OU Department of Communication can find challenging careers in management, business, event planning, sales, higher education, consulting (professional, health, and intercultural areas), and government. Because the Communication degree emphasizes oral and written skills, interpersonal and group communication, and understanding and correcting communication problems, business options are always open for graduates. Mastering the skills learned in the Communication Department makes the graduate an asset to any organization. In addition, a degree in Communication is an excellent choice to prepare for law, medical, or graduate school.
Lambda Pi Eta is the official Communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). Lambda Pi Eta has nearly 400 chapters at four-year colleges and universities worldwide. The OU Department of Communication maintains the Theta chapter of Lambda Pi Eta and encourages its majors who meet the qualifications to join.
To be a member, a student must have an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.25 in Communication classes. The cost for Lambda Pi Eta membership is $30. This covers chapter dues, a lifetime membership, and pins and certification. Various chapter activities include monthly brown bag luncheons featuring talks from professors, graduate students, and previous OU Communication graduates, as well as an annual awards banquet, and resume workshops.
The Theta chapter of Lambda Pi Eta seeks to recognize, foster, and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in Communication studies. In addition, we strive to promote and encourage professional development among Communication majors and provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of Communication.
Please see Stephanie Terrazas in Room 110 for Lambda Pi Eta applications and further inquiries. There is also a Lambda Pi Eta board near Burton Hall Lounge.
The Josh Lee Memorial Public Speaking Competition is the highlight of the entire semester's coursework for students enrolled in COMM 2613. The students of each individual class vote for their fellow students who they believe presented the top speeches in class. During finals week of each fall and spring semester, those students who were selected by their classmates compete against the students selected by the other public speaking classes. All students who compete in this course-wide preliminary competition receive certificates of participation. It is from these preliminary rounds that six competitors are selected to compete in the final round of the competition. These six competitors will each receive a plaque and varying amounts of monetary awards for their efforts.
UCA is the Undergraduate Communication Association. This organization is open to all undergraduate communication majors. The purpose of UCA is to enhance the quality of undergraduate communication education by providing a channel for students to network and acquire the skills necessary to provide department service and foster future professional performance. If you are interested in becoming a member, complete the form and email it to Stephanie Terrazas, terrazas@ou.edu.
Cutting edge Communication research is continuously being conducted by the faculty in our department. Often the best way to learn about research is through hands-on experience in which you also gain independent study credit. Actual duties of research positions may vary depending on the study and the professor. Please contact the professor you wish to work with if you are interested.
Through grants, publications, honors and research projects, the faculty in the Communication Department represents the finest combination of excellence in teaching and research. Professors in the Communication Department have won numerous awards, including several prestigious university teaching awards. The department is home to several Fulbright scholars and some of the most respected academicians within the field of Communication. These scholars have produced much research, with many books, journal articles, book chapters, and convention papers in the last ten years. A list of the professors’ names, positions, and communication interests follow. More information can be found for each professor on our Faculty Page.
