Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Communication Studies, Associate of Arts


The Communication Studies Associate of Arts degree program, prepares students to transfer into the junior year at four-year colleges in speech, communication, media production and journalism. It also prepares students for entry-level jobs in some communication fields such as video production, journalism, and media communication. This program includes required courses in speech, communication theory and mass media, as well as electives in specialized fields such as interpersonal and intercultural communications, journalism, public relations, film studies, and video production. At the same time, this program offers students a solid liberal arts education.

Communication students are encouraged to pursue an experiential component in their studies by participating in a co-op, internship, or service learning project in a communication field.

Graduates are able to:

  • organize and deliver effective oral presentations
  • identify and apply basic models of verbal and nonverbal communication to various communication contexts
  • identify and analyze the impact of mass media on society and self
  • use communication theory to analyze communication situations within and across cultures

 

Raritan Valley Community College Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are designed to comply with the New Jersey Community Colleges General Education Foundation which supports transfer of courses to NJ Public four-year colleges and universities.  Students who intend to transfer to a NJ college or university can further improve the transfer of courses by using the Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature in NJTransfer.org.

NOTE: Students considering transfer to Rutgers University should choose a Global & Cultural Awareness (GCA) General Education course not replicated elsewhere in their curriculum.  Students who have already fulfilled the GCA requirement for their Associates of Arts (AA) degree should select an additional Social Sciences or Humanities General Education course.   

 

Curriculum – A.A. Degree


First Semester


Third Semester


  • Science (lab) 4 Credits 1,5
  • Social Science 3 Credits 1
  • History 3 Credits 1

Fourth Semester


  • Social Science 3 Credits 1
  • History 3 Credits 1
  • Mathematics or Science 3 Credits 1
  • Communication Specialization Elective 3 Credits 4
  • Free Elective 3 Credits 6

Total Credits 60


1 Select a course from the appropriate category of the General Education  list.

2 Mathematics by official placement. Students may not take courses below placement level except by permission of department chair.

3 A two-semester sequence is required. Placement by examination is required for students who wish to continue studying a language previously studied. Students may not take courses below their placement level. For more information, see Foreign Language Placement & Degree Requirements .

4 Specialization Electives in Communication Studies: COMM 110 Interpersonal Communication COMM 130 Events Planning/Meeting Management COMM 135 Event Production COMM 150 Writing for the Media COMM 210 Introduction to Public Relations COMM 220 Introduction to Nonverbal Communication COMM 292 Communication/Speech Cooperative Education FILM 101 Art of the Movies: Film Appreciation and Analysis FILM 122 Survey of American Film FILM 261 Light, Optics & Lighting FILM 266 Introduction to Video Production-Aesthetics FILM 267 Digital Video Production: Narrative & Documentary FILM 278 Advanced Video Editing .

5 Students are advised to select from the following one-semester Science courses: BIOL 111 Principles of Biology BIOL 120 Human Biology BIOL 150 Plants, Humans & the Environment CHEM 102 Introduction to Chemistry GEOL 157 Introduction to Geology PHYS 112 Concepts of Physics PHYS 130 Astronomy .

6 Any college-level course. A Visual and Performing Arts Studio course is recommended.