Communication

The Communication major at UMass Amherst follows the liberal arts tradition, emphasizing the critical thinking, systematic analysis, and writing and speaking skills that make for engaged citizenship.  We emphasize theory and methods of inquiry, as opposed to technical training; we currently do not offer any industry-oriented, how-to classes in public relations, advertising, or broadcasting. We do, however, offer some great courses with practical and career application, including Public Speaking, Program Process in Television, and Screenwriting.  Students can also gain applied training and skills through internships, service learning, and extracurricular campus experiences.

There is no minor offered in Communication.

The undergraduate courses in Communication focus on five areas:

1. Interpersonal Communication and Culture,
2. Media and Popular Culture Studies,
3. Media, Technology, and Society,
4. Rhetoric and Performance Studies,
5. Film Studies.

• 101 Communication-First Year Introduction 1 cr
• 191 COMM1 First Year Seminar 1 cr
• 118 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication and Culture
• 121 Introduction to Media and Culture 
• 122 Introduction to Media Programming and Institutions 
• 125 Introduction to Rhetoric and Performance Studies
• 140 Introduction to Film Studies 
• 212 Cultural Codes in Communication (GenEd SBU) 4 cr
• 226 Social Impact of Mass Media
• 228 Visual Communication
• 231 Film and Television Production Concepts
• 250 Interpersonal Communication (GenEd SB)
• 260 Public Speaking 
• 265 Democracy and Rhetoric
• 271 Humor in Society (GenEd SBU) 4 cr
• 287 Advertising as Social Communication 4 cr 
• 288 Gender, Sex and Representation 4 cr
• 289 Media, Public Relations and Propoganda 4 cr
• 290AH Media, Public Opinion and LGBT Rights Honors 4 cr
• 297CF Contemporary Folklore Studies
• 310 Social Influence and Persuasion
• 318 Comparative Communication Theory 
• 319 Health Communication 
• 320 Culture, Communication and Social Identities
• 331 Program Process in Television 
• 332 Convergent Media and Activism
• 334 Media History and Communication Policy
• 335 Media and Education 4 cr
• 336 Consumer Culture
• 337 Media Audiences
• 338 Children, Teens and Media
• 340 History of Film I 
• 342 History of Film II 
• 343 Women in Cinemas of the African Diaspora
• 345 Contemporary World Cinema
• 375 Writing as Communication 
• 390 AH Race, Media and Politics Honors 4 cr
• 393C Issues in World Cinema
• 394CI Communication Inquiry
• 394PI Peer Advising and Leadership Seminar I
• 394RI Race, Gender and the Sitcom
• 397AT Studying Social Interaction
• 397AV Intercultural Communication
• 397B Introduction to Studio Directing
• 397PR Performance and the Politics of Race
• 397SM Social Media and Internet Communities
• 397SS Youth, Democracy and the Entertainment Industry
• 397TV Studio Operations, Production Design and Production
• 414 Studying Everyday Talk
• 415 Humor and Public Culture
• 426 Media Violence
• 427 Media Literacy 4 cr
• 433 Advanced Television Production and Direction 
• 441 Principles and Techniques of Film-style Production
• 444 Film Styles and Genres
• 445 Screenwriting
• 446 Film Documentary
• 491G Feminist Media Justice 4 cr
• 491S Introduction to Semiotics
• 491X Social Media and Political Communication
• 492G Cultures in Conversation
• 492N Nonverbal Communication
• 492P Conflict and Collaboration
• 493C Countercultural Films
• 493L Experimental Film and Video
• 493M Fashion, Media, Culture, Style
• 494AB Hollywood Film, Diversity and Adaptation
• 494AI Media and the Family
• 494FI Food as Communication
• 494MI Music, Culture and Communication
• 494NI Nonverbal Communication
• 494PI Horror and Public Culture
• 494SI Future of the Information Society
• 494TI Talk in the Media
• 495A Performance Ethnography
• 497AK Communication, Ecology, Sustainability
• 497DB Survey of Digital Behavioral Data
• 497M Communication and Nature
• 497NM New Media Theory
• 497QP Queer Performance and Publics
• 497VP Video Production: Advanced Topics
• 514 Social Uses of Language
• 593D Advanced Screenwriting

• Application Fee
• Official High School Transcript or Secondary School Exams
• Secondary School Exams
• Official SAT or ACT score report
• Academic Letter of Recommendation
• TOEFL: A minimum composite TOEFL score of 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL with minimum of 17 on each subscore (code #3917)
• IELTS: A minimum composite IELTS score of 6.5 on the academic test with minimum of 6.0 on each subscore
• A note on financial and visa information: Applicants needing an F-1 student visa will receive email instructions on how to submit their financial documents after an offer of admission has been made.  For more about finances and visa processing for international students please see this page.  If you are currently living in the United States and believe your visa status will qualify you as a domestic student, please be sure to include your U.S. visa information in the "Geography and Citizenship" section of the Common Application.
• Admission to Communication requires a stronger academic record than the minimum required for admission. MassTransfer graduates may also be admitted with a community college graduation GPA of 2.7 or higher