Navigating the UCLA Communication Studies Major: A Comprehensive Guide

The Communication Studies major at UCLA offers a multifaceted exploration of human communication, preparing students for diverse career paths and advanced academic pursuits. This guide provides a detailed overview of the curriculum, admission requirements, course offerings, and opportunities within the program.

Curriculum Overview

The Communication Studies major at UCLA requires the completion of lower and upper-division coursework, totaling at least 45 units. The curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of human communication across various levels of analysis. Changes in specific courses included in the Communication curriculum are made from time to time.

Lower Division Requirements

The major includes 7 lower-division courses. These foundational courses provide an introduction to key concepts and theories in communication studies.

Upper Division Requirements

The major includes 10-11 upper division courses. These courses delve deeper into specialized areas within the field, allowing students to tailor their studies to their interests.

Additional Area Elective Courses

Students must complete four additional elective courses from a designated list. Classes from the core group above may also apply.

Admission to the Major

Admission to the Communication Studies major at UCLA is limited and highly selective. Prospective students must apply to the committee in charge of admissions. A minimum UC-transferable cumulative GPA of 3.7 is required. By the end of the fall term before transferring, students must have completed a minimum of four major preparation courses, all taken for a letter grade. If two courses are listed in ASSIST as equivalents of Comm Studies 10, then BOTH courses must be completed at the same institution in order to satisfy this major requirement. Direct admission into the major is mandatory.

Core Coursework Breakdown

The Communication Studies curriculum at UCLA covers a broad range of topics, encompassing interpersonal, organizational, mass, and digital communication.

Foundational Requirements

Introduction to Interpersonal and Mass Communication: One course is required. In some cases, two courses are required to fulfill the requirement. Refer to ASSIST for specific course equivalencies.
Principles of Public Speaking: One course is required to develop effective presentation skills.
Introduction to Linguistics, Meaning of Communication, or Culture in Communication: One course is required to explore the theoretical underpinnings of communication.
Statistics Course: One course is required.

Breadth Requirements

Students are also required to take three courses from the following list, providing a foundation in related social science disciplines:

Introductory psychology
Introduction to American government/politics
Introductory sociology
Microeconomics or introduction to political economy

Course Offerings

The Department of Communication offers a diverse array of courses, ranging from introductory surveys to advanced seminars. Here's an overview of some of the courses available:

Core Communication Courses

Communication 100: Communication Science: Examination of fundamental principles in human communication science. Prerequisite: course 10 or Linguistics 1 or Sociology 1 or Psychology 10 or consent of instructor.
Communication 101: Freedom of Communication: Analysis of legal, political, and philosophical issues entailed in the rights of free expression, access to an audience, and access to information.
Communication 102: Principles of Argumentation: Analysis of propositions, tests of evidence, and briefing.

Specialized Courses

Communication 104: Rumors, Gossip, and Urban Legends in Journalism
Communication 105: Conspiracy Theories, Media, and Middle East: Definition, identification, and analysis of conspiracy theories as they appear in media of Muslim societies.
Communication 106: Reporting America: Introduction to main western European and Middle Eastern news media, with materials in English.
Communication 107: Terrorism in Journalism: How do media outlets in Middle East represent Islamist terrorism?
Communication 108: Communication and Identity: Study of relationships among communication, culture, and identity.
Communication 110: Gender and Communication: Explores the intersection of gender and communication.
Communication 111: Conflict and Communication: Analysis of when and why conflict is prevalent in daily lives and how communication affects reactions to and consequences of conflict.
Communication M113: Nonverbal Communication and Body Language: Examination of how various forms of nonverbal communication convey meaningful information to perceivers.
Communication 114: Understanding Relationships: Explanation of types of communication that occur in close relationships, especially romantic relationships.
Communication 115: Interpersonal Dynamics: Survey of recent scientific approaches to dyadic communication and interpersonal relationships.
Communication M117: Negotiation: Art and science of negotiation in securing agreements between independent parties.
Communication 120: Group Communication: Examination of group communication from perspectives of evolutionary psychology, communications, and psycholinguistics.
Communication M123: Social Cognition: Survey of research from field of social cognition, with emphasis on understanding cognitive processes involved in interpersonal and intergroup communication.
Communication M125: Talk and Social Institutions: Practices of communication and social interaction in a number of major institutional sites in contemporary society.
Communication 126: Evolution of Interpersonal Communication: Examination of interpersonal communication from the perspective of evolutionary behavioral science.
Communication 129: Natural Language Processing for Social Science: Develops students’ understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) model architectures.
Communication 130: Science of Language: Introduction to the foundations of the science of language, with connections to practical issues in communication.
Communication 131: Computer Models of Communicators: Introduction to using computerized methods to model communication processes.
Communication 132: Multicultural Television: Critical evaluation of television programming and scholarly research of new developments in television.
Communication 141: Films of Persuasion: Social and Political Advocacy in Mass Society: Films often provide commentary about public issues.
Communication 144A & 144B: Rhetoric of Popular Culture: Examination of ways in which popular cultural texts perform rhetorically to influence political and social struggles shaping everyday life.
Communication 145: Situation Comedy and American Culture: Historical analysis of sitcom genre from its beginning in late 1940s to present.
Communication M147: Sociology of Mass Communication: Studies in relationship between mass communication and social organization.
Communication 148: Marketing Communications: Marketing, Advertising, and Behavior from the viewpoint of evolutionary psychology and biology.
Communication M149: Media: Gender, Race, Class & Sexuality: Examination of manner in which media culture induces people to perceive various dominant and dominated and/or colonized groups of people.
Communication 151: Computer-Mediated Communication: Examination of how computer technology, particularly the Internet, has influenced patterns of human communication.
Communication 152: Analysis of Communication Effects: Survey of experimental and field research on effects of communications. Prerequisite: course 100 or consent of instructor.
Communication 153: Introduction to Data Science: Examination of how large-scale data can be used to systematically measure various aspects of human activities.
Communication 155: Artificial Intelligence and New Media: Review of origin and modern development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its recent breakthroughs.
Communication 158: Python for Social Sciences: This beginner-friendly course delves into the practical applications of Python in social sciences.
Communication 159: Artificial Intelligence and Society: Impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society is growing rapidly.
Communication M161: Electoral Politics: Mass Media and Elections: Assessment of manner in which Americans’ political beliefs, choices, and actions are influenced by mass media presentations, particularly during election campaigns.
Communication M165: Agitational Communication: Theory of agitation; agitation as a force for change in existing institutions and policies in a democratic society.
Communication M169: Critical Vision: History of Art as Social and Political Commentary:
Communication 170: Legal Communication: Study of trial and appellate processes as systems of communication.
Communication 171: Theories of Freedom of Speech and Press: Exploration of relationship between the freedoms of speech and press and values of liberty, self-realization, self-government, truth, dignity, respect, justice, equality, association and community.
Communication 173: Affect and Emotion in Political Communication: There is a growing body of work in political communication that emphasizes the importance of affect, emotion and personality in politics.
Communication 174: Entertainment and Politics: Research in political communication often focuses on news coverage.
Communication 175: Criticism and the Public Arts: Introduction to methods and problems of criticism in the public arts.
Communication M176: Visual Communication and Social Advocacy: Visual communication reaches diverse audiences in communicating major social and political topics.
Communication 178: Propaganda & the Media: Examination of the nature of propaganda, the institutional structure of the American media, and the relationship between propaganda and the American news media.
Communication 179: Images of the USA: Awareness of the United States’ international role necessitates a clear understanding of the way our nation is perceived by others.
Communication 185: Field Studies in Communication: Fieldwork in communication.
Communication 186: Media, Ethics, and the Digital Age: Examination of media ethics using a case-study approach to debate pressing issues from actual newsrooms.
Communication 188A: Variable Topics in Mass Communication: Selected Topics.
Communication 188B: Variable Topics in Interpersonal Communication: Selected Topics.
Communication 188C: Variable Topics in Communication Technology and Digital Systems: Selected Topics.
Communication 188D: Variable Topics in Political and Legal Communication: Selected Topics.
Communication 189: Advanced Honors Seminars: Exploration of topics in greater depth through supplemental readings, papers, or other activities and led by lecture course instructor.
Communication 189HC: Honors Contracts: Individual study with lecture course instructor to explore topics in greater depth through supplemental readings, papers, or other activities.
Communication 191A: Variable Topics Research Seminars: Mass Communication:
Communication 191B: Variable Topics Research Seminars: Interpersonal Communication:
Communication 191C: Variable Topics Research Seminars: Communication Technology and Digital Systems: Selected Topics.
Communication 191D: Variable Topics Research Seminars: Political and Legal Communication: Selected Topics.
Communication 191E: Variable Topics Research Seminars: Practicum: Selected Topics.
Communication 198A, 198B, 198C: Honors Research: Limited to junior/senior majors.

Course Sizes

Communication classes range in size from the typical enrollment of approximately 250 students in COMM 10 to intimate seminars that generally are restricted to approximately 25.

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Contemporary Issues

The subject matter of courses offered by the Department of Communication encompasses many contemporary issues such as computational methods in media analysis, social networks, political communication, social vision, and evolutionary approaches to interpersonal communication.

Honors Program

Departmental Honors are available to students with at least a GPA of 3.6 in the major who complete a required course of study and an independent research project during their senior year.

Career Preparation and Opportunities

Communication majors receive a theoretical foundation in the social sciences that is excellent preparation for graduate-level study in their choice of academic fields and professional schools.

Many students are also concerned with applications to other careers, and the department helps them make this important connection. The theories and principles of Communication that majors study are augmented by a special Field Studies course available to them in their junior and senior years. By engaging in the hands-on activities of a series of internships, students learn how to apply theory to practice. This experience gives Communication graduates a head start on their career path.

The unique breadth of subject matter provides students with a background of scholarship that prepares them for a variety of careers. Students may take courses from Mass Communication and Media Studies, Interpersonal Communication, Communication Technology and Digital Systems, and Political and Legal Communication.

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Career Paths

UCLA's Communication major prepares students for careers in Broadcasting, Corporate Communication, Digital Media, Event Planning, Media Analysis, Public Relations, and more.

Research Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to get involved in research projects through labs or independent study, which can be a valuable experience to deepen their understanding of communication studies.

Internships

The surrounding LA area also provides plentiful opportunities for real-world learning and internships, due to being a hub for many media and communication-related industries.

Transfer Students

Full sequences can take two to four terms to complete (depending on whether your institution is on semesters or quarters), so you'll want to start them early. Use ASSIST to find the specific classes offered at your community college that will satisfy the expected coursework at a particular campus. If you're working on an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in communication at your community college, there's a lot of overlap with UC Transfer Pathway coursework. When you have options, try to select courses for your ADT that meet both the ADT and UC requirements. The main difference between what UC expects and what some ADTs require is statistics. Additional courses required for an ADT may be eligible for UC credit at some campuses.

UC Transfer Pathway

The Communication Pathway applies to the degree programs listed below:

Communication, A.B.
Communication, B.A.

Admission to different UC campuses and majors varies in competitiveness depending on how many students apply and how many slots are available. As a result, the minimum GPA and grade requirements for particular courses may vary from campus to campus.

Student Perspectives

The Communication major has inspired many students to pursue careers in marketing and other communication-related fields. The major provides a broad overview of the field, allowing students to explore different areas and find their passion. While some may perceive communication courses as less academically rigorous, the skills learned outside the classroom, such as networking and securing internships, are crucial for success in the field.

Addressing Misconceptions

Communication majors (and any major labeled as being ‘easy’) notoriously have a bad reputation. These students, particularly at UCLA, are labeled as dumb party goers that will eventually work for their parent’s companies and won’t learn anything in college except for how to take shots. While communication courses are significantly easier, the major itself isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Students are constantly stressed about internships and job security, with many overloading on extracurricular activities and clubs to make up for their not as academically-rigorous major. In terms of actual course content, I have never really found communication courses incredibly difficult. Sure, Communication studies 10, a notoriously difficult weeder course for the major is hard, but you can get through it. With a lot of Quizlet and active recall, you can memorize 10-15 point lists and do well on Comm 10’s exams. Comm 10 might be the death of me. I have never experienced such a dense class.

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