Is the bachelor's in Communications - Social Media program for me?

Social media is changing the way we communicate. Instead of pushing out messages, companies and organizations are finding ways to engage with their customers, employees and the community. It is an exciting time to study communications. If you want a communications career in either the corporate sector or media sector, City University of Seattle's Bachelor of Science in Communications - Social Media program is a great start. It's also a good choice if you already have some experience in communications or social media and want to finish your degree or move ahead in your current job.

The B.S. in Communications - Social Media is an online degree program. While you earn your bachelor's degree online, you still have access to all CityU's great resources. You will log in to get assignments, discuss topics with your classmates, collaborate on projects and check your grades. Basically, everything you do in class but without the commute. With online education, you can advance your career without taking time away from current responsibilities.

What will I learn in the bachelor's in Communications - Social Media program?

Our Communications - Social Media degree program is more than making friends and influencing people. This program is about developing the skills you need to communicate in multiple ways including new/social media. In fact, you will find social media skills and knowledge woven throughout most of the courses. The program provides an innovative blend of traditional communication concepts and cutting edge technologies that will help you meet the needs of today’s organizations. Some of the areas you'll cover include:

• Social media tools and applications
• PR and marketing campaigns
• Writing media content
• Information gathering
• Interpersonal and intercultural communication
• Organizational communication
• Professional communication and presentation skills
• Consumer behavior and audience
• Ethics

What can I do with my bachelor's degree in Communications - Social Media?

People who can write and speak well are in high demand. Our program will set you up for career options in business, print or interactive media companies, and other nonprofit and educational organizations.

Why CityU?

• Because you want an education that's relevant to what's happening in the real world, right now.
• Our faculty teach what they do for a living, not just what's in the book. They're smart, successful people who can help you get there, too.
• You can get an education without sacrificing your lifestyle. Complete your coursework on a schedule that works best for you.

How to get started:

1. Chat with an admissions advisor or call 888.42.CityU
2. Apply online and pay the $50 application fee
3. Write a one to two page essay about your:
   • Personal experiences: Tell us about one or two important life events that helped shape your identity and the way you look at the world
   • Professional experience: Describe your background and how you work with people
   • Goal Statement: Explain why you want to get a bachelor's degree in Communications
4. Order your official transcripts from other schools you attended
5. Start classes and change your life for good

Total Required Credits:		180
Lower-Division Requirements:		90
You may transfer up to 90 lower division college credits (or an associate’s degree) into this program. Below are the basic requirements, but please contact an advisor to discuss your specific requirements. You may also earn these lower division credits through the CityBridge program whose credits transfer seamlessly to CityU. College Writing 5 College Mathematics 5 Humanities 15 Social Sciences 15 Natural Sci/Math 15 Electives 35
Upper-Division Requirements:		90
Communication Program Courses:		90
BC 302	Professional Communication	5
Please check back soon for the full description of this course.
SOC 305	Social Media and Society	5
Social media has become one of the most important tools of human interaction. Social media is also a source of information. In this course, students will examine how various types of social media shape people's lives and social reality. This course will also look at social inequalities, such as age, gender, and socio-economic status, and their impacts on perception, access, and use of social media.
COM 315	Media and Society in the Digital Age	5
Media is a source of information, entertainment, and persuasion. Being able to analyze, interpret, and understand the messages, tools, and impacts of the mass media is essential for both producers and consumers of media. This course helps students develop a critical understanding of media messages and forms of media that create and disseminate those messages. The emphasis will be on the impact of media on ourselves and society, and exercises will focus on the student's own experiences and media exposure. This course will help the student answer the following questions: How does media represent reality? How can individuals or groups be empowered or disempowered by media exposure and/or agendas? How can I be aware of how media affects me and how I can use the media?
COM 316	Communication Research Methods and Statistics	5
Measuring the impact of media and its messages is important when creating and consuming media. This course helps students develop an understanding of research methodologies, as well as learning how to interpret the data and statistics used in communications research and how research affects media outcomes. The emphasis will be on research in media and communications, but students will also be introduced to how these methodologies are used in all social sciences.
COM 317	Writing for Communications	5
Clear, concise writing is of tremendous value in all communications careers. This course will help prepare students for writing for a wide range of publications and audiences. Students will learn the basics of writing for diverse media, including print, public relations, broadcast, the Internet, and advertising. They also will learn revision and editing strategies, get practical experience in information-gathering and interviewing, and learn to adapt information to specific audiences.
COM 307	Critical Thinking in Communications	5
This course critically analyzes communication theories as a foundation for framing communication practices and strategies used in various communication settings. Key themes in the field of communications, the role of technology in communication theories, and application of theory to personal, social, and professional interaction will be critically explored.
COM 319	Interpersonal Communication	5
This is a core course that deals with interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution, and verbal and nonverbal communication.
COM 320	Organizational Communication	5
Organizational communication is the sum of many unique contributions, all influenced by a group dynamic. Understanding the successes and challenges of organizational communication begins with a closer look at how we all communicate as individuals, moving on to a broader awareness of effective communications systems. This course helps students develop a heightened awareness of how individual behaviors impact organizational outcomes and how organizational structures impact group members. Elements covered in the course include: human relations; conflict management; emotion in the workplace; change and leadership processes; decision making; and organizational diversity. Students will learn skills and strategies to effectively communicate with groups and individuals across varying organizational cultures, adapt to system change, function effectively on teams, and build strong relationships within organizations.
COM 361	Consumer Behavior and New Media	5
The Internet is becoming more and more important as an advertising venue for profit and nonprofit organizations worldwide. In this course, the student will learn about methods and modes of advertising online, the medium and its advantages and disadvantages, as well as online consumer decision-making behavior. This will be examined though the lens of consumer behavior online from Internet consumer communities, to consumers utilizing customization according to personal preferences in online shopping, as well as consumer's brand relationships and how that influences decision-making.
COM 397	Practicum Preparation and Presentation Skills	5
With the Communications-Social Media degree program culminating in a practicum project designed to use media technologies, theories, and communication strategies, tools, and practices, this course provides an orientation for students to design and plan their unique project. Portfolio development and presentation techniques integral to the practicum project, including the requirement to present the practicum experience and results through social technology, will be addressed. Students will build skills to form and deliver presentations and content-specific messages through current technological applications.
IS 331	Understanding Technology for Communication	5
This course covers the technology behind social media and digital communications, including such topics as html, css, javascript, XML, widgets, metadata, and platforms. Students in this course will understand the behind-the-scenes functioning of social networking, mobile devices, and social media. This will give them a greater appreciation of the capabilities and limitations of the technologies as they apply them to communication strategies.
COM 418	Public Relations	5
This course investigates the development of ethical public relations practices in an increasingly information-overloaded environment. Students will research a 'client' organization's mission and goals, and the diverse cultures of its internal and external publics. From this analysis, they will produce fundamental public relations products, such as strategic and crisis management plans, as well as materials for promotional, informational, and fundraising purposes. Mass media will be explored as both venues and publics. Students will be prompted to use critical thinking analysis, personal and organizational ethics, and flexibility to extrapolate processes and products that can be generalized to other organizations.
COM 419	Intercultural Communication	5
Cultures develop their own patterns and rules of behavior, values, and communication. The meanings that people attach to their experiences and their basic assumptions about the world are learned and shared within their culture. When people from different cultures come into contact with each other, their views of the world and ways of acting and living may collide, coexist, or change. Communicating across cultural boundaries is the topic of this course. This course looks at how culture affects and shapes communication, explores the varied ways of communicating in different cultures, and helps students develop communication skills to competently engage in intercultural communication.
COM 461	Communicating Crisis, Emergency, and Social Change	5
This course investigates the development and implications of crisis communications in today's world. Students will develop a framework for a communication plan in the event of a crisis or emergency, as well as learn how to manage issues that might develop into a crisis or negative story or event, examine issues of risk management and crisis recognition, and understand how to factor the social and psychological implications of a crisis or emergency into a communications plan. Through case studies and theory, this course helps students develop the critical thinking skills, analysis, and ethical grounding required to handle the communication of crises and emergencies. Prerequisite: ENG 200 (or equivalent).
COM 455	Wonders of the Web: Communicating in the Digital Age	5
This course introduces students to the writing situations and requirements of typical Web projects. The course also examines how to write well for the online medium, as well as teaches students to critically analyze Web sites which are currently in use on the World Wide Web. Issues to be explored include: planning and identity of Web sites; development of content; different page types; and styles of Web writing. The course will also look at the different types of commercial, entertainment and informative Web sites, including blogs and wikis, and how to write effectively for each type.
COM 465	Contemporary Social Media Tools and Applications	5
This course provides a practical introduction to the use of current social media tools and their applications. Exploring the varying uses of tools used in consumer-generated media, viral videos, blogs, social networks, mobile phone applications, and other contemporary platforms, students will apply them to the fields of mobile, Internet, and word-of-mouth marketing, business, social network, and media communications. Students will develop skills in hands-on utilization of these tools that have impacted the consumption of products, media, ideas, and social relationships.
COM 478	Integrating Social Media Marketing	5
Please check back soon for the full description of this course.
COM 497	Practicum	5
The student will propose and complete a culminating communications project in the student's chosen specialty. The student's project provides an opportunity for the student to apply skills and knowledge gained throughout the student's academic career to a practical work environment and to build experience to aid in career development. The student will construct a proposal that meets the following criteria: the project can be completed in one quarter; a supervisor at the communication project's site is willing to provide guidance and evaluation; and the project enables the student to incorporate knowledge gained in studies in real-world experience. The student will conduct the project, compile a portfolio that can be used for future employment opportunities, and prepare a reflection paper that will synthesize the academic experience with the practical work experience and evaluate the challenges, ethical issues, learning process, and achievement of objectives associated with the project. This course is graded Pass/No Pass.