Communication Studies, B.G.S.

University General Education Core Curriculum - 44 hrs

The University General Education Core Curriculum is applied to all degrees at Wayland Baptist University with the exception of the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) and the Bachelor of Christian Ministry (B.C.M.) degrees. The full general education core curriculum for these degrees can be found in the degree specific general education core curriculum section.

Communications - 3 hrs from:
COMS 1301 - Speech Communication 3 hrs , COMS 1303 - Professional Communication 3 hrs, COMS 2302 - Communication in the Classroom 3 hrs, or COMS 2303 - Public Speaking 3 hrs¹
English - 9 hrs:
ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric 3 hrs ², ENGL 1302 - Composition and Reading 3 hrs², and a literature course 3 hrs
Behavioral/Social Science - 3 hrs from:
ECON 2307 - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 hrs ³, EDUC 2307 - Child and Adolescent Development 3 hrs⁴, GEOG 1301 - Introduction to Physical Geography 3 hrs, GEOG 1302 - World and Regional Geography 3 hrs, PHIL 1301 - Introduction to Philosophy 3 hrs, PSYC 1301 - General Psychology 3 hrs ⁵, or SOCI 1301 - Introduction to Sociology 3 hrs
Fine Arts⁶ - 3 hrs from:
ART 1301 - Art Appreciation 3 hrs , ART 2301 - Visual Arts for the School Teacher 3 hrs, or studio course 3 hrs; MUSI 1301 - Fundamentals of Music 3 hrs, MUSI 1303 - Music Appreciation 3 hrs, MUSI 3304 - World Music 3 hrs, MUSI 3305 - American Music 3 hrs, MUSI 3306 - Jazz 3 hrs, MUSI 3307 - American Film Music 3 hrs, or performing ensemble 3 hrs; THEA 1303 - Introduction to Theatre 3 hrs or THEA 2307 - Acting I ; or FNAR 2401 - Fine Arts in the Elementary School
Mathematics - 3 hrs
MATH 1304 - College Algebra 3 hrs or higher
Science - 4 hrs:
Laboratory Science^{7, 11} (life science or physical science course)
History - 6 hours from:
HIST 1301 - Western Civilization to 1648 3 hrs and HIST 1302 - Western Civilization since 1648 3 hrs; or HIST 1303 - World Civilization to 1500 3 hrs and HIST 1304 - World Civilization since 1500 3 hrs; or HIST 2301 - United States History to 1877 3 hrs⁸ and HIST 2302 - United States History since 1877 3 hrs⁸
Religion - 6 hrs:
RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History 3 hrs or RLGN 1303 - Old Testament for Majors and Minors 3 hrs ⁹and RLGN 1302 - New Testament History 3 hrs or RLGN 1304 - New Testament for Majors and Minors 3 hrs⁹
Political Science - 3 hrs:
POLS 2301 - American Government 3 hrs
Exercise & Sport Science - 2 hrs:
EXSS courses¹⁰
Additional Requirements - 2 hrs:
BASC 1200 - Best Achievement Strategies for College 2 hrs or BASC 1201 - Best Achievement Strategies for College 2 hrs
GRAD 0001 - Senior Seminar 0 hrs
NOTATIONS:
1. COMS requirement may differ by degree. The B.S.N. specifies COMS 1301 or higher. Students pursuing teacher certification should take COMS 2302 .
2. ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 should be taken within first year of enrollment.
3. ECON 2307 cannot be used for students pursuing the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
4. EDUC 2307 is required for teacher certification.
5. PSYC 1301 is required for students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
6. Fine Arts requirements for the B.S.N. specifies ART 1301 or higher or MUSI 1303 or higher. The B.M. and B.A. in Music degrees specifies ART 1301 , ART studio course, THEA 1303 , or THEA 2307 . The B.F.A. in Theatre specifies ART 1301 , ART 2301 , or studio art. The B.S.I.S. EC-6 degree can take FNAR 2401 .
7. Bachelor of Science in Nursing students must take BIOL 3410 to meet this requirement.
8. HIST 2301 and HIST 2302 are required for teacher certification.
9. Wayland Baptist University will not accept RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, from any institution except other Baptist institutions to meet the core requirement in any Wayland degree. If a student has taken RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History and/or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, at any institution except other Baptist institutions, then the student has two options to meet the core requirement: (1) take RLGN 1301 and/or RLGN 1302 at Wayland or (2) take RLGN 4306 , RLGN 4316 , RLGN 4317 , or RLGN 4318 in lieu of RLGN 1301 ; and/or take RLGN 4306 , RLGN 4320 , RLGN 4322 , or RLGN 4324 in lieu of RLGN 1302 . RLGN 4306 may be an option for either RLGN 1301 or RLGN 1302 as stated above, but may not count for both on the same degree plan. No other RLGN/RLED courses may substitute for either RLGN 1301 or RLGN 1302 . The Dean of the School of Religion & Philosophy must approve any exception to this policy. RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, taken at non-Baptist institutions, may be transferred as elective credit with approval of the Dean of the School of Religion and Philosophy and the Registrar. RLGN 1303 (OT maj/min) and RLGN 1304 (NT maj/min) are required for all Religion, Religious Education, or Intercultural Missions majors and minors to meet the requirement of RLGN 1301 and RLGN 1302 . This does not apply to B.C.M. or B.A.S. degrees.
10. B.S. degree requires EXSS 1112 and one activity course. B.F.A. in Theatre does not require EXSS courses due to activity requirements in major. Courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement include a statement to that affect in the course description. Students who have served two or more years in the Armed Forces are exempt from EXSS requirements with DD-214 from basic training.
11. Life science includes Biology and Environmental Science courses. Physical science includes Chemistry, Geology and Physics courses.

Bachelor of General Studies Degree Specific General Education Core Course Requirements - 6-7 hrs

The Bachelor of General Studies Degree (B.G.S.) is a minimum 124-semester hour degree. A minimum of 42 semester hours must be upper-level credit (courses numbered 3000 and above). In addition to the University Core Curriculum, students must complete the following degree specific general education core requirements for the B.G.S. degree:

COSC 2311 - Computer Applications 3 hrs ¹, EDIT 2310 - Technology in the Classroom ¹, MUSI 3302 - Music Technology ¹, MSCI 2311 - Scientific Computing ¹
Science (life or physical science - whichever not fulfilled in the University Core)²(3-4 hrs)

NOTATIONS:

Students may opt to test out of COSC 2311 ; see course description. Students pursuing fields in education should take EDIT 2310 . Student choosing the Environmental Science concentration should take MSCI 2311 as it is a prerequisite for GEOL 3408 - Geographic Information Systems .
Science can be lab or non-lab for the degree specific core. Students pursuing middle school education are required to take the course with a lab. ENVS 3301 can be used to fulfill the life science degree specific core requirement. GEOG 1301 may be used to fulfill the physical science degree specific core requirement.

Academic Major and Minor

The Bachelor of General Studies is comprised of a major in general studies with sixty hours, from which at least 36 hours must be upper-level. Students must choose two concentrations with 15 hours each which may not overlap in content. Due to the composite nature of this degree, a minor is not required.

Electives

Students may complete the minimum of 124 semester hours required for the degree with courses which complement or extend career preparation or pursue subject fields which hold special appeal. However, before using elective semester hours, students should check with their advisor to ensure that the hours are indeed elective and that upper-level semester hour requirements for graduation are being met. At least six (6) hours of upper-level electives may be required

General Studies Major (60 hours)

The Bachelor of General Studies is comprised of a major in general studies with sixty hours, from which at least 36 hours must be upper-level. The degree also holds the following requirements:

No more than 15 hours in any discipline may be used in the B.G.S. major.
Grades lower than “C” will not be accepted into the B.G.S. major.

General Studies Major Core (12 hours)

Students must make a decision prior to the senior year regarding the B.G.S. capstone experience.

RSWR 3345 - Research Writing Methods 3 hrs or ENGL 3320 - Foundations of Technical Communication 3 hrs
MGMT 3310 - Managerial Communication 3 hrs or ENGL 4314 - Usage and Style 3 hrs
Ethics course (any discipline) 3 hrs
GRAD 4300 - BGS Professional Capstone 3 hrs OR GRAD 4301 - BGS Project Capstone I: Design and Research 3 hrs and GRAD 4302 - BGS Project Capstone II: Analysis and Presentation 3 hrs

General Studies Concentrations (30 hours)

Students must choose two concentrations with 15 hours each. Each concentration must have at least six hours of upper-level credit. Concentrations may not overlap in discipline content. Concentrations are available in art, business administration, communication studies, education, environmental science, environmental studies, exercise sport science, graphic design, history, justice administration, media communications, political science, psychology, sociology, and theatre.

Concentration 1 - 15 hours (at least six hours of upper-level credit)
Concentration 2 - 15 hours (at least six hours of upper-level credit)

General Studies Major Electives (18 hours)

Students must complete 18 hours of electives that are from different areas than the concentrations. Special attention should be paid to the level of the courses to insure that adequate upper-level hours are earned in the major. If the student chooses the Project Capstone track as part of the Major Core, GRAD 4302 will be used to fulfill three hours of upper-level electives in the Major Electives.

Communication Studies Concentration (15 hours)

COMS 3310 - Interpersonal Communication 3 hrs
Nine (9) additional hours in COMS courses

Three (3) hours from:

COMS 3306 - Argumentation and Debate 3 hrs
COMS 4301 - Persuasion 3 hrs