Communication and Media, B.A.

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 124

Minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum number of credits to complete the major: 44

School: School of Arts and Sciences

Department: Communication and Media

Learn more about the program

The study of Communication and Media at Merrimack offers students a dynamic and interdisciplinary exploration of how people create, share, and interpret messages–both in interpersonal settings and across a wide range of media platforms and communication contexts.

National surveys consistently rank communication as a top skill that employers seek when hiring and promoting. Merrimack’s program is thus designed to cultivate sophisticated, thoughtful producers and consumers of communication who recognize the power of both face-to-face and mediated messages to shape daily life and influence public opinion.

Through a combination of applying theory to research projects and hands-on creation experiences, students in Communication and Media gain a deep understanding of the field while developing the practical skills necessary to navigate the complex communication landscape of the 21st century. Courses in Communication and Media explore media production, emerging technologies, health communication campaigns, sports media, public relations, journalism and content creation, intercultural communication, and more.

Students in Communication and Media graduate with strong abilities in writing, speaking, critical thinking, and media literacy, making them well-prepared for careers in media, marketing, corporate communication, public service, and a broad range of other fields.

Major Requirements

The Communication and Media major requires the completion of a minimum of 44 credits and a minimum of 11 courses, as outlined below:

Core Courses

Complete the following six required courses:

COM 1020 - Public Communication Credits: 4
COM 2010 - Communication Inquiry Credits: 4
COM 2401 - Media and Culture Credits: 4
COM 2531 - Intercultural Communication Credits: 4
COM 2801 - Communication and Society Credits: 4
COM 4900 - Senior Seminar Credits: 4

Required Elective Courses

Complete five additional Communication (COM) courses at the 3000 and 4000 level or approved cognate courses. At least two of those courses must be at the 4000 level.

Major-Specific Policies

Communication and Media Grade Minimum Policy

Students who declare a Communication and Media major are conditionally accepted into the program. In order to stay in the major and graduate with a B.A. in Communication and Media from Merrimack College, students must earn at least a C- in three foundational communication courses: COM 2010 Communication Inquiry , COM 2401 Media and Culture , and COM 2801 Communication and Society . Students will be required to retake any of these aforementioned courses until they get a C- or better; students are allowed to retake a class as many times as needed in order to get the requisite grade. This grade minimum requirement does not apply to students minoring in Communication and Media, only to those majoring in the program.

At the end of each semester, students who fall below the C- threshold in one of the above courses will be notified by the Communication and Media Department to clarify that they will need to retake the course. At the same time, the student’s advisor in Communication and Media will also be notified of the need for the student to retake a given course. Advisors will initiate discussions with students who have repeatedly failed to earn a C- in these classes about their options: Students can continue retaking the class or they can decide to switch to a Communication and Media minor, wherein the grade minimum policy does not apply.