Bachelor of Arts in Communication Online

What is Introduction to Human Communication?

Introduction to Human Communication is the foundational course of the B.A. in Communication online program, establishing the theoretical and practical framework that every subsequent course builds on.

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the University of Mount Saint Vincent is built around the idea that professional effectiveness depends on more than technical knowledge. This course establishes that foundation, helping you understand why communication succeeds or fails across different settings, audiences, and contexts. Graduates go on to work in roles like public relations management, brand strategy, and event planning, and the interpersonal and organizational communication skills developed here are relevant in every one of those directions.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain and critically reflect upon the history of the communication field including the use and conceptualization of the term "communication"

• Define human communication and explain its role in human life

• Identify and explain major types, components, concepts, and theories of human communication

• Analyze communication with human communication concepts and theories with proper citation, oral presentation, and writing in the communication field

What is Introduction to Media Studies?

Introduction to Media Studies is the entry point into the analytical side of the B.A. in Communication, giving you the critical framework to evaluate how media systems function and why they matter to your professional work.

Understanding how media systems are organized, funded, and consumed is increasingly relevant to the communication careers that graduates of this program pursue. Students in this course build the critical vocabulary for analyzing content across platforms, whether that means evaluating a social media campaign, assessing news coverage, or understanding how advertising functions within a broader media economy. This analytical foundation supports both specialization tracks in the program: Advertising and Social Media, and Public Relations and Event Planning.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the structure and functions of major media industries

• Analyze the historical development of mass media in American society

• Evaluate the cultural and social impacts of media on audiences

• Apply critical media literacy skills to contemporary media content

What is Public Speaking?

Public Speaking is a performance-based course that develops your ability to command a room, structure an argument, and deliver ideas with clarity and confidence in professional settings.

One of the graduate outcomes for the B.A. in Communication is the ability to plan, organize, and deliver professional presentations, pitches, and event-related communications. This course is where that capability is built. You will practice structuring and delivering different types of presentations, receiving instructor feedback on technique, clarity, and audience engagement. Whether your path leads toward a role as a Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist, or Event Planner, the confidence and craft developed here will be relevant from your first professional assignment.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Effectively prepare and present public speeches to an audience using contemporary technology

• Demonstrate active listening skills

• Evaluate peer speeches constructively

What is Visual Communication and Design?

Visual Communication and Design is the design literacy course of the program, developing the aesthetic judgment and technical understanding you need to produce content that works professionally across digital and print contexts.

Creating content that communicates clearly and professionally across digital and traditional platforms is a core graduate outcome of the B.A. in Communication online. This course develops the design judgment that makes that possible: you will learn to apply branding, visual hierarchy, and typographic principles to content that works in advertising, social media, editorial, and promotional contexts. Students pursuing the Advertising and Social Media specialization will find this course particularly foundational to the creative work ahead.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Design visual aspects of an object: asymmetrical layout, placement, hierarchy, permutation, repetition, abstraction, 3 x 3 grid space

• Assess the arrangement and composition of visual design elements of the user interface (UX/UI) and HTML5 web design

• Construct a logo design/design of brand identity in Photoshop, Photoshop Express, or open-source software

• Evaluate the relevant concepts in visual perception and aesthetics as they relate to practical considerations of grid systems in visual design

What is Media Writing?

Media Writing is the core writing craft course of the program, building the platform fluency and editorial judgment that communications professionals are expected to bring to every channel they work in.

A graduate of the B.A. in Communication online program will be expected to develop and execute clear, audience-focused messages for advertising campaigns, social media channels, public relations materials, and events. This course is where that capacity is developed in practice. You will write across formats, receive substantive feedback, and develop the editorial judgment that distinguishes professional communications writing from general writing ability. Students considering the Public Relations and Event Planning specialization will draw on this course throughout the rest of their degree.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of the general principles of media writing skills and its relevancy to communication constructs

• Learn to effectively structure messages for different mediums

• Produce writing that delivers accurate and critical information which abides by industry/professional standards

• Produce written entertainment messages

• Demonstrate computer literacy

What is an Internship like for a BA Communication program?

The Communication Internship is the point in the B.A. program where academic preparation becomes professional experience, placing you inside an organization that reflects the career direction you are building toward.

The internship experience is where the academic preparation of the online communication program meets professional reality. You will work in an organization aligned with your specialization track, whether that is advertising and social media or public relations and event planning, developing applied skills and professional relationships while completing a reflective final project. The University of Mount Saint Vincent's faculty advisors support you through the placement process and guide you in making the most of the experience as a professional credential.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Document internship work products and analyze and reflect on communication practices and outcomes through key benchmarks

• Identify key internship tasks and duties with the intent of developing professional skills in targeted areas for growth

• Identify and reflect on key personal and professional qualities that increase opportunities for achieving career success

What is Seminar in Communication?

The Seminar in Communication is the capstone course of the B.A. program, where you produce original research and present it formally to demonstrate the depth of knowledge and professional communication skills your degree has built.

The capstone seminar is where students in the B.A. in Communication demonstrate the research, writing, and professional presentation skills the program has been building throughout. You will select a significant topic within your concentration, conduct original research, and present your findings to faculty and peers. This work reflects the program's commitment to helping graduates build the confidence and professional skillset to pursue the career opportunities that a Communication degree makes available, from social media and brand strategy to public relations and editorial work.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify tools and methodologies for use in communication research

• Differentiate key assumptions and practices of the major methodological paradigms in the field of communication

• Communicate ideas and observations effectively in a team setting

• Prepare a well-organized and reasoned written report

What is Communication in a Digital World?

Communication in a Digital World examines the structures behind the platforms you work in every day, building the strategic and critical literacy that separates informed communications professionals from those who simply use digital tools without understanding them.

The B.A. in Communication online program is built around both creative development and digital strategy, and understanding how digital environments shape communication behavior is central to both specialization tracks. This course examines the structures behind the platforms that communication professionals use daily, from the algorithms that determine content visibility to the data practices that inform campaign decisions. Students who understand these dynamics bring more strategic thinking to roles in social media management, content strategy, and digital communications.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Effectively use the basics of photo design with Photoshop including tone enhancement, color selection, image sharpening, blur effects, pixel manipulation, and resolution changes

• Construct and composite seamless and complex photos using advanced masking techniques including channel selection, layer masks, clipping masks, color adjustment, and advanced blending

• Appreciate and use the aesthetics of photographic composition including realistic, surreal, and abstract subject matter

Alternative Description for PR Track

Communication in a Digital World explores how data mining and Web 2.0 technologies shape our digital interactions. You'll examine social and technological shifts in digital spaces, explore Big Data sources, and develop data exploration skills. The course covers social media, computer-mediated communication, and mobile platforms through critical analysis and hands-on activities.

Extended Description
Data mining machines constantly probe and survey us to know our tastes, purchasing habits, social media contacts, and preferences. This introductory course overviews recent social and technological shifts in digital spaces and explores the ubiquity and exponential growth of Internet-based data sources (Big Data). You'll critically examine social and cultural consequences of Web 2.0 technologies, networks, information architectures, social media, and mobile computing platforms. The course develops data exploration skills including analyzing, quantifying, plotting, interpreting, and visualizing data while presenting summaries using Excel, SOFA Statistics, and open-source applications.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Critically examine the social and cultural consequences of Web 2.0 technologies, networks, information architectures and resources, social media and computer-mediated communication, and mobile computing platforms

• Use and demonstrate data exploration skills including analyzing, quantifying, plotting, interpreting, revising data, visualizing cluster data, and applying strategies to clean and transform data

• Present data summaries in charts or tables and simple visualizations using Excel, SOFA Statistics, and open-source applications

What is Photo Design with Photoshop?

Photo Design with Photoshop develops your proficiency in industry-standard visual production tools, combining technical skill with the design judgment that makes the difference between competent and professional-grade visual communications work.

The online Bachelor of Arts in Communication program prepares graduates to create written and visual content for digital and traditional platforms. This course develops the technical and aesthetic proficiency needed to do that work at a professional level, including an understanding of how color, composition, and typography interact in polished visual communications. The portfolio of work built in this course demonstrates competency directly applicable to roles in the program's career outcomes, including Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist, and Editor.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Effectively use the basics of photo design with Photoshop including tone enhancement, color selection, image sharpening, blur effects, pixel manipulation, and resolution changes

• Construct and composite seamless and complex photos using advanced masking techniques including channel selection, layer masks, clipping masks, color adjustment, and advanced blending

• Appreciate and use the aesthetics of photographic composition including realistic, surreal, and abstract subject matter

What is Feature and Magazine Writing?

Feature and Magazine Writing is an advanced writing course focused on the long-form storytelling and editorial production skills that distinguish experienced communications professionals from those who write only for functional formats.

Supporting communication initiatives in professional settings requires the ability to produce polished, publication-ready content across a variety of formats. This course develops the research, narrative, and editorial skills that distinguish feature writing from more functional forms of professional writing, and includes the pitching and marketing dimension that shapes how stories move from idea to publication. Graduates pursuing roles as Editors or in content-oriented communications work will find the skills developed here among the most directly applicable in the program.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Learn how to find and recognize a good feature story and effective storytelling elements

• Understand specific magazine markets and editorial content

• Learn how to write and structure various forms of longer feature articles in a way that's compelling to readers

• Develop a strong writing voice and style

• Demonstrate competence regarding pitching, querying, and article layout

What is Introduction to Advertising?

Introduction to Advertising is the strategic foundation course for the Advertising and Social Media specialization, giving you the historical and analytical grounding that makes creative and campaign work more purposeful and effective.

For students in the Advertising and Social Media specialization, this course provides the strategic and historical grounding that makes creative execution more purposeful. Understanding how brands are built, how audiences are segmented, and how advertising has evolved across media formats informs every downstream course in the specialization. Graduates in roles like Brand Strategist, Social Media Specialist, and Fundraising Consultant apply the brand development and persuasion frameworks introduced here throughout their professional work.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Analyze historical and modern advertisements through the lens of theoretical constructs and field-specific objectives

• Understand the advertising profession and basic functions of each role

• Understand brand development and its applicability to the field of advertising

• Apply copywriting techniques to written messages

• Create an effective advertising campaign that collectively integrates specific concepts, trends, and strategies across various mediums

What is Strategic/Promotional Writing?

Strategic and Promotional Writing is a hands-on writing workshop course that builds the professional content creation portfolio you will take into the communications workforce.

This course directly develops the capacity to support communication initiatives in professional settings by collaborating on campaigns, managing messaging, and contributing to media outreach. You will write and design promotional materials, press content, and presentations with structured critique at each stage, producing work that reflects the professional standards employers expect from communications graduates. The portfolio built here is applicable to both specializations: Advertising and Social Media, and Public Relations and Event Planning.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand key principles of effective online presentations

• Articulate ideas and concepts learned from other researchers and their research

• Conduct the pre-fieldwork exploratory research and literature reviews required for project proposals

• Discern the basic elements of sociological research and theory: culture and structure and how they complement each other; view the community through cultural, ethnic, and political lenses

What is Interaction Design?

Interaction Design is the technical and conceptual course that develops your understanding of how digital experiences are built, giving you both the programming skills and the user-centered thinking that modern digital communications roles increasingly require.

The Advertising and Social Media specialization in the B.A. in Communication reflects the reality that effective digital communicators need to understand the interactive environments where their content lives. This course develops both the technical knowledge and the design thinking behind interactive digital experiences, giving you a more complete perspective on how audiences engage with content across platforms. Students pursuing roles in digital storytelling, campaign strategy, and social media management will find this technical and conceptual depth a meaningful professional differentiator.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Create interactive web interfaces and browser-based art and animated scenes, design timeline-based authoring, and create user-centered navigation experiences using Adobe Animate, Dreamweaver, Construct 3, JavaScript Canvas and p5.js applications

• Evaluate the relevant concepts in perception and aesthetics as they relate to practical considerations such as composition, motion, and design on the Web

What is Creative Advertising Strategies?

Creative Advertising Strategies is the capstone applied experience for the Advertising and Social Media specialization, where you develop and deliver a full integrated marketing campaign for an actual client.

This course is the capstone-level applied experience for students in the Advertising and Social Media specialization. Working in teams on a campaign for a real client, you will apply the storytelling, design, and strategy skills developed throughout your degree in a context that mirrors agency and corporate communications environments. Graduates who complete this course carry forward demonstrated experience in campaign development directly relevant to roles including Brand Strategist, Social Media Specialist, and Sales Representative.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Learn the fundamentals of strategic advertising campaign design

• Learn principles of developing a strong client relationship

• Learn the fundamentals of advertising/marketing visual and copy design

What is Communication in a Digital World?

Communication in a Digital World examines the structures behind the platforms you work in every day, building the strategic and critical literacy that separates informed communications professionals from those who simply use digital tools without understanding them.

The B.A. in Communication online program is built around both creative development and digital strategy, and understanding how digital environments shape communication behavior is central to both specialization tracks. This course examines the structures behind the platforms that communication professionals use daily, from the algorithms that determine content visibility to the data practices that inform campaign decisions. Students who understand these dynamics bring more strategic thinking to roles in social media management, content strategy, and digital communications.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Effectively use the basics of photo design with Photoshop including tone enhancement, color selection, image sharpening, blur effects, pixel manipulation, and resolution changes

• Construct and composite seamless and complex photos using advanced masking techniques including channel selection, layer masks, clipping masks, color adjustment, and advanced blending

• Appreciate and use the aesthetics of photographic composition including realistic, surreal, and abstract subject matter

Alternative Description for PR Track

Communication in a Digital World explores how data mining and Web 2.0 technologies shape our digital interactions. You'll examine social and technological shifts in digital spaces, explore Big Data sources, and develop data exploration skills. The course covers social media, computer-mediated communication, and mobile platforms through critical analysis and hands-on activities.

Extended Description
Data mining machines constantly probe and survey us to know our tastes, purchasing habits, social media contacts, and preferences. This introductory course overviews recent social and technological shifts in digital spaces and explores the ubiquity and exponential growth of Internet-based data sources (Big Data). You'll critically examine social and cultural consequences of Web 2.0 technologies, networks, information architectures, social media, and mobile computing platforms. The course develops data exploration skills including analyzing, quantifying, plotting, interpreting, and visualizing data while presenting summaries using Excel, SOFA Statistics, and open-source applications.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Critically examine the social and cultural consequences of Web 2.0 technologies, networks, information architectures and resources, social media and computer-mediated communication, and mobile computing platforms

• Use and demonstrate data exploration skills including analyzing, quantifying, plotting, interpreting, revising data, visualizing cluster data, and applying strategies to clean and transform data

• Present data summaries in charts or tables and simple visualizations using Excel, SOFA Statistics, and open-source applications

What is Photo Design with Photoshop?

Photo Design with Photoshop develops your proficiency in industry-standard visual production tools, combining technical skill with the design judgment that makes the difference between competent and professional-grade visual communications work.

The online Bachelor of Arts in Communication program prepares graduates to create written and visual content for digital and traditional platforms. This course develops the technical and aesthetic proficiency needed to do that work at a professional level, including an understanding of how color, composition, and typography interact in polished visual communications. The portfolio of work built in this course demonstrates competency directly applicable to roles in the program's career outcomes, including Social Media Specialist, Brand Strategist, and Editor.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Effectively use the basics of photo design with Photoshop including tone enhancement, color selection, image sharpening, blur effects, pixel manipulation, and resolution changes

• Construct and composite seamless and complex photos using advanced masking techniques including channel selection, layer masks, clipping masks, color adjustment, and advanced blending

• Appreciate and use the aesthetics of photographic composition including realistic, surreal, and abstract subject matter

What is Introduction to Public Relations?

Introduction to Public Relations is the foundational course for the Public Relations and Event Planning specialization, establishing the strategic and relational frameworks that define professional PR practice.

The Public Relations and Event Planning specialization in the B.A. in Communication program is built around the professional skills this course begins to develop. Understanding how organizations build credibility, manage media relationships, and respond to stakeholder concerns is the strategic foundation of public relations practice. Graduates who take this course carry forward a professional framework applicable to roles including Public Relations Manager, Sales Representative, and Fundraising Consultant, across nonprofit, corporate, and government environments.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of PR departments, competencies, tactics, and tools

• Evaluate and write PR essential documents such as media kits, press releases, pitch letters, etc.

• Analyze and critique actual PR case studies

• Develop a PR portfolio

• Demonstrate computer literacy

What is Strategic/Promotional Writing?

Strategic and Promotional Writing is a hands-on writing workshop course that builds the professional content creation portfolio you will take into the communications workforce.

This course directly develops the capacity to support communication initiatives in professional settings by collaborating on campaigns, managing messaging, and contributing to media outreach. You will write and design promotional materials, press content, and presentations with structured critique at each stage, producing work that reflects the professional standards employers expect from communications graduates. The portfolio built here is applicable to both specializations: Advertising and Social Media, and Public Relations and Event Planning.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand key principles of effective online presentations

• Articulate ideas and concepts learned from other researchers and their research

• Conduct the pre-fieldwork exploratory research and literature reviews required for project proposals

• Discern the basic elements of sociological research and theory: culture and structure and how they complement each other; view the community through cultural, ethnic, and political lenses

What is Organizational Communication?

Organizational Communication is the applied theory course that explains why communication succeeds or fails inside organizations, giving you the analytical tools to diagnose and improve professional relationships and institutional dynamics.

Graduates of the online Bachelor of Arts in Communication contribute to organizations in roles that require coordinating teams, managing stakeholder relationships, and maintaining consistent messaging across internal and external audiences. This course provides the theoretical and practical grounding for that kind of professional work, examining how organizational structure, culture, and communication practices interact to shape outcomes. The skills developed here are applicable to every career title in the program's outcomes, from Brand Strategist and Public Relations Manager to Event Planner and Sales Representative

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Develop a variety of interpersonal and presentational skills for working in different work team situations and on a diversity of projects

• Use self-reflection in the process of improving one's ability to function in different work team situations

• Identify and articulate critical theory and principles of organizational communication

What is Interaction Design?

Interaction Design is the technical and conceptual course that develops your understanding of how digital experiences are built, giving you both the programming skills and the user-centered thinking that modern digital communications roles increasingly require.

The Advertising and Social Media specialization in the B.A. in Communication reflects the reality that effective digital communicators need to understand the interactive environments where their content lives. This course develops both the technical knowledge and the design thinking behind interactive digital experiences, giving you a more complete perspective on how audiences engage with content across platforms. Students pursuing roles in digital storytelling, campaign strategy, and social media management will find this technical and conceptual depth a meaningful professional differentiator.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Create interactive web interfaces and browser-based art and animated scenes, design timeline-based authoring, and create user-centered navigation experiences using Adobe Animate, Dreamweaver, Construct 3, JavaScript Canvas and p5.js applications

• Evaluate the relevant concepts in perception and aesthetics as they relate to practical considerations such as composition, motion, and design on the Web

What is Public Relations Project Management?

Public Relations Project Management is the most directly applied course in the program for students in the Public Relations and Event Planning specialization, where you manage a real campaign from brief to measurement.

For students in the Public Relations and Event Planning specialization, this course delivers the most direct professional preparation in the degree. You will plan, execute, and evaluate an actual PR campaign or event, developing the project management and client communication skills that brand communication and media outreach roles require. Graduates entering positions as Public Relations Managers or Event Planners apply exactly this kind of full-cycle campaign experience in their day-to-day professional work.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Reinforce the foundational principles in the practice of public relations

• Develop strong client communication programs through work on a variety of public relations projects

• Instill the importance of critical analysis and self-reflection into the overall quality of project outcomes as well as individual and team performance