At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The CASCM minor offers students the opportunity to balance a liberal arts foundation and orientation to communication with the media and production theory and skills necessary for supplementing career fields requiring effective oral, written and media production skills. This minor would complement majors in management, marketing, education, sales, training and development, government, human resources, and development.
What is Communication Arts and Mass Media?
Communications is an academic discipline that deals with the creation and distribution of mass communication messages through media such as books, newspapers, television, radio, film, video games and the internet. Mass communications use writing, photographs, video and interactive content to give information or influence the audience. Communications also concerns the study of how we communicate in different ways with diverse audiences through marketing, advertising, public relations, journalism, film and other media.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You recognize that having enhanced oral and written communications skills will benefit you professionally regardless of your major discipline.
- You want to build your digital-media production skills.
- You’d like to add a liberal arts balance to a business or technical major.
Entrance to Minor
Students must apply for entrance to the minor after achieving fifth semester classification. This minor is not available to students enrolled in any of the majors in the College of Communications or any other communication major including: CAS, CASBL, CASCC, CCBA, CCCC, COMAL, COMBA, COMCC, or COMCL.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
The Mass Media and Society  | ||
| Media and Democracy | ||
| Introduction to Media Effects | ||
| The Art of the Cinema | ||
| The Nature of Media | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Human Communication | ||
| Business and Professional Communication | ||
| Rhetorical Theory | ||
| Communication Theory | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6 select credits from any CAS or COMM 200-300 level courses | 6 | |
| Select 6 credits from any CAS or COMM 400-level courses | 6 | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
Erie
David H. Kahl Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Communication
44 Kochel
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6207
dhk10@psu.edu
Schuylkill
Valerie Schrader
Professor, Communication, Arts and Sciences
200 University Drive
Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
570-385-6072
vls146@psu.edu
Career Paths
The minor in Communication Arts and Mass Media can be pursued by students in most Penn State Behrend degree programs. The minor will help you to become a more skilled and critical creator and consumer of communications. Penn State Behrend has a comprehensive support system to help you identify and achieve your goals for college and beyond. Meet with your academic adviser often and take advantage of the services offered by the Academic and Career Planning Center beginning in your first semester.
Careers
A minor in Communication Arts and Mass Media will be a plus in any career field that requires facility with written and oral communications and presentation prowess, including education, political science, psychology, economics, accounting, and marketing.
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
A minor in the liberal arts, particularly when added to a major program outside of the liberal arts, demonstrates to graduate school admissions committees your commitment to interdisciplinary thinking.
Contact
Erie
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
170 Irvin Kochel Center
4951 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6108
HSSOffice@psu.edu
https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences
Schuylkill
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
200 University Drive
Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
570-385-6072
vls146@psu.edu