The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective.
Risk and Crisis Communication (120 Credits)
Admission Requirements
Students are admitted directly into their desired major in the College of Communication upon admission and enrollment at Washington State University.
To remain admitted in any major in the College of Communication, a student must complete all required courses and have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. COM 300 must be completed with a C or better, and only two attempts are allowed, with a "W" counting as an attempt. With an appeal to the department chair, a student may request to take COM 300 for a 3rd attempt during a summer session. All pre-requisites must be met in order to move through the Murrow curriculum. If a student fails to complete the required curriculum, they will not be able to remain admitted in the Murrow College. If a student is failing to complete academic requirements in a reasonable timeline, an advisor will work with the student to identify another academic path. Students must remain in good academic standing in order to graduate with a degree from the Murrow College.
Direct to Degree for Transfer Students
Transfer students bringing in 30 or more semester credits from an outside institution, and a 3.0 or higher transfer GPA will be directly admitted into the Murrow College. After consulting with a Murrow Professional Academic Advisor, a student transferring with junior status (60 or more semester credits), with a 3.0 or higher transfer GPA, and who has completed COM 101 or COM 105 from another institution, will be allowed to take COM 300 in their first semester at WSU with all remaining 100-level required communication courses. All transfer students are required to consult with a Murrow Professional Academic Advisor prior to enrollment at WSU.
Below is a detailed schedule of studies in a 4-year format. However, students will develop their own academic plan in consultation with their professional academic advisor through the Murrow Center for Student Success. The BA in Strategic Communication is broken down into four main categories as found in myWSU under your Academic Requirements:
1. College Core Requirements: COM 101; 102; 105; 138; 210; and 300 (18 credits).
2. Strategic Communication Degree Requirements: COM 309; COMSTRAT 310; COMSTRAT 395; COMSTRAT 301; one Advanced Media and Society course from approved list (in footnotes); and one Specialization Elective course (in footnotes) (18 credits).
3. Major Requirements: Risk and Crisis Communication: COMSTRAT 324; COMSTRAR 326; COMSTRAT 483 or 478; COMSTRAT 477 or COM 490; COM 486 (15 credits).
4. Major Upper-Division Electives: (in footnotes) (9 credits).
| First Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| COM 101 | 3 |
| COM 138 | 3 |
| ENGLISH 101 [WRTG] | 3 |
| UCORE Inquiry1 | 6 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| COM 102 [COMM] | 3 |
| COM 105 [HUM] | 3 |
| HISTORY 105 [ROOT] | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning [QUAN] | 3 |
| UCORE Inquiry1 | 4 |
| Second Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| COM 210 | 3 |
| COM 300 [M] | 3 |
| COMSTRAT 301 | 3 |
| UCORE Inquiry1 | 6 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| COMSTRAT 310 | 3 |
| Major Elective2 | 3 |
| Specialization Course3 | 3 |
| Electives4 | 6 |
| Complete Writing Portfolio | |
| Third Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| COM 309 | 3 |
| COMSTRAT 324 [M] | 3 |
| COMSTRAT 326 | 3 |
| Electives4 | 6 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| COMSTRAT 395 | 3 |
| COMSTRAT 477 or COM 490 | 3 |
| Major Elective2 | 3 |
| Electives4 | 6 |
| Fourth Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| COMSTRAT 483 or 478 | 3 |
| Integrative Capstone [CAPS] | 3 |
| Electives4 | 9 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| Advanced Media and Society Course5 | 3 |
| COM 486 | 3 |
| Major Elective2 | 3 |
| Electives4 | 5 |
Footnotes
| 1 | Must complete 5 of these 6 UCORE designations: ARTS, BSCI, DIVR, EQJS, PSCI, SSCI. One lab science (BSCI or PSCI) must be completed. |
| 2 | Major Electives (9 credits): Select 300-400-level courses from COM, COMJOUR, COMSTRAT not used to meet other requirements, COM 495 internship credits, COM 497 or COMSTRAT 499 Special Projects credits in consultation with advisor. A maximum of 6 credits of 495/497/499 may apply towards major electives. |
| 3 | Specialization Course (3 credits): Any COM, COMJOUR, or COMSTRAT 475-490 not used to meet other requirements. |
| 4 | A maximum of 12 credits of COM/COMJOUR/COMSTRAT 495/497/499 allowed towards 120 credits required for graduation. Consult with a Murrow advisor. |
| 5 | Advanced Media and Society Course (3 credits): Select from COM 421, 440, 464, 471, or 479. |