A bachelor’s degree in communications is offered by many colleges and universities in the United States. The degree records a high number of annual enrollments. This large number of enrollments is due to the wide variety of career opportunities available for communication majors. It encompasses fields such as journalism, mass communications, public relations and advertising.
If you are considering the degree, you may wonder how long it will take you to pursue a degree in communications online. The length of time it take to earn the degree depends on the institution and the coursework. A majority of the programs take four years to complete. A few take three years. You will cover topics such as public speaking, media writing, persuasion and intercultural communication. You may also cover introduction to communication, research methods and media processes.
Credit Hours
There is a number of credit hours you must attain to graduate with a communications degree. Most institutions require a minimum of 120 credit hours. This includes at least 60 credits during the freshman and sophomore years and another 60 during the junior and senior years. You can choose to add four credits for electives. You must achieve a minimum of 13 credits in introductory communication subjects. These subjects are essential in preparing you for success in your particular areas of interest. You must also obtain a minimum of 47 credits for the general education requirements. These requirements are the foundations on which the degree is built. Advanced placements and vocational internships may also be included in these requirements.
Interest Areas
You must complete at least 60 credits before you pursue your interest areas. Classes in your area of interest are available in your junior and senior years. You must earn a minimum of 25 credits in your interest areas and six in other subjects. You are allowed to substitute up to four credits of electives for upper-level non-communication requirements. You will also need 26 to 29 credits for upper-level non-communications requirements. Those who have fewer than 120 credits hours after completing the course requirements will need electives. The number of electives varies with the missing credits. The more the missing credits, the higher the number of electives.
Benefits of Pursuing a Communications Degree Online
An online degree in communications has as much credibility as one earned on a physical campus and is now perceived to be valuable in today’s job market. An online degree option fosters an environment where you can interact with your lecturer and work with other students on projects. There is also a great level of flexibility. For instance, an online degree allows you to study in the comfort of your home. The size of the class also does not matter in this case since things are done electronically and students are no longer denied entry due to over-enrollment. Apart from flexibility and convenience, an online degree in communications has a wide variety of career opportunities. You can work in human resources, marketing, public relations, media, education and even law. These jobs have great prospects and good salaries. For instance, public relations managers earn an average salary of $104,140 per year. Human resource managers earn $104,440, marketing specialists earn $124,850 and lawyers earn $115,820.
Related Resource:
Top 10 Best Online Communications Degree Programs
Majoring in communications is a decision you won’t regret. You only need to be committed, hardworking and time-conscious to succeed. The items discussed above will provide you with all the information you need to know how long it will take to complete a degree in communications online.