Communications Program at CSU
See our ranking of the Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs.
The Colorado State University Global Campus offers one of the only Bachelor’s in Communications degree programs in the world that is available entirely online. It prepares students for using the communication skills they developed to work as writers and editors, human resource managers and in other positions. Like other online bachelor’s programs, this one requires that students take 120 credits of classes, which will include general education courses, electives and classes from their majors.
Communication majors will need to take 12 required classes, including Applying Leadership Principles, Interpersonal Communication, Foundations of Strategic Communication, Communication Conflict and Persuasion and Technical Communication. Some of the courses available will help students succeed in the business industry. Creating a Diverse and Ethical Workforce goes over the basics of hiring practices and the questions that HR managers ask during the hiring process.
This program includes both a practicum and a capstone. The capstone asks students to take the skills they developed and apply those skills to real-life situations. In the practicum, students have the chance to use both their communication skills and research skills on a final paper or project. Colorado State University Global Campus encourages students to customize their degrees and take courses from other programs and disciplines, including emergency management, business administration, human resources and organizational development, marketing, and public relations.
About Colorado State University Global Campus
Colorado State University Global Campus is a branch of Colorado State University that offers online classes for students. It goes by CSU-Global Campus and just CSU-Global. Unlike other online schools that allow students to take all classes needed to earn a degree online, CSU-Global works as a completion school. Students transfer credits earned at another campus and finish their degrees online. Some programs allow students to bring in up to 90 credits. It offers 14 programs for bachelor’s degree students and a small number of master’s programs. Bachelor’s students can also choose from one of 25 specialization options.
The online version of the campus went live in 2007 and used the name CSU-Colorado to separate it from the main CSU campus. It later changed to a Global Campus as it began offering opportunities for students from other countries. The Colorado government granted the Global Campus the right to offer full degree programs in 2009, which established the online university as its own entity that was part of the CSU system.
CSU-Global has partnerships with a number of large agencies and major employers across the country. These partnerships allow adult students to go back to school and continue their education. It provides students with a 10% discount on all the classes they take. Partner organizations and companies include Farmers Insurance Group, Great West Financial, and AT&T. Around 19,000 students take classes through Colorado State University Global Campus each year, which is more than half the amount who take classes on the main CSU campus.
Colorado State University Global Campus Accreditation Details
Students do not need to worry about whether Colorado State University Global Campus has accreditation because it has regional accreditation from one of the top organizations. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS), which is a division of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredited the global and online campus of this university. With regional accreditation, students shouldn’t have any issues or problems with transferring in credits earned from another college with regional accreditation or with transferring credits earned at this university to another school. NCACS also allows students to apply for financial aid with the FAFSA and use any federal or state government aid awarded to them.
Colorado State University Global Campus Application Requirements
Before applying to the university, CSU-Global recommends that students talk with one of its enrollment counselors to learn more about the program they want to study. This also helps students learn about the technology requirements that they will need to take classes online. The next step is the submission of the online application. This application takes just 10 minutes to complete, which helps students save time applying. Though there is a $25 application fee, the university will waive this fee for students who are veterans or currently in the military and the dependents of service personnel.
Once a student completes the application, he or she will need to send official transcripts to the university. This allows CSU to determine the total number of credits the student can transfer in from another school. It will mail a Summary Credit Evaluation letter back to the student that goes over what it found. The student will then need to talk with a Tuition Planning Specialist. This specialist will go over the cost of attending CSU-Global, what the student needs to do to enroll and what financial aid is available.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The CSU-Global Campus ranks as one of the most affordable options for college students today. It offers a fixed tuition rate that charges students one rate based on the number of credits that they take. Students do not need to pay extra for any fees. The university charges $350 per credit hour for undergrads. As most undergrad classes are worth three credits, students pay $1,050 for each class that they take. The university will accept up to 90 credits earned from a community college or another school, which reduces the cost that students pay to finish their degrees down to just $10,500.
Students should submit a scholarship application to see if they qualify for one of the institutional scholarships available from the university. The university offers nine different scholarships, including one for CSU alumni who want to continue their studies and one for students with a minimum 3.7 grade point average. Students also have the option of using tuition reimbursement from an employer or using military benefits to pay for their classes.
All CSU-Global Campus students should submit the FAFSA to see if they qualify for any other aid. They may receive a government grant like the Pell Grant or qualify for a Stafford loan. With subsidized loans, the government will freeze the interest on that loan for a set period of time. Students can also qualify for unsubsidized loans that will acquire interest while the students are in school. The government also offers PLUS loans for parents of students attending Colorado State University Global Campus and other colleges.
To learn more about studying communications at Colorado State University, click here.