For the Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts and Sciences, a minimum of 124 credits is required in the following areas:

The program is based on the following seven skills groups that address workplace needs in the twenty-first century as identified by The American Society for Training and Development.

  • Learning to Learn:
    Courses in education and psychology
  • Reading, Writing, and Computation:
    Courses in reading, writing, math, and statistics
  • Listening and Oral Communication:
    Courses in music and speech communication
  • Creative Thinking/Problem Solving:
    Courses in philosophy, art, and speech communication
  • Self-Esteem/Goal-Setting/Motivation Career Development:
    Courses in psychology, management, speech communication, and career counseling
  • Interpersonal Relations/Teamwork/Negotiation:
    Courses in psychology, management, speech communication, and career counseling
  • Organizational Effectiveness/Leadership:
    Courses in speech communication, psychology, sociology, and management

Program Requirements
Suggested Academic Plan

  • General Education: 45 credits
    • Basic Skills: 15 credits
      • Writing/Speaking and Quantification
    • Health Education and Exercise Science: 4 credits
    • Distribution component: 27 credits
      • Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts, and Humanities
  • Degree Requirements: 12 to 24 credits
    • Foreign Language, Arts, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Non-Western Cultures

Major Requirements: 30 credits
Communication Arts and Sciences
A four-year B.A. degree program offered at Penn State Brandywine

Major Requirements: (All courses are 3 credits each)

PRESCRIBED COURSES: Core courses required for all majors (9 credits):
CAS 201: Rhetorical Theory
CAS 202: Communication Theory
CAS 204: Communication Research Methods

SKILLS COURSE: Select two courses from the following list: One at the 200-level and one at the 300-level (6 credits):
CAS 203: Interpersonal Communication
CAS 250: Small Group Communication
CAS 252: Professional and Business Communication
300-LEVEL CAS COURSE
CAS 352: Organizational Communication

SUPPORTING COURSES: (15 Credits: 12 credits at the 400-level; 3 credits at either 300- or 400-level):
CAS 402: Speech and Human Behavior
CAS 415: Rhetoric of Film and Television
CAS 450W: Group Communication Theory and Research
CAS 455: Gender Roles in Communication
CAS 470: Nonverbal Communication
CAS 471: Intercultural Communication Theory and Research
CAS 475: Studies in Public Address
CAS 495: Internship

Communication Arts and Sciences

CAS 201: Rhetorical Theory
Rhetoric is the study of messages and their persuasiveness. This course will introduce students to several rhetorical theories and methods for analyzing both classical and contemporary texts. In this course students will learn about the foundations of rhetorical analysis through Aristotle and Cicero, study the persuasiveness of political speeches, as well as apply rhetorical theories to popular culture films and music videos.

CAS 202: Communication Theory
Communication theories help us to understand how and why we communicate with one another. This is a survey course that will introduce students to several communication theories. This includes learning about more traditional theories such as Uncertainty Reduction, Social Exchange, Dramatism, and Face Negotiation as well as learning about the critical turn towards Marxism and Neo-Marxist theories. This course will also look at how these theories operate in both face-to-face communication as well as through online communication.

CAS 204: Communication Research Methods
What is academic research and how is it performed? This is an introduction course to research methods where student will learn about the process of conducting and publishing academic scholarship. This course is broken into three sections where students will learn the basics for conducting quantitative, qualitative, and rhetorical research. In this course, students will have the opportunity to collect and analyze their own research by administering quantitative surveys as well as performing ethnographic research through observations and field notes.

CAS 252: Business and Professional Communication
This is an introduction course to business communication where students will learn about the basics of interviewing, briefing, conferring, and decision making. Students will also analyze and evaluate formal and informal patterns of communication in organizations.

CAS 352: Organizational Communication
This course is an extension of CAS 252. In this course students will build on their business communication skills and take a more proactive approach in developing communication for work situations.

CAS 450W: Group Communication Theory and Research
Whether it is our family, our classmates, or work colleagues, we are all part of several groups. This course focuses on how group communication helps to form groups, develop norms, and accomplish tasks. This course will use examples from the business world, sports teams, and classroom to analyze what group strategies work best to accomplish goals and foster healthy relationships. As a group communication course, students will take part in several group activities and assignments.

CAS 455: Gender Roles in Communication
This course will look at how language is used to create gender roles in culture as well as explore research that analyzes how different genders use language differently. Students will learn about the origins of gendered pronouns as well as analyze how gendered language plays a role in shaping contemporary issues both domestically and internationally.

CAS 471: Intercultural Communication Theory and Research
People of different backgrounds communicate differently and see the world through the perspective of the culture they were raised in. This course will explore how language and communication patterns create culture and cultural norms. In this course students will discuss the role communication plays in cross-cultural relationships. By exploring how different cultures communicate within and among one another, students will gain an appreciation for the wide variety of ways cultures are shaped both domestically and around the world. 

CAS 475: Studies in Public Address
This course will track the long history and influence of public address. This course will start with the speeches of Socrates and end with the presidential addresses of the twenty-first century. This course will be divided into several sections where students will learn about important speeches throughout history that include presidential speeches, civil rights speeches, military speeches, peace speeches, and religious speeches. 

CAS 495: Internship.
Directed and supervised practicum in professional setting.

Electives: 25 credits Previous college credits that do not meet the criteria in general education, degree, or major requirements can be used as electives.