Communication, B.A. (Madrid)
In today's world of media saturation, technological change and globalization, studying communication sharpens the skills needed to succeed in your academic, professional and personal life.
At Saint Louis University, we don't think in terms of being flexible and adapting to the world as it is; we seek to educate students who will re-design the world for the better rather than acclimate to its current conditions.
Major in Communication
Composing an email. Decoding someone's gestures over lunch. Talking on the phone (while discreetly watching YouTube). Reading the newspaper and wondering how and why it represents and distorts the world it covers. Pondering a photo. Deciding when and how to tell a secret. If these and other communication-related practices are what you regularly do and provoke endless fascination, then our program in communication is for you. Our faculty is dedicated to deepening your understanding and capacities within a vigorously cross-disciplinary, socially conscious academic environment.
Our undergraduate major provides you with a comprehensive, internationally focused education in communication in an exceptionally diverse milieu. Faculty members enact a blended approach to theory and application that emphasizes intellectual curiosity for its own sake while cultivating useful skills.
We study human interaction and symbolic practices, educating you to be culturally fluent and ethically responsible leaders in corporate, government and nonprofit settings.
You also have the option to study abroad at the St. Louis campus or at one of our peer AAICU institutions.
For information about the assessment of student learning in this program, please see the University-wide website.
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication from SLU-Madrid requires the completion of a minimum of 120 hours of coursework, including 40 credits in the major.
Major Requirements (37 credit hours) for students entering the major before September 2021
Communication Core (13 credit hours)
- CMM 1000 Human Communication and Culture
- CMM 1200 Public Speaking
- CMM 2400 Media and Society
- CMM 2500 Media and Society Lab
- CMM 2800 Communication Research
Writing for Communication (3 credit hours)
- CMM 2100 Journalism: News Writing
Foundations (9 credit hours; 1 course from 3 of the 4 areas):
Public Communication and Dialogue
- CMM 3060 Political Communication
Leadership, Organizing and Relating
- CMM 3000 Interpersonal Communication
- CMM 4050 Theories of Persuasion
Communication, Culture and Community
- CMM 4010 Language and Linguistics
- CMM 3300 Intercultural Communication
Journalism and Media Studies
- CMM 1400 Film Criticism
- CMM 3110 Feature Writing
- CMM 3460 International Cinema
- CMM 3840 Analysis of Popular Culture
- CMM 4460 Global Culture and Media
Production Practices and Applications (3 credit hours)
- CMM 2550 Photojournalism
- CMM 4100 Multiplatform Journalism
Advanced Research (3 credit hours)
- CMM 4800 Ethnography of Communication
Additional Communication Electives (6 credit hours)
For students entering the major starting in September 2021, (1) the Foundations courses will be organized as follows and (2) the previous "Production Practices and Applications" requirement will no longer apply:
Select four courses out of these three foundation sections (at least one from each foundation)
Mass Media & Representation
- CMM 1400 Film Criticism
- CMM 3060 Political Communication
- CMM 3460 International Cinema
- CMM 4460 Global Culture and Media
- CMM 3840 Analysis of Popular Culture
Theories: Discourse, Relating & Community
- CMM 2000 Communication Theory
- CMM 3000 Interpersonal Communication
- CMM 3300 Intercultural Communication
- CMM 4050 Theories of Persuasion
- CMM 4010 Language and Linguistics
Production: Journalism & Visual Communication
- CMM 2550 Photojournalism
- CMM 2930 Design
- CMM 3110 Feature Writing
- CMM 4100 Multiplatform Journalism
- CMM 4930 Creation of Transmedia Stories
Minor Requirements
SLU-Madrid offers a minor in communication, an option many students pursue to increase their toolbox of skills and knowledge. It is comprised of 21 credit hours of courses.
- CMM 1000 Human Communication and Culture
One of the following three courses:
- CMM 2000 Communication Theory
- CMM 2400 Media and Society
- CMM 2800 Communication Research
Elective Courses (15 credit hours)
At least 2 of the elective courses (6 credit hours) must be at the 3000 or 4000 level
Qualified communication students may choose to earn up to three credits toward their degree by doing an internship. These students learn to implement the skills they study while gaining valuable professional experience at companies and non-profits in Madrid.
Quality teaching is the foundation of the department. We do not just talk about excellence. Our evaluations from students, semester-by-semester, testify to the delivery of excellence.
Along with enacting day-by-day devotion to teaching, we are committed to being active scholars (producing, editing and reviewing scholarship) in a field where change occurs at head-spinning velocity. The department's per capita rate of scholarly output compares with far larger institutions in a striking synergism of teaching and research commitment.
SLU-Madrid is committed to providing a quality Jesuit education at an affordable price. Tuition rates at the Madrid Campus are approximately 40% lower than at comparable private universities in the U.S.
If you have questions or would like to speak with a financial aid officer, email us at financialaid-madrid@slu.edu.
To be admitted to the major, you must have at least a 2.00 cumulative average and complete a declaration of major form, available in the Office of the Registrar. Upon acceptance to the program, you will be assigned a departmental advisor.
After completing 18 credits in the major, a student must maintain a 2.00 GPA in the major. Failure to meet this standard will result in the student being placed on probation. If the student's GPA in the major does not reach 2.00 after two additional semesters, the department may dismiss the student from the program.
To be certified for graduation, you are required to:
- Have at least a 2.00 cumulative average, a 2.00 average in the major and a 2.00 average in the minor or related elective hours.
- Complete 30 of your final 36 credits at Saint Louis University (either the Madrid or St. Louis campus).
- Submit the online application for degree before the beginning of the semester in which you intend to graduate.
Study New and Traditional Media
Our students are endowed with consistent practice in communicative productions in writing, images and new media interventions, followed by carefully fashioned feedback from faculty. Our methodology prepares students for real-world communication activities ― in media, publicity, journalism ― as well as other demanding creative fields.