Walden’s comprehensive online B.S. in Communication program begins with a common core of courses that emphasize interdisciplinary communication theory and methods.
Choose one of these optional concentrations so you can tailor your studies to suit your personal and professional objectives:
If you would like to expand your focus beyond the field of communications or merge your interests with other areas of study such as business, human services, psychology, or public health, explore the General Program. Students who pursue theGeneral Program can select up to 17 courses from any Walden bachelor’s program or transfer up to 135 credits from another academic institution.
You also have the option to pursue an undergraduate minor. Your minor must be in a discipline outside your bachelor’s degree program area. Adding a minor to your program of study allows you to gain multidisciplinary skills that can help you advance toward your professional goals.
General Program
Whether it’s writing a press release for a nonprofit association, creating a marketing campaign for a Fortune 500 company, or presenting the latest social media strategy for a government agency, your skills as a communications professional play an integral role in the operation of your organization. The General Program can prepare you for a career in a variety of settings including corporations of all sizes, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.
By selecting the General Program, you can tailor your course of study to support your career goals and to allow the flexibility to explore a range of topics through courses from all of Walden’s undergraduate programs. This option may be a great choice if you already hold an associate degree or have a high number of transfer credits.
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Elective courses (85 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 17 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 25 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 85 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
Emerging Media
From smartphones and social media to blog posts and podcasts, today’s technology provides organizations with more opportunities to communicate and connect with their audiences than ever before. A concentration in Emerging Media explores ways to help organizations use these modern tools successfully and stay at the forefront of the latest trends in digital marketing and communication.
Graduates with communication skills in emerging media may pursue career options in a variety of roles that include social media specialists, online marketing managers, Web coordinators, e-commerce specialists, copywriters, and more.*
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (15 cr.)
- Elective courses (70 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 14 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 15 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 70 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Health Communication
Healthcare is a rapidly evolving and increasingly complex sector that demands specialized communication skills. Communications professionals in this setting are expected to craft and deliver targeted messages on important issues to a wide range of audiences, including patients, practitioners, policymakers, and the public.
In this concentration, you can learn how to effectively shape messages to promote wellness, awareness of public and global health issues, and challenges and opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. Additional topics explore stress and personal health management, communication to diverse populations, and social media in marketing and communications.
Graduates from this concentration may pursue career options in various settings that focus on hospital public relations, public health communications, social media and blogging in the healthcare industry, promotion of community wellness programs, and more.
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (15 cr.)
- Elective courses (70 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 14 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 15 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 70 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
Management and Organizational Communication
Strong internal and external communication is critical to any organization’s success and plays a key role in cultivating a healthy corporate culture. With a concentration in Management and Organizational Communication, you will have the specialized expertise to enhance communication and presentation skills among employees, corporate leadership, stakeholders, and other audiences within the business environment. You will explore strategies and approaches for managing communications in times of crisis, including contingency planning, transparency, stakeholder analysis, and ethics.
Graduates with skills in management and organizational communications may pursue career options as internal communications managers, corporate trainers, human resource representatives, communications specialists, and more.*
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (15 cr.)
- Elective courses (70 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Course
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 14 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 15 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 70 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Courses
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Marketing Communication
In today’s global and digital economy, marketing and communication are highly integrated, with professionals from both fields often working together as one cohesive team. A concentration in Marketing Communication can provide you with both the marketing savvy and comprehensive communication skills to lead integrated strategies that effectively engage audiences and move them to take action.
Graduates with marketing communication skills may pursue career options in a variety of roles such as corporate communication specialists, marketing managers, advertising account executives, copywriters, editors, and more.*
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (20 cr.)
- Elective courses (65 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 13 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 10 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 65 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Political Communication
From campaign manager to political strategist to media relations specialist, the dynamic political arena offers communications professionals many diverse career options.* This concentration in Political Communication allows you to study communication as an integral component of political science and provides a solid understanding of how information flows through political processes.
As a student in the concentration, you can learn how to plan and manage crises and promote positive social change through effective communication strategies. You will also examine the legal aspects of social issues and how private companies, nonprofit organizations, and federal agencies employ communication strategies to advance their political goals.
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (15 cr.)
- Elective courses (70 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 14 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 15 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 70 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Public Relations
Behind most top companies is a savvy public relations team or agency that helps build and maintain the organization’s brand and image. The Public Relations concentration can help you learn the foundational elements of PR and identify best practices that you can apply in your industry. You will evaluate your own communication style in order to strengthen your verbal and written communication skills. Coursework covers topics ranging from press release writing and publicity planning to media relations and crisis management. At the end of your program, you will have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned to solve a communication challenge for a real-world organization.
Graduates who focus on the Public Relations concentration may pursue career options in nonprofit organizations, corporations, and government agencies as public relations specialists, information officers, publicity managers, newsletter editors, and more.*
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (20 cr.)
- Elective courses (65 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Elective Courses
Choose 13 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 10 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 65 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
Self Designed
From a corporate marketing director to a grassroots campaign organizer, the field of communication offers a broad range of roles to professionals within private, public, and nonprofit sectors.* With a Self-Designed concentration, you can expand your versatility and adapt to more roles as a communications professional by combining courses from across all of the B.S. in Communication concentrations.
By selecting the Self-Designed concentration, you will complete the B.S. in Communication core courses and then customize your program of study by selecting at least three courses from the other B.S. in Communication concentration areas. You can select courses from three different concentrations or mix and match to meet your needs. For those without a specific interest, Walden recommends one course from Marketing Communications, one course from Public Relations, and one course from Management and Organizational Communication.
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (45 cr.)
- Concentration courses (15 cr.)
- Elective courses (70 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
Students may be eligible to transfer up to 135 credits. At least 45 credits must be completed at Walden.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Foundation Course
Core Courses
Concentration Courses
Select at least three courses from any B.S. in Communication concentration courses. All prerequisites must be met. The following courses are recommended: PREL 4101, MRKT 4511, and COMM 4101.
Elective Courses
Choose 14 courses from general education, B.S. in Communication, or other Walden bachelor’s degree programs. At least 15 credits must be at the 3000–4000 level. Your elective credits should total 70 to meet your program requirements. You may also be eligible to transfer previous credit to meet your elective requirements. Note on Minors: Electives can also be used to complete a 6-course minor.
Capstone Course
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.