Bachelor’s in Communication Online Degree Completion Program
Applications Accepted for:
Fall 2025: Oct. 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025
Click here to view upcoming application and document submission due dates.
With SDSU’s Bachelor’s in Communication degree completion program, you’ll learn how to develop integrated, interactive, and intercultural communication strategies designed for the twenty-first century.
- Overview
- Courses
- How To Apply
- Resources
About the Program
The SDSU Global Campus Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Communication Online Degree Completion Program is a communication program designed for the twenty-first century. You’ll learn how effective communication can promote civic engagement, help you effectively participate in today’s global workforce, and enhance your individual well-being and the strength of your relationships.
Your online courses will focus on the principles and patterns of social life through the observation, analysis, and criticism of different types of human interactions, communication behavior, mediated systems, and developments in communication technologies.
You’ll build a foundational knowledge of the theories and concepts of communication, but you’ll also learn how to apply those theories to a variety of career paths, including marketing, social work, politics, business, journalism, research, and academia.
What’s An Applied Arts and Sciences Degree?
Our communication program results in a B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences undergraduate degree. This means that you’ll need to demonstrate competency in mathematics by completing three semesters of college mathematics or a statistical sequence in order to graduate.
Please see the courses section for more details.
Is This Program Right for Me?
Our online communication degree program can help you learn how to communicate clearly and effectively in a professional setting. Graduates have found rewarding positions in a variety of occupations throughout the public and private sectors, such as sales, human resources, training, education, and consulting.
Many communication graduates work in:
- Public Relations
- Marketing
- Content Creation
- Media Buying
- Human Resources
- Corporate Communications
- Social Media Management
- Journalism
- Event Planning
- Politics
Many graduates have also decided to pursue advanced academic or professional degrees in fields such as law, management, and marketing.
All coursework is delivered in an online format, which means that you can complete your assignments and study the materials on your schedule. You don’t have to take time out of your professional career to come to campus, and you don’t have to put your other commitments on hold in order to earn your degree.
Best of all, you’ll receive the same highly-valued degree as SDSU’s on-campus students: a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Communication from San Diego State University.
Amazon employees are eligible to take this program. More details here!
What Can I Learn
Earning your Bachelor’s in Communication degree online means that you’ll have gained:
- An ability to comprehend, identify, and employ skills in debate, writing, verbal and nonverbal communication, listening, public presentations, teamwork and collaboration, conflict management, and professional interaction.
- A thorough comprehension of the nature, function, scope, delineations, and history of the communication discipline.
- An ability to identify, differentiate, analyze, and modify major communication theories, as well as formulate original theoretical creations.
- An ability to comprehend and differentiate major research paradigms, and the ability to propose and conduct original communication research.
- An ability to translate communication knowledge into applied contexts, policies, projects, interventions, or presentations.
- An ability to apply multiple perspectives towards self-understanding, in relation to your own and others’ (co)cultures, group affiliations, and identities.
- An ability to identify relevant evaluative criteria and apply them competently to self-reflection, ethical progress, and actual or envisioned communication situations and/or scenarios.
As a student in this online program, your lessons are led by communication experts from SDSU’s School of Communication, many of whom are repeatedly recognized for their quality teaching with institutional, regional, and national teaching awards. Your instructors are also recognized for their cutting-edge research in a variety of communication-related fields, including business organizations, family structures, healthcare, urban development, and social work.
Career Outcomes
Labor Analysis
Bachelor’s in Communication and Media Studies — Nationwide
- 203,942Job Postings in the last 12 months
- +14.38%Projected job growth in the next 10 years
- $38,000-$81,000Salary Range Average
Source: BLS & Burning Glass Technologies, 2020
With so many potential career paths, earning your undergraduate degree in communication is a smart career move. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 200,000 nationwide job postings over the last year seeking individuals with a Bachelor’s in Communication.
Why Should You Choose Us?
Reputation
San Diego State University has built a reputation as one of the nation’s top urban research universities. Our faculty are recognized internationally for their research and attract research funding from internal and external agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Opportunities
You’ll be joining an academic community that produces leading research in the field of communication. As an undergraduate student in the online communication degree program, you’re able to participate in that research through SONA, an online system where researchers post studies and recruit participants from undergraduate courses in communication. Undergraduate students can be chosen to become research participants in original faculty research.
Accessibility
SDSU’s online degree completion program is designed to fit the needs of today’s working students. All of our courses are 100% online and accessible from anywhere in the world. Best of all, you’ll have virtual access to dedicated student services, academic advising, and many of the same programs, resources, and services that SDSU’s on-campus students enjoy!
In order to earn a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Communication, in addition to any general education requirements, you’ll need to complete the following course requirements:
- 36 Units of Upper Division Courses
- 9 General Education Exploration Units
- 3 Writing Proficiency Units
Gateway Courses (6 units)
COMM 300: Conceptualizing Communication
COMM 350: Investigating Communication
Conceptualizing Communication (9 units)
COMM 371: Intercultural Communication
COMM 492: Persuasion
COMM 321: Introduction to Health Communication
Investigating Communication (6 units)
COMM 462: Ethnography
COMM 407: Communication Perspectives on Interviewing
Communication Electives (15 units)
COMM 307: Communication in Professional Settings
COMM 406: Organizational Communication
COMM 445: Relational Communication
COMM 482: Communication & Politics
COMM 485: Communicating Leadership
COMM 490: Internship
Communication Capstone (3 units)
COMM 495: Communication Capstone
General Education Explorations Courses (9 units)
GEN S 340: Confronting HIV/AIDS
COMM 371: Intercultural Communication
AMIND 440: American Indian History
Writing Proficiency Requirements (3 Units)
RWS 305W: Writing in Various Settings
Recommended Additional Courses
For entry to major or for students needing additional units to graduate
COMM 160: Argumentation (or equivalent)
COMM 201: Communication and Community
COMM 204: Advanced Public Speaking (or equivalent)
COMM 245: Interpersonal Communication
Note: Only six units from this list of recommended additional courses are required for entry to the major.
Graduation Requirements For Applied Arts And Sciences Degree
In order to earn a B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences degree from San Diego State University, you’ll need to satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement. To satisfy this requirement, you’ll need to complete three semesters of college mathematics or a statistical sequence, such as:
STAT 250 – Statistical Principles and Practices
STAT 350A – Statistical Methods
STAT 350B – Statistical Methods
or
SOC 201 – Elementary Social Statistics
SOC 406 – Intermediate Social Statistics
SOC 407 – Survey and Experimental Research Methods
You can satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement with coursework completed before applying to SDSU. You can also complete the required coursework by enrolling in additional courses once you’ve been admitted to the program. Please contact your admissions advisor for more details.
Learn More About Transferring To SDSU Global Campus
We host a series of application workshops and transfer information sessions throughout the year to answer any questions about finishing your degree.
Out-of-State Applicants
While we welcome out-of-state students, SDSU Global Campus currently cannot accept applications from students residing in some specific states. Please check back often, as this list of approved states does change. View the list of authorized states here.
Admission Requirements
Below is a list of general admission requirements for the Bachelor’s in Communication Online Degree Completion Program.
We understand that every student’s academic journey is unique, and we encourage you to contact one of our Student Service Representatives to find out what you’ll need to successfully apply to the program.
- Have a minimum of 60 transferable semester (or 90 quarter) units by the semester prior to transfer. These courses must be complete with a grade of C (2.0) or better and cannot be taken for credit/no credit (Cr/NC). These courses include:
- 6 Units Selected from the Following Courses:
- Communication 160, 201, 204, 245
- Complete a minimum of 30 Units of General Education Courses
- The Golden Four Requirement, which includes:
- Oral Communication — complete a basic public speaking course or equivalent communication course with a grade of “C-” or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
- Written Communication — complete a freshman composition course that emphasizes essay writing or reading and writing concurrently with a grade of “C-” or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
- Critical Thinking — complete, with a grade of “C-” or higher, a second semester composition or writing course, or a course in reasoning and effective argumentative writing.
- Mathematics — complete a mathematics course above the level of intermediate algebra with a grade of “C-” or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
- 6 Units Selected from the Following Courses:
- Have an overall 2.75+ college GPA
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the American Institutions Graduation Requirement
- The American Institutions requirement is designed to demonstrate that students have an understanding of American history, the United States Constitution, and California state and local government.
Application Instructions
If you meet the admissions requirements and wish to apply, please complete an application through Cal State Apply.
A $70 nonrefundable application fee is required of all applicants at the time of application.
Admission decisions are initially based on self-reported information provided via Cal State Apply. You must provide complete and accurate information on your application. Any misreporting will jeopardize an admission offer.
Please do not send your official transcripts unless you are offered admission.
Electronic transcripts are highly encouraged. Please ensure that you indicate this preference when making your request. If you are required to provide an email address to send the secure online document to SDSU, please use transcriptsforsdsu@sdsu.edu.
For more detailed admission requirements and other application information, please consult our Transfer Admissions Information.
Financial Aid
This program is approved for financial aid. To begin the financial aid process, visit the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website. There, you’ll be able to access the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
We encourage you to apply for financial aid as soon as possible.
The communication program teaches you different ways in which communication has been conceptualized and investigated, as well as ways in which members of the communication discipline have used their knowledge and scholarship to engage a variety of social problems. Courses focus on organizing principles and patterns of social life through observation, analysis, and criticism of human interactions, communication behavior, mediated systems, and technological innovations.
This major is firmly grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and is intended to prepare students to be effective members of society, as well as valued employees in whatever careers that they may choose to pursue. Graduates have often found positions in occupations such as sales, human resources, training, education, and consulting, or have pursued advanced academic or professional degrees in fields such as law, management, and marketing.
The communication degree completion program consists of 36 upper division units in five core areas, including foundations of communication, conceptualizing communication, investigating communication, electives, and a capstone project.
The courses focus on organizing principles and patterns of social life through observation, analysis, and criticism of human interactions, communication behavior, mediated systems, and technological innovations.
The classes in the online communication degree completion program are taught by the same SDSU faculty who teach on campus and bring a broad array of academic and real-world experiences to the curriculum.
This program can be completed online in two years.
Our communication degree can help open doors in many fields. With a foundational knowledge of the theories and concepts of communication, you’ll also learn how to apply those theories to a variety of career paths, including marketing, social work, politics, business, journalism, research, and academia.