Undergraduate Program
Undergraduate Communication majors at the University of Pennsylvania study media
institutions, communication and contemporary culture, and a variety of communication
influences in social, political, and economic contexts. Scholarship in communication
intersects with many disciplines— including history, psychology, sociology, anthropology,
political science, law, and economics—drawing from both humanistic and social-scientific
modes of inquiry to examine fundamental communication processes and effects.
The Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in communication is granted by the College
of Arts and Sciences, but the major curriculum is designed, administered, and instructed
by the Annenberg School for Communication. The major in communication consists of
14 courses, 11 in communication and 3 in other departments, selected by students
to support their primary interests. The curriculum has three goals:
- Expose students to major strains of communication scholarship—on media systems and
their functions, the relationships of these systems to cultural, political, and
economic life, and myriad influences of communication on the ways people think and
behave;
- Ensure that students acquire basic familiarity with the methods of research used
in communication scholarship and practice; and
- Permit flexible opportunities for advanced study in particular topics of student’s
own choosing.
Areas of concentration within The Annenberg School for Communication curriculum
include critical, cultural and historical media studies; research on children, family
and media; health communication; and political communication. The curriculum also
offers opportunities for independent study,
internship experience,
study abroad, and – through the
Communication and Public Service Program – for putting communication
to work in the service of community.
The Annenberg School partners with the School of Engineering and Applied Science
and the School of Design to offer an interdisciplinary major in Digital Media Design.
Visit http://cg.cis.upenn.edu/dmd/curriculum.php
for more information about the major and curriculum requirements.
Unless otherwise stated, the School follows the policies and procedures of the College
of Arts & Sciences regarding courses, grading, and other instructional matters (see
University of Pennsylvania rules).
For general information about the College of Arts & Sciences at Penn, visit www.college.upenn.edu.
In this website, you can find detailed information about courses, requirements,
and application procedures for the undergraduate communication major. For additional
information, please contact Alison Berstecher, Director of Student Services and
Registrar. The Undergraduate Office is located in room 204 of the Annenberg School.
Ms. Berstecher may be contacted by phone, 215-898-8892, or email,
aberstecher@asc.upenn.edu.