Communication
An 18-credit minor across communication theory, multi-media production, journalism, ethics, and faith — practical literacy for every career.
About the Minor
ACU’s Communication Minor is built for students who recognize that nearly every career rewards strong communication — and that “strong” means more than just being good at public speaking. The 18-credit minor combines communication theory (COM 300), multi-media production (COM 215), journalism (COM 210), faith-and-culture integration (COM 370), and ethics (COM 470), starting with Introduction to Communication (COM 203) as the foundation.
You leave with the conceptual frameworks communication scholars use, the hands-on skills media production demands, and the ethical lens that distinguishes communicators worth trusting from those who just sound good. The mix matters: theory without practice is abstract, practice without ethics is dangerous, and neither without a working understanding of culture really lands.
Pairs especially naturally with Business Administration, Marketing, Political Science, Christian Ministries, Music Ministry, Education, and any major where the work of communicating to audiences is part of the job.
What You'll Learn
Apply Communication Theory
Work through the major theoretical frameworks scholars use to understand how communication actually happens — interpersonal, mass media, and organizational.
Produce Multi-Media Content
Build hands-on skills in video, audio, and digital media production through real project work.
Report and Write Journalistically
Develop the research, interviewing, and writing skills that journalism requires — useful far beyond newsroom careers.
Engage Communication Ethics
Address the ethical questions that come up in media, public communication, advertising, and journalism.
Connect Faith, Culture, and Media
Examine how Christian conviction engages a media-saturated culture — through both critique and creative contribution.
Communicate Across Contexts
Adapt your communication for academic, professional, ministry, and public-facing settings.
Communication Shaped by a Biblical Worldview
A Biblical Worldview takes words and images seriously — what we say and show shapes other people. The minor's three integrating courses (theory, ethics, faith-and-culture) treat that conviction as central.
Communication as Service
At its best, communication serves the listener, viewer, or reader. ACU's communication curriculum treats persuasion and information as gifts to be offered rather than tools to leverage — the same conviction that runs through COM 100 Public Speaking shapes every course in this minor.
Equips you to communicate in ways that respect the people you're addressing.Ethics in a Media Age
A Biblical Worldview takes seriously that media shape how people see the world, themselves, and each other. COM 470 Communication Ethics works through the real questions media careers raise — accuracy, bias, manipulation, image, persuasion — without pretending the questions are easy.
Prepares you to make hard calls in roles where ethics rarely come pre-decided.Faith Engaging Culture
COM 370 Communication, Culture, and the Christian Faith makes explicit what's implicit elsewhere in the minor — Christian conviction engages culture through both careful critique and creative contribution. The course treats Christian communicators as participants in culture, not bystanders to it.
Grounds your work in the conviction that Christian engagement with media matters.Where This Minor Takes You
Communication isn't a niche skill — it's a multiplier on nearly every other major. Here's where the minor regularly shows up.
Public Relations and Marketing Communications
Step into PR, marketing communications, and brand-communications roles with both theory and production skills in hand.
Journalism and Media Production
Move into reporting, editing, podcasting, or video production roles — at faith-based and general-market outlets.
Church and Ministry Communications
Lead communications, media, and digital ministry work at churches, parachurch organizations, and Christian nonprofits.
Corporate and Internal Communications
Serve in employee communications, executive communications, and organizational communication roles.
Political and Public-Affairs Communications
Pair with Political Science for campaign, policy, and public-affairs communication careers.
Education and Training Communications
Bring communication skill into teaching, training, and instructional design roles.
Why Students Choose This Minor
The Communication Minor at ACU is built around the conviction that good communicators need theory, practice, ethics, and a working understanding of culture — and that few minors actually deliver all four.
Theory and Production Together
Communication Theory (COM 300) and Multi-Media Production (COM 215) are both required — most minors choose one or the other.
Ethics in the Required Core
COM 470 Communication Ethics is mandatory. Few undergraduate communication minors put ethics in the required block.
Faith-and-Culture Course Required
COM 370 Communication, Culture, and the Christian Faith brings Christian conviction into explicit conversation with media culture.
Same Faculty as the BA Communication
Communication Minor students sit in the same courses with the same professors as ACU's communication majors.
Pairs With Business, Ministry, Politics, and More
Especially common combination for Business, Political Science, Christian Ministries, Music Ministry, and Education majors.
Getting Started
The Communication Minor has a sensible prerequisite chain — starting with COM 203 in your sophomore year keeps the rest on track.
Talk With Your Academic Advisor
Map the 18 credits into your degree plan and identify which semester to slot each course into.
Take COM 203 Early
COM 203 Introduction to Communication unlocks COM 300 (Communication Theory) and is implicitly assumed by COM 370 and COM 470. Schedule it sophomore year.
View COM 203 →Confirm ENG 102 for Journalism
COM 210 Introduction to Journalism requires ENG 102 or ENG 105 — most students have ENG 102 in place by sophomore year, but confirm before scheduling.
Finish With COM 370 and COM 470
The faith-and-culture and ethics courses both assume the rest of the minor's content — save them for junior or senior year.
Explore More Options
Ready to Communicate Better?
The Communication Minor gives you the theory, production skill, ethics, and faith-and-culture lens that every career increasingly rewards. Apply or reach out today.
