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Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies Online

Become an effective interpersonal, professional and organizational communicator by deepening your ability to be heard and understood by your audience in a variety of situations.

Next Apply Date: 8/5/26
Next Class Start Date: 8/19/26
Apply Now
Next Apply Date: 8/5/26
Next Class Start Date: 8/19/26

Program Overview

Take a look at the online communication studies program

Develop strong communication skills, which Forbes magazine lists as the top skill employers seek. Earning your Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies online at A-State can help open up a wide variety of career options, giving you the competencies to succeed in numerous professions and industries.

Employers today recognize that the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively is directly correlated to enhanced productivity and successful collaboration. In our online B.A. in Communication Studies, you will develop a research-based understanding of how people and organizations receive, share and interpret information and learn both the theory and practical application of communication strategies.

You will strengthen your critical-thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills by studying oral, written, electronic and interpersonal communications as well as persuasive tactics, conflict resolution, and crisis management. Through multidisciplinary experiential coursework, you will learn how to communicate effectively across large organizations and diverse cultures.

Interested in pursuing a double major? Pair your online B.A. in Communication Studies with other select A-State Online programs, including our B.A. in Criminology, B.A. in Political Science, B.A. in Sociology or B.S. in Business Administration.

This versatile degree prepares you to move into a variety of positions in the private, public and nonprofit sectors from media and marketing to public relations, politics, advocacy and more.

In addition, students who have completed 60 undergraduate credit hours are eligible to take up to 12 graduate-level credit hours toward the MS in Strategic Communication program. This accelerated pathway reduces program costs and helps students graduate faster, creating a streamlined transition from bachelor’s to master’s study.

In this program you will:

  • Learn how people use verbal and nonverbal messages to create meaning across cultures, contexts and media
  • Build essential communication skills that support academic success, career growth and personal relationships
  • Gain both theoretical insight and practical experience to become a more confident, effective communicator
  • Customize your studies by exploring areas of interest within a flexible, well-rounded curriculum
In this program you will:+
  • Learn how people use verbal and nonverbal messages to create meaning across cultures, contexts and media
  • Build essential communication skills that support academic success, career growth and personal relationships
  • Gain both theoretical insight and practical experience to become a more confident, effective communicator
  • Customize your studies by exploring areas of interest within a flexible, well-rounded curriculum

Prepare for a broad range of professional roles, including:

  • Technical Writer
  • Communications Manager
  • Community Manager
  • Social Media Manager
  • Copywriter
Prepare for a broad range of professional roles, including:+
  • Technical Writer
  • Communications Manager
  • Community Manager
  • Social Media Manager
  • Copywriter

Gain the knowledge and industry-relevant skills employers seek:

  • Oral & written communications
  • Technical writing/editing
  • Social media platforms
  • Content management
  • Public relations
Gain the knowledge and industry-relevant skills employers seek:+
  • Oral & written communications
  • Technical writing/editing
  • Social media platforms
  • Content management
  • Public relations

Also available:

A-State offers a variety of undergraduate programs in a convenient online format. Explore our full range of online undergraduate programs.

Per Credit Tuition: $302
Transfer Credits: Up to 90 hours
Credit Hours 120
Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 866-621-8096

Call 866-621-8096

Tuition

Low tuition plus financial aid packages for those who qualify

A-State's online programs are affordable and convenient. You may also qualify for financial aid. Learn more.

The B.A. in Communication Studies online program offers the same low, pay-by-the-course tuition to all U.S. residents. All fees are included. Tuition may be subject to change on a yearly basis.

Tuition breakdown:

Per Credit Hour: $302
Tuition Per Course: $906

Transfer your credits for lower tuition

Use our Tuition Estimator to see how affordable your degree could be. Slide the notch to the number of credits you've already earned—which may qualify for transfer credit—to get an estimate of what your degree might cost.

0
90
Transfer Credits: 0
Your Estimated Tuition: $Your Estimated Tuition:
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Transcripts sent from other colleges and universities will be evaluated, and accepted credits will be added to the student's A-State record. The Tuition Estimator is not a guarantee or predictor of the number of credit hours that will be accepted.

You may be closer to Graduation than you think!

A-State-approved credit for prior learning recognizes your previous accomplishments, reducing your tuition costs and time to graduation.

Calendar

The schedule for our online bachelor's degree in communication studies

Add these key dates to your calendar for the online bachelor's degree in communication studies.

Please note Summer 1 and Summer 2 terms are 5 weeks in duration for this program.

View full calendar +

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Summer 15/26/265/12/265/12/265/21/265/22/266/26/26
Summer 26/29/266/15/266/15/266/25/266/26/267/31/26
Fall 18/19/268/5/268/5/268/13/268/14/2610/2/26
Fall 210/12/269/28/269/28/2610/8/2610/9/2612/4/26

Now enrolling:

Next Apply Date 8/5/26
Start Class 8/19/26

Have questions or need more information about A‑State online programs?

Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from A-State?

Apply Now

Admissions

Applying to A-State is easy – just follow these steps

Review the admission requirements for the online B.A. in Communication Studies program and take the next step toward earning your degree.

Applying to A-State Online is simple. Our streamlined process and dedicated enrollment specialists are here to help you complete your application quickly and confidently.

Admission Requirements:

  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • 2.0 GPA for transferring credits
View all admission requirements +

Admissions Requirements Details

Arkansas State University offers multiple admission pathways for undergraduate students, based on your academic background and prior college experience.

Transfer Students (13+ College Credits)

You may be admitted as a transfer student if you:

  • Have 13 or more transferable college credit hours
  • Earned a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher on all transferable coursework

First‑Time Freshmen (0–12 College Credits)

All freshman applicants are required to submit official ACT or SAT scores.

Recent High School Graduates (within the last 5 years)

You may be automatically admitted if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • 3.0 cumulative high school GPA (or equivalent GED score), or
  • ACT 19+ (super score) or SAT 990+, or
  • Top 20% of your high school graduating class

Applicants who do not meet automatic admission criteria may still be considered through an admissions appeal process.

Non-Traditional Students (Out of High School 5+ Years)

If you have been out of high school five years or more and have completed 12 or fewer college credit hours, you may be admitted if you:

  • Hold a high school diploma or state‑approved equivalent
  • Submit official Accuplacer, ACT or SAT scores
  • Have not previously enrolled at Arkansas State University

High school GPA is not considered for this admission pathway. Applicants are admitted based on diploma status and test scores.

Note: Regardless of admission type, if you have 0-12 transferable college hours, test scores will still need to be submitted for reporting purposes to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). Although test scores are not needed for an admission decision, they are needed to register for your first course. Accuplacer test scores are an acceptable alternative to ACT/SAT scores and must be dated within the past five years.

​Application Submission Requirements

Submitting your application takes three easy steps: filling out the application, submitting your documents and paying the application fee.

  1. When completing the online application, select 100% online student and then complete all the steps on the online application.
  2. Pay $30.00 non-refundable application fee.
  3. Submit all official college transcripts.
  4. Submit official high school transcripts (if applicable).
  5. Submit official ACT/ SAT test scores (if applicable).

If you have any questions along the way, call us at 866-621-8096 and we’ll be happy to help answer questions.

Document Submission Address

Submit all documents to:

A-State Online
P.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467

Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]

For Non-US Postal Mail Overnight Delivery Only:

A-State Online
c/o Central Receiving
2713 Pawnee St.
Jonesboro, AR 72401

Ranked #4 for "Communication" by Niche.com

A-State is ranked #4 among the "Best Colleges for Communication in Arkansas" by Niche.com, 2026

Courses

Preview the topics you'll examine in the communication studies program

To earn your Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, you need to complete 120 credit hours of coursework. The program includes 38 credit hours of general education courses, 36 credit hours of major courses and 46 credit hours of elective courses. Students can finish faster by transferring previously earned credit hours. Transfer credit hours will be evaluated during the admission process.

You can view your schedule of courses for this degree through the Course Smartsheet:

View the AOS Course Smartsheet

How to Use the Course Smartsheet

Expand All

Core Requirements:

Students may choose either COMS 3363 or COMS 3433 as a core requirement course. The rest of these core courses must be taken to complete your degree.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of logical reasoning used in advocacy, analysis, use of evidence, inductive and deductive reasoning.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of logical reasoning used in advocacy, analysis, use of evidence, inductive and deductive reasoning.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of qualitative and quantitative ap­proaches to communication research.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Provides critical approaches from the humanistic con­dition engaging media, public discourse, and interpersonal communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A study of interpersonal communi­cation.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of foundational and current theories of com­munication and applications of these theories in communication contexts.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Application of skills and knowledge gained in the Communication Studies major through a research project presented orally and in writing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of foundational and current theories of communication and applications of these theories in communication contexts. Prerequisite, COMS 1203.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A study of interpersonal communication. Prerequisite, COMS 1203.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of listening in the communication process, emphasis on listening improvement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Provides critical approaches from the humanistic condition engaging media, public discourse and interpersonal communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Application of skills and knowledge gained in the Communication Studies major through a research project presented orally and in writing.
Students must take 21 hours of the following elective courses. COMS 3363 and COMS 3433 must be taken as electives if not taken to satisfy the core requirement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Theory and practice of persuasion as an instrument in motivating human conduct.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of listening in the communication process, emphasis on listening improvement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Provides critical approaches from the humanistic condition engaging media, public discourse and interpersonal communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Emphasis on increasing student's capacity for openness, sensitivity, and objective appraisal.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Conflict as a communication variable created through inter­personal interaction in dyads, small groups, families, and organizations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the major cultural, interpersonal, and public communication issues affecting health communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Dynamics and theories of communication within an organization.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course considers how identities, relationships and communities are created and influenced by our use of computers and the internet. We will gain understanding of these processes by engaging new media scholarship and activities involving different forms of new media. Prerequisites: COMS 1203, or instructor permission.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Nature and theoretical foundation of public rela­tions, its role in society, practitioners and dynamics of the process.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Provides critical approaches from the humanistic con­dition engaging media, public discourse, and interpersonal communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Theory and practice of persuasion as an instrument in motivating human conduct.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Identification of barriers and breakdowns to com­munication among cultures.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Emphasis on increasing students capacity for openness, sensitivity, and objective appraisal.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Explores the social construction of health, illness, and healing through the study narrative.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of qualitative and quantitative ap­proaches to communication research.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Advertising history, theory and practice, including traditional and nontraditional media.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An investigation of communications during crises, focus­ing on public relations, advertising and other persuasive efforts by institutions, corporations, movement leaders, and citizens to describe, persuade and shape human interactions with their environment during a crisis.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Identification of barriers and breakdowns to communication among cultures.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Dynamics and theories of communication within an organization.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Conflict as a communication variable created through interpersonal interaction in dyads, small groups, families, and organizations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course considers how identities, relationships and communities are created and influenced by our use of computers and the internet. We will gain understanding of these processes by engaging new media scholarship and activities involving different forms of new media.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the major cultural, interpersonal, and public communication issues affecting health communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Explores the social construction of health, illness, and healing through the study narrative.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Nature and theoretical foundation of public relations, its role in society, practitioners and dynamics of the process.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Advertising history, theory and practice, including traditional and nontraditional media.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An investigation of communications during crises, focusing on public relations, advertising and other persuasive efforts by institutions, corporations, movement leaders, and citizens to describe, persuade and shape human interactions with their environment during a crisis.

Students must take the following courses.

First-year course - Students must take the following Making Connections online course. If you transfer in more than 12 credit hours, you will not be required to take the Making Connections course. You may replace that 3-hour course with a 3-hour elective course.

First-year course (3 hours)
UC 1013

Departmental (3 hours)
COMS 1203

Communication Requirement (6 hours)
ENG 1003
ENG 1013

Mathematics Requirement (3 hours)
Students must take MATH 1023 or any MATH course that requires MATH 1023 as prerequisite.

Arts and Humanities Requirement (6 hours)
MUS 2503
ENG 2003
ENG 2013

Social Sciences Requirement (9 hours)

MDIA 1003 is a requirement 
POSC 2103
SOC 2213
PSY 2013

Life Science Requirement (4 hours)
Students must complete BIO 1003 with BIO 1001 lab.

Physical Sciences Requirement (4 hours)
Students must complete CHEM 1043 with CHEM 1041 lab.

Course Descriptions 

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Laboratory, must be taken with BIO 1003. There will be a fee when purchasing the LabKit. Please visit the tuition and fees page for pricing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The major characteristics and processes of life emphasizing the human organism. Promotes understanding of diversity and unity among living organisms with focus on ecological interactions and responsibilities of people within their social and natural environment. Lecture three hours per week. Special course fees may apply. Must be taken with BIO 1001.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Special course fees apply. Prerequisite or co-requisite of CHEM 1043. Fall only.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to selected fundamental concepts including dimensional analysis, mole concept, atomic and molecular structure, nomenclature, chemical reactions, thermochemistry, intermolecular interactions, gases, mixtures, kinetics, equilibrium and acid base chemistry. Fall only.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
AMERICAN POLITICS. The con­stitution, government, and politics of the United States.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Required course for all first semester freshmen. Course content is centered around the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful ASU student, including academic performance, problem solving, critical thinking, self management and group building skills, university policies and other relevant issues.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The theory and practice of communication in interpersonal, small groups, and public speaking contexts, emphasizing proficiency in message organization, delivery, and critical thinking.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The scientific study of society: Social institutions, social interactions, social inequality, social organizations, and social change.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The theory and practice of communication in interpersonal, small groups, and public speaking contexts, emphasizing proficiency in message organization, delivery, and critical thinking.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A one semester chemistry survey course introducing selected fundamental concepts including dimensional analysis, mole concept, atomic and molecular structure, nomenclature, chemical reactions, thermochemistry, intermolecular interactions, gases, mixtures, kinetics, equilibrium and acid base chemistry. Prerequisites: completion of MATH 1023, MATH 1043, or a MATH course for which these are a prerequisite. Corequisites: CHEM 1041.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Special course fees ap­ply. Corequisites: CHEM 1043.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the important scientific, principles of individual human behavior from biological, cognitive, social, and behavioral perspectives.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study and practice of fundamentals of written communication, including principles of grammar, punctuation, spelling, organization, and careful analytical reading. Prerequisite, with grade of C or better, for ENG 1013.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Continues the practice of ENG 1003 to develop further the skills learned in that course. Based on reading and discussion of various types of writing, the students’ essays will provide practice in different kinds of rhetorical development, including research and documentation.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to the analysis and interpretation of literary works from several historical periods ranging from early civilizations through the Renaissance.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to the analysis and interpretation of literary works from several historical periods ranging from the Renaissance to the present.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, systems of equations and inequalities, matrices, and miscellaneous topics. No credit given if taken following MATH 1054.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A study of the interaction between society and mass communication through the lenses of history, theory, economics, culture, law, and technology.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an introduction to music for the listener who has had no formal training or experience. By exploring the history of Western Art music, learners will begin to connect the development of music with the changing of society and culture.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
American politics. The constitution, government, and politics of the United States.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the important scientific, principles of individual human behavior from biological, cognitive, social, and behavioral perspectives.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Human society and social behavior.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Required course for all first semester freshmen. Course content is centered around the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful ASU student, including academic performance, problem solving, critical thinking, self-management and group building skills, university policies and other relevant issues.
"I have found at Arkansas State that my online professors have been more accommodating and willing to help than my on-campus professors were in the past. That blew my mind."
Brittany Westmoreland, B.A. in Communication Studies online graduate

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