Communication — minor

FEATURES:

• Practicum provides work experience and industry contacts
• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study
• Program eligible for financial aid

Across disciplines and industries, employers in B.C. and Canada list communication skills as a must-have.

Indeed, to succeed in today’s high-tech, info-crazed world, the ability to weave words and images together is essential. Whether it’s an email message, oral presentation, résumé, magazine article, how-to-manual, travel brochure, novel, bus billboard, web page, or even a cereal box, communication material has to be written and presented in a clear and compelling style to appeal to its intended audience.

You can earn a minor in communication while majoring in another discipline. Your communication minor will develop your skills in writing, public speaking, and design and give you experience in applying your skills to a variety of genres and media.

Regardless of which career you choose, effective communication skills can give you the edge that sets you apart and provides you with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. It can also lead to an exciting career in communication, marketing, public relations, fundraising, and more.

View the program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

Declaration of Minor

You may formally declare a Communication minor only after you have completed at least thirty credits in your program with a minimum of a 2.00 CGPA on all credits attempted, provided that you have also met the declaration requirements of the subject discipline. See an advisor to declare your minor.

How to apply

For information on how to add a Communication minor to your degree, please make an appointment with an Arts advisor. When you are ready to apply, visit the Office of the Registrar. You can submit your application, along with the required documents and application fee, to the Office of the Registrar at any campus or centre.

When to apply

If you plan to start your studies in the fall, your application should be received by January 31. Applications received after this deadline will be considered if space is available in the program.

Some communications courses that are listed as electives for UFV programs are required by professional associations and societies, or for transfer to university programs. Contact the Communications department for information on these courses or Make an appointment with an Arts advisor or refer to the B.C. Transfer Guide before registering.

What do communication professionals do?

Make and move messages within or between individuals, organizations, companies, NGOs, charities, societies, cultures, and media. They deliver ideas to public or private audiences.

What industries/fields need communication professionals?

Any organization that communicates with the public, clients, or businesses, such as corporate management, governmental management, policy producers, political and charitable interests all connect with, influence, or inform public, clients, and strategic partners, often through the media.

Most large industries or corporate entities communicate internally, between departments, offices, or branches. Corporate communication and Organizational communication professionals shape and move this kind of messaging.

What does a communication career involve?

You shape the public or private/interior voice and identity of an organization, in writing, webpage design, A/V, social media, and public/media engagement.

If you’ve ever interacted with a company, a charity, a government, or an NGO, a professional communicator created the pathways, messages, materials, and themes for that communication.

See the list of career possibilities for comms grads

Composition Placement Test (CPT)

The CPT is an English placement test designed to assess writing and grammar skills. The CPT may be used in place of English 12 as a prerequisite for many UFV courses. For more information about the Composition Placement Test please visit Assessment Services.

View the Communications Minor entrance requirements in the UFV Academic Calendar.

This program is open for international students

• How to apply

Demonstrate competency in creating professional messages across a wide spectrum of media that fulfill specific communication purposes and meet the needs of the audience.

• Create direct and indirect messages for print, digital, and oral media in regional and global contexts
• Compose, evaluate, and critique a wide variety of message types
• Engage in planning, brainstorming, drafting, and revising stages in message development
• Use concise, clear, correct language

Model effective and professional communication skills for interpersonal, team, organizational, and culturally diverse contexts.

• Translate knowledge for different audiences and purposes
• Demonstrate cultural responsiveness
• Work collaboratively and productively in a team

Demonstrate information literacy skills.

• Gather, evaluate, and incorporate evidence to support claims/arguments
• Apply citation styles correctly

Practice common document design techniques as they apply to a variety of workplace messages.

• Design effective and attractive documents and support materials by adhering to basic principles of design
• Determine appropriate visual requirements
• Create effective visuals

Apply rhetorical principles to the design and delivery of oral, print, and digital messages.

• Analyze an audience to determine the message medium, form, and tone
• Identify interactional goals
• Construct valid arguments
• Use ethical practices and language in preparing messages