Program: Communication, Media and Theatre Arts Comprehensive [BA] - Washtenaw Community College Articulation (2018-2021) - Eastern Michigan University

Apr 06, 2025

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

This major is built off of an articulation agreement, a specialized agreement between a four-year university, in this case, Eastern Michigan University, and a community college. Faculty from both schools collaborated to design an agreement that facilitates the smooth transfer of course credit from a two-year associate’s degree program to a four-year bachelor’s degree program.

This agreement is effective Fall 2018 - Summer 2021. Students have until Summer 2026 to graduate from Eastern Michigan University using this agreement.

A Bachelor of Arts with a Communication, Media and Theatre Arts Comprehensive Major provides students with the opportunity to create an individualized program of study in communication, media, and theatre arts.

Learn

Students will develop an understanding of human interaction as it is expressed in a variety of communicative, mediated, and performance contexts. Students will choose an area of concentration related to their interests with the goal of enhancing critical thinking, sound analysis, and dynamic expression.

Opportunities

Students will have the opportunity to develop their skills through a wide variety of programmatic based co-curricular activities. These include, but are not limited to, participation on a nationally ranked forensics team, working in various media outlets, and participation in an extensive theatre season with both on campus and touring productions. Upon completion of this degree students are prepared for graduate study and careers in the fields of communication, media, and theatre arts.

School Information

Communication, Media & Theatre Arts 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6956

Dennis O’Grady, PhD, Director

Advisor Information

Dennis Patrick O’Grady, PhD, Professor, 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6956

Student Eligibility

A student’s eligibility to graduate from this major is determined by the following.

Apply and granted admission to Eastern Michigan University (emich.edu/admissions).
A completed associate degree, certificate, or adequate coursework. Students eligible to follow an articulation agreement typically transfer 60 credit hours to EMU. Eligible students who transferred in less than 60 credit hours had unique circumstances and were granted permission to follow the articulation agreement by the Director of Community College Relations (emich.edu/ccr).

Interested students should meet with their community college advisor for information on following the articulation agreement before transferring to EMU. After transferring to EMU, a student must consult with the Community College Relations Office to confirm eligibility.

Major Requirements: 42 hours

All requirements must be met, as listed below. Please note that all “COMM” courses were previously listed as “CTAC.”

Required Courses: 3 hours

CTAO 205 Voice and Articulation 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 15 hours

At least three credits from each of the five following areas

I. Communication
COMM 224 Advanced Public Speaking 3 hrs
COMM 350 Persuasion 3 hrs
COMM 354 Organizational Communication 3 hrs
COMM 359 Small Group Communication 3 hrs
II. Interpretation/Performance Studies
CTAO 210 Interpretative Reading [GEKH] 3 hrs
or satisfied by COM 142 - Oral Interpretation of Literature @ WCC
III. Electronic Media and Film Studies
CTAT 130 Introduction to Digital Media [GEKS] 3 hrs
or satisfied by COM 130 - Introduction to Mass Communication @ WCC
CTAT 141 Digital Media Production for Non-Majors 3 hrs
CTAT 145 Introduction to Cinema Studies [GEKA] 3 hrs
or satisfied by HUM - 120 Introduction to Film @ WCC
CTAT 235 Global Cinema [GEGA] 3 hrs
CTAT 236 History and Criticism of Radio and Television 3 hrs
IV. Theatre Arts
CTAR 140 Script Analysis for Theatre Artists 3 hrs
CTAR 151 African American Theatre: An Introduction [GEUS] 3 hrs
CTAR 158 Fundamentals of Acting [GEKA] 3 hrs
or satisfied by DRA 152 - Acting I @ WCC
EDT 152 Technical Theatre: Scenery and Lighting 3 hrs
EDT 153 Technical Theatre: Costume and Makeup 3 hrs
V. Educational Drama
CTAR 222 Drama and Play in Human Experience [GEKA] 3 hrs
CTAR 322 Theatre for Children 3 hrs
CTAR 323 Improvising and Role-Play 3 hrs
or satisfied by DRA 204 - Improvisational Acting @ WCC
CTAR 324 Oral Interpretation of Children’s Literature 3 hrs
CTAR 327 Plays for the Young 3 hrs

Concentrated Study: 15 hours

At least one concentration (above) selected in consultation with advising coordinator (hours here are in addition to the restricted elective courses above). Each student must choose a writing intensive course as part of the major completion requirements. Writing intensive course must correspond to concentration area, as follows:

Communication Writing Intensive (Choose One):
COMM 440W Analyzing Communication in Civic Life [GEWI] 3 hrs
COMM 475W Introduction to Communication Research [GEWI] 3 hrs
COMM 485W Communication Theory [GEWI] 3 hrs
Theatre Arts, I/PS and Educational Drama Writing Intensive:
CTAR 455W Dramaturgy [GEWI] 3 hrs
Electronic Media Writing Intensive:
CTAT 344W Continuity Writing for Electronic Media [GEWI] 3 hrs

Elective Courses: 9 hours

Choose nine hours selected from areas outside the concentration. The following Washtenaw Community College courses may be used to satisfy this requirement:

COM 102 - Interpersonal Communication (eq. COMM 227 )
COM 150 - Introduction to Radio Production (eq. CTAT 131 )
COM 155 - Scriptwriting for Broadcast Arts (eq. CTAT 344 )
COM 160 - Voice and Articulation (eq. CTAT 241 )
COM 200 - Family Communication (eq. COMM 373 )
COM 210 - Nonverbal Communication (eq. COMM 226 )
COM 225 - Intercultural Communication (eq. COMM 274 )
DRA 180 - Theatre Appreciation (eq. CTAR 100 Previously CTAR 150)

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor. Please see Programs for a list of available minors or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above. If sufficient credits hours are not transferred in, additional EMU credits must be completed to reach the minimum of 120 credit hours required to graduate.

Critical Graduation Information

This Articulation Agreement provides the following exceptions:

University Requirements

Under this agreement, EMU will waive the 60-hour rule and require that a minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed in courses offered by EMU, of which 15 hours must be in major/program requirements at the 300-level or above.

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.