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The World is Your Classroom

If you want to combine your studies in journalism, film and media arts, or public relations and strategic communication with a concentration in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish, the bachelor of arts in Communication, Language, and Culture may be just what you're seeking. 

This interdisciplinary degree, offered jointly by the School of Communication and the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences, allows you to learn from world-class faculty members whose cutting-edge research activities and professional engagements play key roles in global policy development. Communication, Language, and Culture students come from across the country and around the world, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience that further enrich your learning experience.

Program tracks can be designed in various configurations as you combine your chosen world language with Journalism, Public Relations and Strategic Communication, or Film and Media Arts.

More than three-quarters of our students take advantage of study abroad opportunities offered through AU Abroad, studying at one of AU's Premier International Centers in Belgium (AU Brussels), Kenya (AU Nairobi), or Spain (AU Madrid) or at one of the myriad programs offered at host institutions in Italy, Denmark, England, Ireland, Wales, India, Korea, the Czech Republic, Australia, Spain, or Japan.

AU Abroad, in consultation with the School of Communication, offers a selection of study abroad programs for students who want to combine their communication major with concentration in a world language. 

These programs are recommended based on the academic quality of the host institution's course offerings in your major. Usually, you may study abroad anytime from the second semester of your sophomore year through your senior year, but you'll coordinate this with your academic advisor to be sure it fits into your academic program.

You may choose to study at one of AU's Premier International Centers in Belgium (AU Brussels), Kenya (AU Nairobi), or Spain (AU Madrid) or at one of the myriad programs offered at host institutions in Italy, Denmark, England, Ireland, Wales, India, Korea, the Czech Republic, Australia, Spain, or Japan. More than two-thirds of students in our Foreign Language and Communication Media major take advantage of this opportunity.

Save Time and Money

Get a head start on your advanced degree with SOC's combined bachelor's/master's program and have up to six credits from your bachelor's degree count toward your master's. You may apply for admission to the program during the second semester of your junior year. Students in any undergraduate major at AU are eligible for consideration. An undergraduate degree in communication is not required.

How to Apply

The same intellectual rigor that defines our bachelor's degree majors is also a hallmark of our Minor in Communication. Whether your interest is in journalism, public relations and strategic communication, film and media arts, or foreign language and communication media, this minor will build your practical professional skills, give you a broad-based understanding of communication theory, and afford you hands-on, real-world work opportunities.

Since you apply to American University as a whole, not to any specific school or college, you may choose any major, and you may also choose any minor offered by AU. Formal admission to the minor requires a cumulative GPA of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale). You'll need to complete 18 credit hours with grades of C or better, including two required courses (6 credits) and four electives (12 credits) across a range of communication disciplines. A minimum of 9 credit hours must be at the 300-level or above, and at least 12 credit hours must be unique to the minor.

Over 700 students have benefited from our alumni mentoring program since 2002.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

80 percent

of Foreign Language and Communication Media Students Study Abroad

Working at IMG, a Company That Says “Yes!”

McKinnon de Kuyper, SOC/BA '16

Foreign Language and Communication Media

SOC taught me: Attribute your sources. Diversify your media. Get off campus.

McKinnon de Kuyper was selected as our first Scripps Howard Foundation scholar. The generous grant gave her the opportunity for a Dean's Internship at Interface Media Group. She journeyed through operations, audio, graphics, editing, production, sales, digital media, facilities, and studio, absorbing as much knowledge as she could hold and soaking up the creativity "IMG-ers" brought to their work. Through her internship, she's been able to broaden her professional skills in multimedia and digital communication and she now works as a producer for Bloomberg.

Frequently Asked Questions

The course requirements and degree are exactly the same. The only difference is what your home school will be. You will work with the advisors and ultimately receive your diploma from the school you enroll in.

Absolutely! The School of Communication helps you get your advanced degree faster than ever. You may apply for admission to our combined bachelor of arts/master of arts program during the second semester of your junior year (after completing 75 credits, but before you have completed 90 credits. Students in any undergraduate major at AU are eligible for consideration. An undergraduate degree in communication is not required. 

You may apply for a combined degree in any of SOC's MA or MFA graduate programs. 

The School of Communication has a distinct advantage among comparable institutions for the myriad of experiential learning opportunities offered to students cam receive course credit for one internship, but most students have two or three, thanks to faculty and alumni who share their professional contacts.

We have an active and effective alumni mentoring program that will help you bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world. Through our Dean's Internships, we work with world-class partners to connect select, highly-qualified students with meaningful real-world assignments that create future pathways to jobs. And we have two full-time career advisors to help you land internships and plan your career.

No, you’ll apply to American University as a whole. You’ll be able to indicate your intended major on your application, but your admission decision will not be affected by the major you indicate. For the Foreign Language and Communication Media major, you can choose to be admitted either to the School of Communication or to the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences. Because it’s easy to change your major, however, we highly recommend that you indicate a major within the School of Communication, even if you’re not 100% certain. That way you’ll be acclimated to our community right away.

Still have questions? Send us an email: communication@american.edu