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Organizational Communication Minor

College of Liberal Arts / Communication
Undergraduate minor

About The Program

The minor in Organizational Communication develops skills in building teams, coaching, analyzing information flow, resolving conflicts, presenting information, and understanding organizational systems and culture.

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metro State: Start the journey toward your Organizational Communication Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metro State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Organizational Communication Minor

Program eligibility requirements

Any admitted student may declare the Organizational Communication minor. Students in the Organizational Communication track may pursue minors in Public Relations, Media Literacy, or any minor outside the Professional Communication program. Because the track and the minor share significant overlapping coursework, students in the Organizational Communication track are not eligible to earn the Organizational Communication minor.

A student may only include 8 credits of coursework in the minor that is counted toward their major or another minor. Work with your academic advisor to ensure both major and minor requirements are met when planning out your course load each semester.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

19 credits

Requirements (19 credits)

+ Required (11 credits)

Students learn public speaking principles and techniques well enough to prepare, deliver, and evaluate informative and persuasive speeches. Videotaping and self-assessment are integral components of this class as is writing. Some speeches require students to research and critically analyze information. The six to eight class presentations include topics pertaining to the corporate world, community life, the political arena or human services. Students are expected to write well and will outline each presentation. Overlap: COMM 103P Public Speaking Proficiency Test.

Full course description for Public Speaking

This course covers theory and practice of communication in small task-oriented groups. Communication topics include team management, models of group problem solving and decision making, leadership, building cohesiveness, resolving conflict, managing diverse views, negotiating roles, and norms. Students learn to interact productively in small task groups as members and leaders. Numerous group activities, group assignments and laboratory work require an extended class time and group meetings outside of class. Overlap: COMM 351T Communication in Work Groups Theory Seminar.

Full course description for Communication in Work Groups

This course examines communication patterns and systems functioning in modern organizations in sectors such as government, nonprofit and corporate. Course simulations and topics include analysis of organizational communication models, formal and informal communication networks, external and internal communication channels, the changing shape of future organizations, mentoring, ethics, diversity, technologies, and the purpose of communication research.

Full course description for Organizational Communication

+ Electives (8 credits)

Internships offer students opportunities to gain deeper knowledge and skills in their chosen field. Students are responsible for locating their own internship. Metro faculty members serve as liaisons to the internship sites¿ supervisors and as evaluators to monitor student work and give academic credit for learning. Students are eligible to earn 1 credit for every 40 hours of work completed at their internship site.

Full course description for Communication Individual Internship

This course is designed to develop skills in perceiving and responding to others as whole persons. Particular attention is paid to working with individual in health care and human service settings. The course is organized into five major units: 1) Groundwork for helping relationships; 2) Basic skills; 3) Understanding the client¿s current situation and concerns; 4) Assisting the client in identifying and committing to a desired change; and 5) Facilitating the development of action strategies to move forward. The focus within each of the units will be on mastering the communication skills that contribute to the greatest likelihood of success with clients in the helping professions.

Full course description for Interpersonal Communication for the Helping Professions

This course focuses on both theoretical and practice aspects of negotiation and mediation which are applicable to both professional and personal situations. Using lecture, role play, individual and group exercises, students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective negotiators and mediators. Focus will include conflict resolution styles, verbal and nonverbal communication, attentive listening skills, perception, persuasion, ethics, agreement building and power. Special emphasis will be placed on mediation as a facilitated negotiation process. This course meets all Minnesota Supreme Court requirements for certification under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. Students who complete this course will be eligible for placement on the state mediation roster as a qualified neutral.

Full course description for Negotiation And Mediation Skills

This course takes an academic and practical approach to embodied intercultural communication in a globalized world. By understanding the scholarly theories of intercultural communication, students will investigate how to have ethical, appropriate, effective, and mindful intercultural interactions. Through multiple methods of learning, students will gain invaluable practice in navigating intercultural relationships in a variety of interactions (e.g. workplace; family;community, etc.). Significant focus is given to issues of race and racism, particularly as they relate to different communication interactions.

Full course description for Intermediate Intercultural Communication

The advanced study of organizational communication concentrates on current communication topics within organizations such as interaction within a diverse workforce, changing an organizational culture, initiating technology change, ethics and research. Students craft communication solutions and recommendations for specific organizational improvements. Students complete case studies, community-based projects, and final major research projects.

Full course description for Advanced Organizational Communication

Students will learn to apply an equity lens to multiple facets of health communication including: how race, culture, and bias play a role in patient-provider communication, health communication campaigns, and mediated representations of health issues in the U.S. context. Students will learn about the historical sources and causes of health disparities as well as learn ways to improve health disparities across these areas. Students will also be exposed to a community engagement component and have the opportunity to work with health disparities researchers and organizations.

Full course description for Communication for Health Equity

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to effectively promote and advocate for events, organizations, or issues using a variety of social media and multi-media. Students will combine online writing (or blogging) with other forms of social networking and media (wikis, YouTube, Facebook, and/or Twitter) to build a comprehensive online initiative promoting a timely and relevant issue or event either of their choosing or provided by the instructor. Students will increase their knowledge of online rhetoric, audience research, planning for media events, script or treatment writing, and evaluation of communication programs.

Full course description for Communicating with New Media