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Communication Studies

Prospective students

If you would like to become a CST major or minor, complete a "Change of Program" form on the Records and Registration website. 

CST Major Admission Requirements

To declare a CST major, students must fulfill the following admission requirements:

  1. Completion of a minimum of 45 semester credits (transfer students must have completed a minimum of 12 of the 45 semester credits at UWL).

  2. Successful completion ("C" or better) of CST 110 and either ENG 110 or ENG 112.

  3. Completion of CST 190 with a grade of "BC" or better or completion of CST 301 with a grade of "BC" or better. 

  4. Achieve a UWL cumulative GPA of 2.5 at time of admission OR Students must have a minimum of 15 completed CST credits with a CST GPA of at least 2.7 (and a minimum 2.3 UWL GPA).

Declaring a CST Major

Students who have fulfilled these requirements must see the CST Department Chair or their CST faculty advisor to obtain approval to declare the major. A current Advisement Report (AR) will document fulfillment of admission requirements. The approval form then must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Humanities (CASSH).

CST Major and Minor Credits

CST majors may choose any minor offered by the CST Department that does not duplicate the emphasis they have selected for their CST major. Courses counted toward the 39-credit major, while they may fulfill requirements for that minor, may not be counted in the minor. An additional elective course or courses in the minor must be taken to complete the 24 credits required in that minor. Students who combine a CST major with a minor also offered by the CST Department must complete 60 credits of courses in CST programs.

Writing in the Major

The Communication Studies department incorporates a significant amount of writing through the required courses instead of identifying particular courses as writing emphasis courses. Students who complete the CST major, including any of the emphases, will fulfill the university writing emphasis requirement.

Scholarships

The department offers several scholarship opportunities.  Visit the CST scholarships page to read about the scholarship available for CST majors.

Internships

CST majors have the opportunity to engage in myriad internship opportunities throughout their careers.  As seniors, CST majors can earn up to 6 hours of CST 450: Internship credit for a qualifying internship experience.  See the CST Internship page for more information. 

In 2015 and 2016, CST majors completed internships at the following organizations:

Time Warner Cable
Playtone Productions
Crossfire Youth Center
WMCM-TV
Inland Label & Marketing Services
KQEG-TV
Hear Here Project
Infor
La Crosse Symphony Orchestra
Kwik Trip
La Crosse Forage & Turf
UWL Campus Climate
La Crosse County UW-Extension
UWL Athletics
Riverside International Friendship Gardens
WKBT-TV
Gander Mountain
Google, Inc.
Ron Kind, US Congress, La Crosse Office
Initiate Demand
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse
Mayo Clinic Health System
J.F. Brennan Company
American Association of University Women
The Center
La Crosse Radio Group
MKE Sports & Entertainment