Northern Arizona Communication Degree Programs
Northern Arizona University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs.
Arizona’s economy is expected to grow for the second year in a row. There is growth in population and in industry, especially in small businesses. All of this bodes well for careers that are based in communications, and Northern Arizona University has a diverse field of communication degrees available.
The Bachelor of Science in Creative Media and Film is a 120-credit-hour program that prepares students to communicate through artistic filmmaking and documentaries. The three tracks available within the degree program are Documentaries, Independent Film-Making and Media Studies. One of the outcomes of this program is empowerment for students to tell their own stories in their way. Courses include diversity and capstone requirements. There is an optional field experience as well.
The Communication Studies major can be earned as a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies as well as minors in Communication Studies, Environmental Communication or Organizational Communication. The discipline can also be addressed as a certification in Professional Communication or as a Graduate Certificate in Communication Studies. The Bachelor of Science degree path is a “2×2” program in conjunction with the Mariposa Community College and is not offered on the Flagstaff campus. Students earning the Communications Studies degree are required to have an emphasis or a minor. Internships in the program are optional. Minors in any communications program include a minimum of 18 credit hours.
The Journalism program features a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Political Science as well as the Minor in Photojournalism and Minor in Documentary Studies. Sample courses include Fundamentals of Public Speaking and the Capstone project which is a publishable journalism project.
The School of Communications also has a Bachelor of Science in Photography that can be earned in a Field Photo track or a Studio track. The degree focuses on digital photography and black-and-white photo work. Field experiences are optional and must be approved by the department.
Other undergraduate programs in the department are the Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communications which can be earned with minors in international communications, merchandising or public relations, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication which features minors in motion or graphic design.
The Master of Arts in Communication is a 36-credit-hour program that helps students become competent in analyzing communications, in critical thinking and in problem-solving. It is offered online and can be earned with an emphasis in documentaries. There is a Graduate Certification in Communication Studies which may be earned online, and a Certification in Science Communication
About Northern Arizona University
NAU is a high research level university in Flagstaff, Arizona. Student reviews cite the friendliness of the school as well as its four seasons and admonish future students to bring warm clothes for the winter months. There are 31, 057 undergraduates enrolled at the school; of those, 22,376 are at the Flagstaff campus. NAU has more than 99 accredited undergraduate programs, 51 master’s programs, 14 doctoral degrees, 49 undergraduate certifications and 30 certificates at the graduate level.
The university began in 1899 as the Northern Arizona Normal School. It had 23 students and two faculty members, and its only teaching resources were two copies of the Webster’s International Dictionary. In 1901, the school graduated its first class consisting of four women who earned degrees allowing them to teach in Arizona Territory. In 1925, the school became Arizona State Teacher’s College, authorized to award Bachelor of Education degrees. The university changed its name to its current designation in 1966.
The US News and World Report ranks NAU as #231 to #300 in National Universities. It is #47 in a tie for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs and #107 for Best Graduate Education Programs. In 2017, Flagstaff was rated by the American Institute of Economic Research as the third best college town in the US. Of the more than 100 accredited online programs offered at the school, the most innovative is the Personal Learning Degree. NAU is the first school to offer this type of program which is subscription-based and offers credits for competency gained through life experience. Students pay a flat rate ($3,750 for nursing and $3,000 for all other programs) for six months access to university online courses included in the program. For that fee, they may take all the courses they can in the six-months subscription period. Those courses currently are in Computer Information Technology, Liberal Arts, Management, Small Business Administration and Nursing.
Northern Arizona University Accreditation Details
The university has regional accreditation through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission.
Northern Arizona University Application Requirements
Students who apply to NAU as freshmen must complete the application form online and submit it with the $25 non-refundable application fee to the university. They must also arrange for their high schools to submit their official transcripts and for the submission of transcripts for any post-secondary courses they took. The official SAT or ACT results must be sent from the testing agency as well.
Graduate students apply to the graduate department that houses their desired degree program. There is an application fee of $65. Students applying for graduate programs must have the school where they earned their bachelor’s degree submit that transcript as well. All other required documentation is at the discretion of the department. These may include GRE, GMAT or other test scores, portfolios, letters of recommendation, published papers, personal statements or other documents.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Northern Arizona University has a tuition rate guarantee program. Current tuition for traditional undergraduate studies is $10,390. Fees are estimated at $1,174, books at $1,000, housing at $5,576, meal plans at $4,706 and personal expenses and transportation at $4,420. The total estimated yearly cost of attendance for Arizona resident students is $27,266.
Graduate tuition is set at $5,782 per semester and online students pay $459 per credit hour including fees. The estimated cost of attendance for online undergraduates is $14,654 per year.
After applying to the university, all students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance form. The government program awards grants and loans according to financial need. The information used by the program is also used by the schools and by the states to qualify students for other aid.
Arizona funds some grants and scholarships for higher education, most of which are needs based. Some of these are the Arizona Teacher Student Loan program which awards forgivable loans to those in education programs, the Arizona Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership, and the Arizona Post-Secondary Education Grant which comes in two forms, one of which is not needs-based.
The university has many scholarships available that are awarded for academic achievement, and some that are awarded to students in certain activities or in sports. University departments have scholarships for students in specific degree paths as well. In addition, many private individuals fund scholarships either through endowments or private sources. Service organizations such as the American Legion, Lions Clubs and others also offer scholarships, as do some corporations. These resources can be found through an Internet search.
Students who still have a debt after applying all funds that do not have to be repaid can take out student loans. These are unsecured loans with a low interest rate and that have the option to defer repayment until after graduation. Another possibility for paying for college is getting a part-time job. Using a credit card to cover student debt at Northern Arizona University or any other school is never a good idea because of the high interest rate.