Communications at University of Nebraska Kearny
This school appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Best Online Communications Degree Programs.
The Department of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is the department responsible for all the university’s communications programs. This department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Communication that includes both general education classes and required communication courses. Students will need to take three core classes: Integrated Marketing Communication, Communications Law, and Communication Software. They will also need to do a capstone experience and either present a final portfolio or do an internship.
UNK also offers a Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Relational Communication Comprehensive. This program features required classes like Rhetorical Theory, Communication Concepts in Society and Communication Inquiry. Students can do an internship in this program and earn three credits that will count as one of their electives.
The university is home to a number of organizations that communication majors find appealing. They can join Lambda Pi Eta, which is an honors society for communication students. This society offers opportunities for students to learn more than they do in their classes and to network with alumni. The campus is home to a branch of Students in Mass Media (SIMM), which offers real-life experiences for students. Students often take field trips together and attend workshops and conferences.
Students can also join the UNK Ad/PR Club or participate in the UNK Forensics Team. Its forensics team competes in events across Nebraska and in other states. Students in the Ad/PR Club experience what life is like for advertising professionals and work with real clients. The University of Nebraska at Kearney also has its own newspaper and radio station that offers opportunities for communications majors.
About University of Nebraska at Kearney
The University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public university in Nebraska that often uses the abbreviation of UNK. Founded in 1903 as a normal school, the campus opened its doors in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney. Its first class consisted solely of women, but the school constructed a dormitory for men that led to men enrolling in the following years. It served as the Nebraska State Teachers College and then Kearney State College before the University of Nebraska added the campus to its system. When this occurred in 1989, the campus officially became the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
UNK has a large campus that covers more than 500 acres. Located in a rural part of the state, this campus offers lots of quiet spaces for students to work on assignments and do work for their classes. It also has an eCampus that offers both online programs and hybrid programs that require students do some work on its campus. U.S. News and World Report ranks its eCampus as one of the best online graduate schools and includes the university itself on its list of the top colleges in the Midwest. Its education and teaching program ranks among the nation’s best too. UNK is one of the larger schools in the UN school system because it has an enrollment of a little more than 7,000 students.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Accreditation Details
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) granted UNK regional accreditation through its North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). Regional accreditation is one of the requirements that the Department of Education has in place for those who want to use federal financial aid. This form of accreditation also comes in handy when students want to transfer credits from one college to another. UNK also has specialty accreditation from three organizations for its degree programs in education, music, and audiology.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Application Requirements
UNK has an application deadline of June 15 for undergrads who want to start classes in the fall. Students have until October 15 to apply for the spring semester and March 15 to apply for the summer semester. The university offers both a paper application and an online application. Both of these applications have a $45 fee that is due when the student submits the form. Those who use the paper application will need to mail the form back to the university. The online application allows students to create an account and use that account to work on the application over the course of multiple hours or days. Students can also log in to the system to see when the university makes a decision on that application.
In addition to the application, all prospective undergrads must take either the ACT or the SAT and submit their official scores directly to the university. Students can submit an official transcript that lists the classes taken and grades received up through their junior years in high school. The university allows Nebraska residents to self-report their grades and classes. UNK uses the transcript to determine if the student completed a college prep curriculum while in high school, which includes four years of English classes and three years of social science, life science, and math classes. Students must either graduate within the top 50% of their high school classes, score at least 20 on the ACT or score at least 1030 on the math and verbal sections of the SAT.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students attending NKU pay around $1,570 per year in fees. They also pay $191.75 per credit hour as a Nebraska resident. The university charges a higher rate for nonresidents of around $418 per credit hour. UNK has reciprocity agreements in place with other states that allow students of those states to pay a discounted tuition rate. Residents of states like Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio pay just $288 per credit hour. Students living in the neighboring states of Colorado and Kansas qualify for a discount that brings their tuition down to $191.75 per credit hour. Students living on the NKU campus pay close to $9,700 a year for room and board.
Both residents and nonresidents can use financial aid to bring down their costs. Students can use the FAFSA and fill out the form with their parents’ tax information. This form goes live in October of each year. UNK will create a financial aid package that meets the total need that each student has. Undergrads attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney qualify for loans and grants, but they can also apply for scholarships and take part in the UNK work-study program.