Building the department map…
Building the department map…
Department paths
Courses with no prerequisites inside the department that unlock the most downstream work.
The shortest canonical route from each entry point to a gateway course.
Generated from Pennsylvania State University’s catalog, prerequisite, and concentration data. Spotted an error? Departments can adjust labels, ordering, and notes without a code change, so contact us.
Each of these unlocks the largest share of downstream work on this map. Courses from other departments can appear here when they genuinely gate COMM coursework.
Intro tiers at the top, advanced work below; arrows point from a prerequisite to the course it unlocks. Courses from other departments appear where they gate COMM work. Click any course to see what it requires and unlocks without leaving this page; hovering lights up its neighbors. The lists on this page carry the same courses in text form.
Showing the 4 COMM and feeder courses that have prerequisite links. 206 more COMM courses have no recorded prerequisites. They are listed under Tracks below, not drawn as loose dots here.
The concentrations and majors that build on COMM, and how their requirements are structured. Expand a program to see which courses satisfy each group, then plan it in the Planner.
Prescribed Coursesall required
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
Additional Courses2 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better; Select two courses in visual communication from the following:; Select 6 credits in Communications from the following:
Upper-level clusters, grouped by the gateway that opens them.
The deepest prerequisite chains in COMM. These are the routes that take the most semesters to climb.
2 courses deep, ending at COMM 430
2 courses deep, ending at COMM 461A
Additional Courses2 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better; Select 3 credits of capstone from the following:; Select 12-15 credits from the following:
Supporting Courses and Related Areas2 required · verify with the official sheet
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better; Select 3 credits in social aspects of communication from the following OR select an additional 3 credits of "Additional Courses" above:
Additional Courses2 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better; Select 6 credits from the following:; Select 3 credits from the following:
Additional Coursesall required
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better; Select 3 credits from the following:
Supporting Courses and Related Areas1 required · verify with the official sheet
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better; Select 3 credits of COMM courses (other than COMM 100 or COMM 120)
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Supporting Courses and Related Areas2 required · verify with the official sheet
Select 12 credits in one of the four following areas and 9 credits in a second area:; History and Global Cultures; HIST, CMLIT, and SPAN courses; Performing and Visual Arts and Art History; ART, ARTH, INART, MUSIC, AND THEA courses; Philosophy and Religious Studies; PHIL and RLST courses; Literature and Writing; ENGL and CMLIT courses; Select 12 credits from AMST, ART, ARTH, CAS, CHNS, CMLIT, COMM
1 course from1 required
Additional Courseschoose 1
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better; Select two of the following:
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All COMM courses in the Penn State catalog
Grade medians are for verified students. Sign in with your school email to see them.
Use your school emailNo section schedule with instructor names for COMM yet.
No clubs or organizations on record under COMM yet.
This shows once five students share their club memberships.
COMM does not run a page here yet. When it does, its events show up here and on the Penn State campus feed.