Communication (BA or BS) Military Pathway
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
For Catalog Years 2024-2027
This military pathway outlines degree requirements that may be satisfied by military training and experience or exams, as well as requirements that must be satisfied through courses taken at Old Dominion University.
Download a PDF of the Communication (BS or BA) pathway
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Requirements Potentially Met Outside the Classroom
Where indicated, a passing CLEP or DSST examination score will satisfy the ODU course requirement.
- CLEP Exams - College Board
- DSST Exams - GetCollegeCredit.com
- ODU CLEP and DSST Credits
- CLEP Preparation - ModernStates.org
A student may forego the CLEP or DSST option and satisfy the requirements by taking the actual courses. If a course is taken elsewhere, check first for transfer equivalency in ODU's Transfer Equivalency Tool.
Prior learning credit is also available in specific situations at a cost of 20-50% of the current tuition rate. Prior learning credit may not be paid for by military tuition assistance (TA). Prior learning credit cannot exceed 60 credit hours.
Lower Division General Education Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP College Composition (not Modular) | ENGL 110C English Composition | 3 |
| DSST Technical Writing | ENGL 231C Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics | 3 |
| Instructor, recruiter, career counselor, select specialties | COMM 101R Public Speaking | 3 |
| CLEP College Mathematics, College Algebra, or Precalculus | MATH 101M, 102M, or 162M (BA only) | 3 |
| DSST Principles of Statistics | STAT 130M Elementary Statistics (BS only) | 3 |
| CLEP Foreign Languages or military linguist or DLIFLC grad | Language and Culture requirement* (CLEP for 201 & 202 may meet additional 6 credits for BA only) | 6 (6) |
| CLEP Any Social Sciences exam except Educational Psych | Human Behavior requirement | 3 |
| CLEP Any History exam | Interpreting the Past requirement | 3 |
| CLEP American or Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | Literature requirement | 3 |
| CLEP Biology | Nature of Science requirement | 8 |
| Subtotal: 35-41 credits | ||
*ODU’s Language and Culture requirement can be satisfied by three years of a foreign language or two years of two foreign languages in high school. Students whose native language is not English are exempt from taking a foreign language for general education.
Credit for Rating:
- E7 earns SEPS 302 and MGMT 325.
- E8 earns SEPS 302, MGMT 325, and MGMT 330.
- E9 earns SEPS 302, MGMT 325, MGMT 330, and MGMT 410.
Department or Major Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP or DSST multiple choices | Upper- or Lower-Division General Education or Social Science requirements | various |
| Current or previous E6-E9 or DSST Principles of Supervision | SEPS 302 Workforce Supervision | 3 |
| Faculty review of exam scores and military/college transcripts | Elective requirements to meet 120 credit minimum | various |
| Mass Communication specialty | COMM 200S Introduction to Human Communication | 3 |
| Mass Communication specialty | COMM 260 Understanding Media | 3 |
| Mass Communication specialty | COMM 272G Digital Literacy (meets Information Literacy & Research req) | 3 |
| Mass Communication specialty serving in communication-related billet | COMM 368 Internship (requires department approval) | 3 |
| Subtotal: 15+ credits | ||
Total requirements potentially met outside classroom: 50+ credits
Requirements Met at ODU or Elsewhere
A minimum of 30 credits must be taken at ODU and 120 credits gained in total to earn this degree.
Communication Studies Lower-Division General Education or Core Requirements
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COMM 280T Entertainment Technologies or COMM 372T Intro to New Media Technologies (meets Impact of Technology requirement) | 3 |
| COMM 301 Critical Methodologies | 3 |
| COMM 302 Communication Research Methods I (BS only) | 3 |
| COMM 335W Rhetorical Criticism or COMM 445 Communication Analysis & Criticism (BA only) | 3 |
| One Communication "W" writing-intensive course | 3 |
| Human Creativity requirement (cannot be COMM or THEA 270A) | 3 |
| Philosophy and Ethics requirement | 3 |
| Up to two Social Science 300/400-level requirements not met by CLEP/DSST (BS only) | 0-6 |
| Subtotal: 18+ credits |
Communication Studies Major Requirements
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| Select nine Foundations courses from catalog; one may be met by COMM 368 above | 24-27 |
| Communication elective requirement | 3 |
| Elective requirements not satisfied elsewhere to meet 120 credit minimum | various |
| Subtotal: 27+ credits |
Total requirements met at ODU or elsewhere: 42+ credits
Total credits for degree: 120
Next Steps
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Review Program Information
Learn more about our Communication bachelor's online degree program.
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Explore Military Pathways
ODU has dozens of pathways for a wide variety of degree programs.
Explore more pathways on our Military Pathways page.
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Contact Us
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Military Student Services
From credit for your experience to flexible learning options, ODUGlobal can help fit education into your life. Learn more about how we support active-duty military and veteran students.