The people who get promoted are the ones who can explain things. Learn how, on your schedule.
Every job you want next is a communication job.
Managing people, running a meeting, resolving a conflict, pitching an idea to someone who outranks you: that is the work, and almost nobody is trained for it. Florida Southern College’s online Bachelor of Science in Communication, with a concentration in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, is training for it.
You will study how communication actually moves through an organization, why it breaks down, and what to do about it. Conflict management, persuasion, intercultural communication, organizational networks, and the research skills to diagnose a problem rather than guess at it. Every course is online, terms run seven weeks, and there are six start dates a year.
A fully online communication degree for adults, concentrated in interpersonal and organizational communication. Accelerated terms, an advisor who maps your path from application to graduation, and coursework aimed at the roles you already work in.
The curriculum builds on communication fundamentals, using theory and research methods that enable you to analyze the workplace rather than just survive it. You will work through interpersonal communication, small-group dynamics, persuasion, intercultural communication, organizational communication, and communication research, and finish with either a senior project or an internship.
This non-traditional undergraduate program is offered fully online. Terms run seven weeks, with six start dates a year, and you can take up to 12 courses annually. Study in the evening, on weekends, or whenever your week has room for it. There is no commute and no set class time to build your life around.
Communication Major Requirements
Communication Core Courses
COM 1100 - Introduction to Communication (waived)
COM 1500 - Speak for Success
COM 2100 - Mass Media and Society
COM 4550 - Communication Research
COM 4500 - Communication Law and Ethics and/or
COM 4999 - Speech and Mass Communication Theory
COM 3955 - Professional Development for Communication Careers and
COM 4960/4961 - Communication Internship and/or - COM 4900 - Senior Project
Interpersonal and Organizational Communication Concentration
COM 2250 - Interpersonal Communication
COM 2270 - Intercultural Communication
COM 3210 - Organizational Communication
COM 3900 - Special Topics in Communication
COM 2260 - Small Group Communication and/or - COM 3200 - Persuasion
Only courses in which a grade of C or higher is earned may count toward the major.
Returning to school is a major life decision. We make it easy with online flexibility and a straightforward admissions process. Please submit:
If you earned fewer than 25 credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university, we also need:
If under the age of 25 please also provide:
Check Adult Admission Requirements
All international applicants must submit:
**SpanTran (discount available),Academic Evaluation Services, Inc.,Josef Silny,World Education Services, or another similar approved transcript evaluation agency.
*** A bank letter is a written statement on bank letterhead and signed by a bank official.
**** Must have completed an English language training program or at least one year at an English-speaking institution to waive the TOEFL/IELTS testing requirement.
Florida Southern participates in all major federal financial aid programs, including military funding, along with State of Florida programs such as the Effective Access to Student Education Grant (EASE) and Bright Futures. PCPS employees may be eligible for the Greenhouse Project. Contact the district for more information
2026-2027
Tuition per credit hour: $390
Technology fee per semester is based on credit hours enrolled: $30-$120
Resume reviews, mock interviews, professional headshots, and a career closet stocked for the interview you have on Thursday. The Princeton Review ranks Florida Southern's career services #22 in the nation, the only school in Florida to make the list, and that team is yours from your first term through long after you graduate.
You’re never on your own. From day one, you’ll have a dedicated advisor who maps your academic path, answers your questions, and helps you plan every step. You also have access to writing support, tutoring, and schedule planning—personalized guidance so you can focus on learning and advancing.
The top skills employers want are communication skills. In the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2025 survey, the three attributes employers most look for on a resume are problem-solving, teamwork, and written communication, and each one comes down to how well you work with other people. That is exactly what this degree trains. FSC's Interpersonal and Organizational Communication graduates work in business, human resources, healthcare, public administration, and legal communication, at Publix Super Markets, Lakeland Regional Health, the City of Lakeland, and Hall Communications.
The work is people, and people are a communication problem. HR managers handle hiring, conflict, policy, and the conversations nobody else wants to have. Coursework in interpersonal communication, small-group dynamics, and organizational communication is direct preparation. Human resources managers earn a median annual salary of $140,030.
Teach the organization to do the thing. Training managers design and run the programs that build a workforce, which means understanding how adults learn and how messages land. Your coursework in persuasion, intercultural communication, and organizational communication is the toolkit.
Training and development managers earn a median annual salary of $127,090.
Own the message. PR specialists manage how an organization is understood, internally and externally, and step in when that understanding goes wrong. Communication law and ethics, persuasion, and research coursework build both the judgment and the technique.
Public relations specialists earn a median annual salary of $69,780.
Management is people, and people are a communication challenge. The real work is setting expectations, resolving conflict, and bridging gaps between organizational levels. This degree gives you the skills to lead with clarity and confidence, so you don’t have to learn by trial and error.
General and operations managers earn a median annual salary of $101,280.
The most common outcome for adult communication students is not a new job. It is the promotion at the organization they are already in, unlocked by the credential they were missing. Your advisor and Career Services can help you make that case.
A master's degree signals the advanced expertise and leadership readiness employers look for when filling their most senior roles, and it can change what you are eligible to earn. With FSC's 4+1 pathways, you can reach it faster than you think: start graduate courses before you finish your bachelor's and earn a master's in about one year instead of two. Up to 9 graduate credits count toward both degrees, saving you time and money.
FSC offers two options that fit communication majors especially well. The Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology is built for those interested in how organizations and people work. The Master of Business Administration is built for those aiming for leadership roles. Your advisor will help you choose the right path.
"My Florida Southern College education prepared me well for the workforce and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed. As an adult, I encourage you to strongly consider FSC. The small class sizes allowed for more class discussion and created an engaged learning environment. FSC has exceptional faculty who communicate their expectations very clearly and teach classes so students can understand and excel. They encouraged me every step of the way."
“In the classroom, I not only teach theories of human communication, but also help students become better communicators. I start my courses by stating, ‘It will take hard work to succeed, but I will work just as hard to be there for you. We are in this together. I believe in you.’ Students leave my class with a better understanding of themselves and with confidence to succeed in various forms of interpersonal relationships.”
Already enrolled? Find registration, scheduling, billing, technical support, and campus resources on the Adult and Graduate FAQ page.
Most likely, yes. Send us official transcripts from every institution you have attended and we will evaluate them course by course. Credits from regionally accredited colleges and universities transfer readily, and military service-connected educational experience may also be awarded credit. Many adult students arrive further along than they expect.
If you have earned 25 or more transferable credit hours, that is all we need from your academic history. Fewer than 25, and we will also ask for your high school transcript or GED scores.
Not necessarily. If you have earned 25 or more transferable credit hours, we do not ask for test scores at all. If you have fewer than 25, you can submit SAT or ACT scores, or apply test-optional and send an updated resume instead.
That depends on what you bring, and most students bring something.
The degree requires 124 credit hours. Starting from zero and taking two courses per 7-week term across all six terms in a year, you would finish in about two and a half to three years. Transfer credit shortens that, sometimes dramatically. A student arriving with an associate's degree is looking at a very different timeline than one starting fresh.
Your advisor will map your actual path based on your transcript before you enroll, so you know what you are signing up for.
No. Our adult undergraduate students are people with jobs, families, and years of professional experience. You will not be the only one who has been away from a classroom for a decade. Your advisor works with you from acceptance through graduation, and our faculty teach adults for a living. What you have done since your last semester is an asset in an communications classroom, not a liability.
Tuition is $390 per credit hour for 2026-2027, plus a technology fee of $30 to $120 per semester based on your enrollment.
Florida Southern participates in all major federal financial aid programs, and adult students are eligible. External scholarships, grants, loans, and payment plans are all on the table. Employer tuition assistance is worth asking your HR department about as well.
Yes. That is what the program is designed for.
Every course is online. Terms run seven weeks, and there are six of them a year, so you can adjust your pace as your life changes without losing momentum. Take two courses when things are steady, take one when they are not, and keep moving either way.
Explore our online technical requirements. For technical support, contact your course instructor. If the instructor cannot resolve the problem, speak to a technician at the Rinker Help Desk at 863.616.6426.
You will complete either an internship or a senior project. Most adult students choose the senior project, which lets you apply what you have learned to a problem you already care about without adding a placement to a full schedule.
Both lead to a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Florida Southern College. The difference is scope and delivery. The residential program offers four on-campus concentrations, including advertising and public relations, media production, and multimedia journalism. The adult program is fully online and concentrated in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, the area most directly useful to people already working in organizations.
Meet us. We host virtual information sessions where you can learn about our adult undergraduate programs, admission requirements, transfer credits, and meet your admissions counselor.
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See what students and faculty across the Department of Communication are accomplishing.
You do not have to figure this out alone. Ask the questions you have, including the ones about whether this is realistic for you right now.
Discover our full suite of flexible online undergraduate programs for adult learners.
You’ve already proven you can do the work—now earn the degree that opens new doors. Take the next step.
