Sales Communication Specialization
Undergraduate Specialization in Sales Communication:
The gap between the number of organizations seeking graduates for sales and sales management careers and the number of students trained to pursue these careers is widening. In response, the specialization in Sales Communication, a joint endeavor between the Broad College of Business and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, provides students with educational experiences, courses, and training they need to become successful sales agents and leaders in a sales-intensive corporate setting. The specialization prepares students to be successful in any sales setting and provides the management skills necessary to expand their careers in a manner consistent with their goals.
Eligibility Requirements:
To be considered for admission, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Junior Status (56+ credits) in College of Communication Arts and Sciences or Broad College of Business (excluding Hospitality Business majors)**
- Current enrollment in or successful completion of MSC 313: Personal Selling and Buying Processes
**Students from other colleges desiring admittance into the specialization will be considered on a case-by-case basis
How to Apply:
Students seeking admission to the program should follow the instructions in the Angel Group site designated for students interested in the Sales Communication Specialization under CONTENT, then select Application. Once the application information and current resume are uploaded to the Application drop box, students will be instructed how to complete a sales assessment test and schedule an interview.
This program has limited enrollment capacity of 50 students. Admission is based on the student application, results on a sales assessment test, and an interview. Applications must be submitted by the first Friday following the middle of the semester as determined by the university academic calendar for Fall and Spring. Students will be notified when all of their materials have been received. Once final semester grades have been submitted and formal admission to either the Broad College of Business or the College of Communication of Arts and Sciences has been determined, students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance prior to the beginning of the following semester.
Curriculum Requirements:
Students will be expected to complete a minimum of 18 credits of coursework in addition to completing formal experiential learning opportunities throughout the course of the specialization. Experiential learning opportunities must be pre-approved by the program coordinator prior to inclusion in the student’s course of study (see Experiential Learning Opportunity syllabus for details).
Academic and Experiential requirements include the following:
Section I: All of the following courses: (13 credits)| COM 225 (3) - Introduction to Interpersonal Communication |
| MSC 313 (3) - Personal Selling and Buying Processes |
| COM 360 (3) - Advanced Sales Leadership and Communication |
| MSC 383(413) (3) - Sales Management |
| COM 483 (1) - Practicum in Sales Leadership |
Section II: At Least 2 of the following courses (5-7 credits)*
*Note: Broad College of Business Students may choose from ADV, COM, or MSC courses; College of Communication Students are restricted to ADV and COM courses only.
| ADV 352 (3) - Media Sales |
| ADV 375 (4) - Consumer Behavior |
| COM 315 (3) - Information Gathering and Interviewing Theories |
| COM 325 (3) - Persuasion and Social Influence |
| COM 340 (3) - Leadership and Group Communication |
| MSC 302 (3) - Consumer and Organizational Behavior |
| MSC 371 (3) - Procurement and Supply Management |
| MSC 474 (2) - Fundamentals of Business Negotiations |
Section III: Experiential Learning Opportunities (at least 4 of the following categories, 120 hours minimum)*
| Sales internship/co-op/selling job, independent of COM 483 | 45 hours |
| Participate in collegiate level sales presentation competition | 40 hours |
| Serve as executive officer of a professional student organization | 35 hours |
| Interact with sales mentor for one semester | 15 hours |
| Participate in organization/commercial sales training program | 10 hours |
| Shadow salesperson/sales manager for a day | 8 hours |
| Attend two meetings of professional sales organization(s) | 6 hours |
*In order for an experiential learning opportunity to count more than once during a student's time in the program, the activity must be at a different location, with a different supervisor, mentor, salesperson, competition, sales or student organization. For more details, obtain a copy of the Sales Communication Specialization Syllabus for Experiential Learning from the ANGEL site for the Sales Communication Specialization.
Upon the student's request for graduation, the Dean's Office will approve the specialization certification, the Registrar's Office will enter the name of the specialization and completion date on the student's academic record, and the specialization will appear on the student's transcript.