Communications

The Journalism and Public Relations concentration prepares you for a wide variety of careers in the evolving field of media communication. Using state-of-the-art technology and learning from experienced faculty, you will acquire the multimedia skills journalists and public relations professionals are expected to have in today’s converged newsrooms and PR firms. Benefit from this program having been reclassified as a STEM program. STEM degrees are in greater demand by employers for tomorrow’s jobs.

Media Studies involves understanding how emerging technologies are shaping and transforming everyday life. This concentration explores the interpersonal, organizational, public and cultural communications, and provides you with the necessary tools to think critically and express yourself clearly. Benefit from this program having been reclassified as a STEM program. STEM degrees are in greater demand by employers for tomorrow’s jobs.

In the Digital Production and Cinema Studies concentration, you learn digital and film production while at the same time being encouraged to explore new media possibilities. As you advance in the program, the Open Studio Workshop allows you to produce ambitious personal projects in a professionally organized structure. Benefit from this program having been reclassified as a STEM program. STEM degrees are in greater demand by employers for tomorrow’s jobs.

In the New Media concentration, you will gain new skills in new media, including creating web sites, DVDs and social networking accounts. You will also learn authorship software, while gaining perspective on the effective use of interactivity and non-linear architecture for creating effective media.

A minor in communications is an excellent way to enhance any major. An ability to articulate ideas and express them clearly is one of the most sought-after professional skills. In consultation with an adviser, students work out a course of study most suitable to individual needs and interests. Requirements for the minor in communications are flexible, allowing the student to plan an individualized program with a focus on journalism, media studies or production to enhance your options for careers or graduate study.

The cinema studies minor provides students with an in-depth exposure to film. It engages students in the analysis of the aesthetics and themes embedded in movies. World and historic films as well as contemporary media, including original series, will be studied. Besides the obvious compatibility with many majors including English and education, a minor in cinema studies will balance the more vocationally oriented offerings in many of today’s majors. It will provide a classic, humanistic educational component in which students evolve their own perspective on the world through engagement with great cinematic art.

The minor in video game design provides an interdisciplinary perspective and skill set focused on the creative elements of video game development. This minor is sponsored jointly by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, the Department of Art and Art History, and the Department of Communications.