Communication, B.A.

Concentration in Advertising

The concentration provides basic knowledge, skills and ethical considerations to prepare students for entry into advertising careers. Specific areas of study include theory, principles, analytical and critical skills, ethical requirements, copywriting, media planning and placement, campaign design and execution requirements, research methodologies, data analysis techniques, and communications skills especially appropriate for advertising careers.

Concentration in Corporate Communication

Students will learn theories and principles of mediated and nonmediated communication relevant to the management of corporate, nonprofit and governmental organizations. Students will develop analytical and critical skills needed to develop and implement effective communication goals and strategies. This concentration serves students interested in:

1. Developing internal communication plans, training others to develop effective communication skills including improving team development, managing supervisory and customer service relations, and making presentations ranging from brief speeches to sophisticated multi-media programs.
2. Developing communication designs using digital media technologies, and creating effective communication packages for regional, national and international organizations.

This concentration will prepare students for communication positions in a wide variety of organizations and with consulting firms. It will also provide a strong foundation for graduate work in communication studies and other fields of human behavior.

Concentration in Health Communication

Students in health communication will develop and acquire knowledge and skills essential to becoming more effective health care consumers and advocates as well as learn the fundamentals of health campaign planning, implementation, and evaluation. Research, theory, and practical application are combined to help students develop communication strategies associated with positive health outcomes and successful negotiation of the health care system. Students will complete coursework across a wide range of health care situations focusing on interpersonal, group, organizational, cultural, and computer-mediated levels of analysis. Students will also complete coursework across a wide range of health care contexts focusing on the role of gender, media, tailored messages, and e-health in building, delivering, and evaluating mediated health campaigns to promote health and behavior change.

Concentration in Interpersonal Communication

Students will gain knowledge of the interplay between communication and relationships on both micro and societal levels. At the micro level, students will develop analytic and communication skills needed to understand the process of relationship development, maintenance and deterioration. At the societal level, students will acquire critical reasoning skills needed to interpret images and messages about families and other small groups.

Students will be prepared for entry-level communication positions in organizations such as those allied with health care and human development or for advanced work in communication studies and other fields focusing on the analysis of human behavior.

Concentration in Journalism

Students in print and broadcast will develop an understanding of the political, economic, social, and cultural contexts in which news is gathered and disseminated. They will acquire the skills needed to investigate effectively the world of news and to report these findings accurately, clearly, completely, and in the public interest. They will graduate with the knowledge of the critical, analytical, and ethical perspectives necessary to succeed in entry-level jobs and in lifelong careers.

Concentration in Media Production

Students will acquire the ability to create communications using audio, video, motion picture, photography and computer graphics techniques. An appreciation and ethical concern for the professional values and effects on an audience of utilizing such techniques will accompany both practical and theoretical instruction. Skills needed to perform the research and writing functions that precede actual production of media programs as well as performance studies are included.

This concentration provides the preparation for internships and entry-level positions available in a wide variety of careers that require media production knowledge and skills, and the foundation for advancement in those fields.

Concentration in Media Studies

Students will deal critically with media issues that create and affect public policy and will explore media management policy. Course materials will also cover content, technology, training, programming, marketing, and audiences in national and international contexts.

Concentration in Public Relations

The concentration provides basic knowledge, skills and ethical considerations to prepare students for entry into public relations and advertising careers. Students will learn the communication requirements to represent organizations, products, services, operations and policies effectively. Specific areas of study include theory, principles, analytical and critical skills ethical requirements, public policy development, campaign design and execution requirements, research methodologies, data analysis techniques, and communications skills especially appropriate for public relations careers.