Communications and Media Studies (BA)

Communications is a versatile, generalist major that prepares our students to enter careers in today’s information industry, the broadest segment of professional employment in our society (see sidebar). At Dominican we acknowledge and meet the challenge and the excitement of preparing our students for this future. We know that as traditional media converge and evolve into new forms of information packaging and presentation, innovation and creativity will play their part. Emergent technology will help to define culture, create and fuel market demand and grow new opportunities in entertainment, journalism and education. Courses within the Dominican Communications discipline provide students with the needed knowledge base to enter confidently professions in today’s Information Industy. Students gain deep practice in the universally appealing and transportable skills in business communications, interpersonal communication, public speaking and writing with clarity and authority. For majors wish to pursue careers in business, broadcast journalism, print or web media or cinema, this major offers an opportunity for focus through specialized classes taught by instructors who have both academic preparation and professional experience in their fields. The strong liberal arts base and emphasis on research that Dominican offers positions our graduates well for careers in convergent industries or for continuing in interdisciplinary studies.

The Experiential Learning Component

An added advantage of Dominican’s Communications Department is the opportunity for hands-on participation. Students don’t just talk about broadcasting, publishing or cinema; here they do it. Within six weeks of their arrival, freshmen students expressing a desire to concentrate on radio broadcast begin their semester crafting original show. They launch their careers by broadcasting over Dominican's award-winning Internet radio station, radio.dominican.edu. Link here. The experience they gain prepares them for internships with professional radio stations that often lead to job offers, even before graduation.

Likewise, students interested in business prepare and present professional grade public relations and marketing projects. Journalism students research and write original stories and collaborate in producing a campus newspaper or design and produce a webzine. Cinema students write, shoot, edit, and screen documentaries and other video projects.

In their junior or senior year, all students are required to participate in an internship program that provides them with valuable real-world experience. The internships help students test and hone their skills, make contacts and learn about industry trends and careers.

Upon graduation, our students will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and practices in one or more forms of mass media typical to that medium (i.e. writing for journalism, producing pieces for broadcast on radio and TV, developing advertisements and campaigns for public relations and communications based marketing);
• Demonstrate effective writing skills typical of professional communication settings (i.e. news writing, copywriting, screenwriting, etc.)
• Demonstrate effective verbal skills typical of professional communication settings (i.e. deliver broadcasts for radio and television, conduct effective interviews and interview effectively, propose and explain the rationale for advertising campaigns and their strategies, etc.)
• Use media in convergence effectively to produce purposeful messages.
• Ability to produce a portfolio of professional grade work that demonstrates employment readiness.

For more Communications and Media Studies BA Information, see our course catalog