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 the ability to:

• Speak and write with clarity and authority; skillfully adapting to the knowledge culture and expectations of a target audience;
• Practice and prepare public relations and marketing campaigns based on demographic and business needs
• Research issues thoroughly and accurately with effective use of interview techniques employing a variety of sources;
• Identify a news story and its elements, and report with objectivity and ethical understanding;
• Practice interpersonal communication and cooperative teamwork needed to professionally produce any product;
• Use technologies skillfully (in convergence to each other) to produce appropriate messages;
• Cinematic students will practice all aspects of cinematic story telling from writing and producing to directing sound design cinematography and editing;
• Exhibit professionalism in choices that are affected in work ethic, interaction and behavior and draw on a rich liberal arts education that provides graduates with a framework for aesthetic appreciation and historical context.