Communication
Communication Arts Department
Evelyn Spratt, Ph.D., Interim Dean, School of Arts, Sciences and Business
TBD, Ph.D., Chair
Avery Griffin, M.F.A.
Kendrick Kenney, M.A.
Pamela O'Brien, Ph.D.
Campuses
Main Campus
Summary
The Communication Arts Department of the College of Arts, Sciences and Business offers a Major and Minor in Communication Arts to traditional undergraduate students. The Program provides an intensive study of communication between and among persons via the mass media and in cyberspace. The Department mission is to enable students to be knowledgeable creators and astute consumers of messages within our increasingly complex, technological society. The core curriculum aims to develop the student's talents in communicating effectively in print, in visuals, in speech, and with diverse types of media. By offering additional choices through a series of electives, the Program also encourages students to design a specialty within the communication fields, such as advertising, video and digital media, public relations, journalism, or corporate communication. Through internships, practicums, and advanced courses, the student learns in more depth about the theory and practices of the specific communication area of the student's interest.
Department facilities include a digital, wireless green screen studio with computer-based nonlinear editing, ENG equipment for video field work, the campus streaming radio station, NDMU radio, and student-run newspaper, Columns. Classes meet frequently in the department's Macintosh laboratory for sessions on writing, digital publishing, digital design work, and multimedia presentations.
Early internships during the sophomore and junior years may be taken to explore various career areas in which students may be interested. All Communication Arts majors must complete an advanced practicum with an approved organization as part of their senior year experience.
Graduates in Communication Arts have been employed in settings as varied as C-SPAN, Animal Planet, SmartCEO magazine, Baltimore Magazine, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. They serve as advertising media planners, Webmasters, media relations experts, television producers, newspaper editors and sports information directors. An active Advisory Board of department graduates assists the faculty in preparing students for careers. The Department sponsored the first student chapter of the Association for Women in Communications in the State of Maryland.
Degrees and Certificates
-
Communication Arts, Major -
Communication Arts, Minor