Communication is the art and science of creating and sharing meaning. In the College of Communication, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the complex and challenging communication practices and processes that characterize our rapidly changing world; you’ll master the techniques for crafting and delivering messages across a variety of social contexts and platforms: face to face, print, audio, video, Web and other social media. You’ll learn from exceptional teachers - from professors who have many years of experience in some of the biggest media markets in the nation, and from scholars publishing in some of the top national and international journals. You’ll gain hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art facilities, through our award-winning radio station and newspaper, and through a wide range of internships and community projects.

            The recent creation of a College of Communication at DePaul has set the stage for enhanced quality, substantially enriched curricular and programmatic offerings, joint programming with other schools and colleges within the university, expanded opportunities for our students to engage in workplace experiential learning; increased regional and national visibility; and significant additional growth in undergraduate programs, graduate programs, and overall enrollments. 

            In order to better accommodate the increasing complexity of the undergraduate curriculum, student demand for more degree options in specialized areas, the need to better blend theory and practice, and the changing contours of communication fields with the advent of new media technologies and globalization, the College of Communication faculty recently approved five new BA degree programs (available Fall 2008).

They are:

BA in Communication Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies merges what used to be two distinct areas of study within the Department of Communication: Relational, Group and Organizational Communication, and Culture and Communication. The BA in Communication Studies is designed to respond flexibly to students’ desire to complete coursework examining the dynamics of human communication in interpersonal, group and workplace contexts, or intercultural and multicultural communication in various social, political, and performative settings. The merger between these two areas is all the more natural when one considers that both offer advanced coursework that supports a five-year program leading up to the MA in Organizational and Multicultural Communication.

BA in Journalism

T he BA in Journalism prepares students to work as journalism professionals and places the social responsibility of the press and social justice at the center of the curriculum. This distinguishes the Journalism program both regionally and nationally. Part of the undergraduate journalism curriculum requires students to gather news and report on Chicago residents who might not always have a voice in our mainstream media. This type of community based work is evident in courses such as Community Journalism, Investigative Reporting and Online Journalism. The existing five year program in Journalism culminates in an MA in Journalism concentrating on social justice, social responsibility and ethics of the media. The resources (e.g., television studio and lab resources) available at  the Communication and Media Center at the Loop campus now afford journalism students the opportunity to develop the technological expertise necessary to produce professional journalism and ensure that all students enter new multimedia and interactive environments prepared to work effectively.

BA in Media and Cinema Studies

The BA in Media and Cinema Studies strategically combines the faculty expertise, curricula and facilities of media areas in Communication, CTI (e.g., Digital Cinema) and other university units to provide students with the critical frameworks, creative opportunities and technological expertise to become socially responsible leaders in the growing and converging areas of multimedia. The major combines a rich course selection in several areas of study: film; radio, television, and new media. Coursework combines theory and critical analysis with production courses taught at both the Lincoln Park (e.g., radio) and Loop campuses (e.g., television/video or cinema). The BA in Media and Cinema Studies changes its name from Radio, TV, Film to better reflect its continued coverage of traditional media, and its growing curricular associations with the Digital Cinema Program. The Media and Cinema Studies major also houses the five-year BA/MA program leading up to the Master of Arts degree in Media, Culture and Society.

BA in Public Relations and Advertising

The BA in Public Relations and Advertising offers students a single flexible concentration, allowing for specialization in either public relations or advertising, or the pursuit of coursework in both. Classes in this program emphasize theory and practice, writing in both public relations and advertising, law and ethics, production, program development and implementation, critical perspectives, and special topics like contemporary trends, health public relations, and global messages.

BA in Communication and Media

The BA in Communication and Media offers students the opportunity to pursue an interdisciplinary, non-specialized program in communication and media. This generalist degree will provide flexibility for transfer students and others who have not determined their precise career trajectory, while affording them the fundamental communication and critical thinking skills needed to enter jobs across the public, private and non-profit sectors, or to continue their education in academic or professional post-graduate programs. This major will also serve the needs of those students who  would like to complete a communication degree, by taking mostly evening courses.