• Advertising

    Advertising

    This concentration focuses on all aspects of advertising in American society, including creative, media and research, as well as its impact on audiences and institutions.  Students in this track will be prepared to develop and implement advertising campaigns.

  • Digital Cinema & Television

    Digital Cinema & Television

    This track focuses on the practical aspects of digital television and film production.  Students will gain a broad theoretical understanding of media while participating in hands-on field and high definition studio production.  Students will also gain an understanding of the historical, aesthetic, and management side of media production.

  • Interpersonal Communication & Rhetoric

    Interpersonal Communication & Rhetoric

    This area is the traditional speech communication track, providing an opportunity to gain a broad understanding of communication and rhetorical theory.  This track provides students with skills that will serve them well in any chosen career, such as critical thinking skills and an awareness of how we construct meaning through speech, images, and action.  Some possible career paths with this concentration include training, sales, speech-writing, and the ministry.  This track also provides a firm base for those who wish to pursue graduate studies.

  • Journalism: Print & Broadcast

    Journalism: Print & Broadcast

     

    Backed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, journalism promises to provide citizens with useful information about public issues and be a watchdog on powerful institutions, including government and business.  Students in the journalism track choose between print — newspapers, magazines and newsletters — and broadcast news, but also receive cross-training to provide them with as broad a range of skills as possible within the confines of an academic degree.

  • Organizational Communication

    Organizational Communication

    The study of organizational communication involves the understanding of four interlocking perspectives: theoretical analysis of interconnections between social/organizational structures and symbolic action; contextual analysis of external and internal environments; structure analysis of human patterns of relationships and interdependence; and process analysis of communication behaviors.  This track provides students with both theoretical and practical opportunities: students develop analytical, critical, and systems thinking.  Students also develop tangible artifacts, such as modules and surveys.  Possible career paths include consulting, managing, recruiting, selling, and training.  This track provides a solid foundation for those who wish to pursue graduate studies.

  • Public Relations

    Public Relations

    Public Relations is a broad-based discipline that encompasses both creative and managerial components.  Practitioners work with organizations to provide two-way communication with various constituents.  Talented and skilled professionals are in great demand in a number of industries.  We have a comprehensive series of course requirements designed to give students a broad understanding of public relations as well as current theories and ethical principles surrounding the profession.

Welcome to USA’s Department of Communication!

The primary objectives of the Communication Department are: to understand and teach the functions, processes, and effects of communication; to attempt to influence communication environments in which we live in a contributory way; and to provide professional preparation for communication-oriented careers, including communication technology, journalism, public relations, organizational communication, and the mass media.

Given these goals, the Department attempts to meet individual performance and career needs with a flexible curriculum. Students select one of the six tracks offered and confer with their advisers to plan their courses of study. These focused areas of study are not a vocational education, but they will help to prepare students for several employment possibilities.