The world of communication changes virtually every day, and the available communications degrees in Arkansas showcase the numerous ways that students can get a handle on those changes as they happen. Across the state, universities maintain robust programs that teach students the history, fundamentals, and future of fields like journalism and mass communication. At other universities in the state, students learn about the intersection of good communication and the humanities. At still other universities in Arkansas, communications programs focus on the science of communication itself, and the disorders that can often have a great impact on how people convey themselves or listen to each other. Each program is unique, and will appeal to a different type of student with different long-term career goals either in Arkansas or across the country.
Arkansas Northeastern College
Department of Communications and Humanities
ANC gives students the opportunity to explore communication through a unique lens. The Department of Communication and Humanities focuses on the intersection of numerous communication types and the humanities pursuits, from art to science and beyond. This gives graduate an exceedingly large amount of context when they begin reporting on news stories or working in a communications-related field on their own, and it can help them report more in-depth information that other graduates might not be able to reference or understand due to a less humanities-focused program. The department also oversees and advises students in several on-campus honors societies, publications, and professional organizations.
B.A. in Communications and Humanities
Students who enroll in the Communications and Humanities degree program at ANC will take a required core group of classes that blend cultural pursuits with information about interpersonal, public, corporate, and journalistic communication. After they’ve taken this core, along with their general education courses, they’ll move into upper-level electives that teach communication disorders, the ethics of broadcasting and reporting, and the role of technology in the modern communication process. Through campus-approved internships and supervised experiences, students will also gain hands-on knowledge of communications theories and technologies that may prove invaluable after graduation.
Contact
Arkansas Northeastern College
2501 South Division St.
Blytheville, AR 72315501
Phone: (870) 762-1020
Email: dparker@smail.anc.edu
Website
Arkansas Tech University
Department of Communication and Journalism
ATU’s Department of Communication and Journalism is home to both bachelor’s and master’s degrees that give students the skills they need to work at newspapers, television and radio stations, or in a public relations capacity. The department is filled with faculty members who either previously worked in communication or currently hold a position at nearby television, radio, and newspaper companies. This helps to give students real insight into the modern production and reporting process, and even helps with post-graduation networking and job searching. On campus, students will have the opportunity to write for student publications or use their talents at an on-campus radio station. Numerous internship opportunities exist off-campus thanks to university networking, and these are strongly encouraged by advisors and faculty members within the department.
B.A. / M.A. in Communications
Arkansas Tech University offers both a B.A. and an M.A. in communication, with several unique concentrations. Students can combine their studies into one continuous pursuit, graduating with both degrees as long as they follow an advising program and fill in their free electives with upper-level and graduate-level courses. Though students pursuing their M.A. will have only one degree option available, in Multimedia Journalism, those choosing an undergraduate major can select a program in speech communication, theatre, broadcast journalism, print journalism, or public relations. A solid core of communications courses at the beginning of the major will introduce journalistic-style writing, the ethics of interviewing and reporting, and the basics of current communication technologies. Elective courses will fit into one of the concentrations mentioned earlier, teaching students the more advanced skills within their selected niche.
Contact
Arkansas Tech University
School of Arts and Humanities
1815 Coliseum Drive
Russellville, AR 72801
Phone: (479) 964-0890
Email: pbullard@atu.edu
Website
Harding University
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
At Harding University, faculty in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders spends a great deal of time studying the impact of common disorders in public and private communications. The university places a great amount of emphasis on scholarly research into this area, with on-campus labs that are routinely used by faculty members to conduct research into a specific disorder shared by a group of people. Though undergraduate students don’t engage very frequently with this research, those at the graduate level do assist professors with these studies and have routinely made discoveries that have helped treat such disorders around the world.
B.S. in Communications Sciences and Disorders
The Bachelor of Science in Communications Sciences and Disorders is a generalist program that teaches students basic information about a wide range of common communication patterns, behavioral disorders, and genetic problems with communication among some individuals. The program is primarily used to prepare students for clinical experience in medical settings or private practice, where they’ll use a combination of undergraduate and graduate-level education to diagnose, remediate, and even fix some of today’s most severe communication disorders after they finish the program. When combined with numerous internship experiences and the research done by seasoned faculty, members, this program is absolutely invaluable.
Contact
Harding University
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
915 E. Market Ave.
Searcy, AR 72149
Phone: (501) 279-4648
Email: csd@harding.edu
Website
Southern Arkansas University
Department of Theatre and Mass Communication
At Southern Arkansas University, the Department of Theatre and Mass Communication spends much of its time researching the intersection of basic communication behaviors and the nature of today’s digital world. Professors maintain on-campus research labs and intensive studies that look for changes in perception according to the type of media being conveyed, the emotion being displayed, and the unique type of event being reported upon. The department also maintains numerous outlets for student experience and networking, from an on-campus honors society to a campus radio station and newspaper staffed primarily by those in the B.A. program in Mass Communications.
B.A. Mass Communications with an Emphasis in Digital Media Production
The unique Mass Communications degree at Southern Arkansas University is designed to give students the context they need to understand why communication is happening, how it should be reported, and how today’s high-tech production tools can help them tell their story to an audience that is increasing online and using pocket-sized devices. A basic core program at the university covers public speaking, interpersonal communication, and the culture of modern communications. Elective courses teach software applications, internet journalism and reporting, and modern mass communications through multiple channels. At the conclusion of the program, students will be better communicators, with the skills they need to find, report on, and fully produce their own stories for virtually any outlet.
Contact
Southern Arkansas University
Department of Theatre and Mass Communication
100 E. University
Magnolia, AR 71753
Phone: (870) 235-4000
Website
University of Arkansas
School of Mass Communication
The University of Arkansas is the flagship public institution for residents of the state, and offers the right combination of doctoral faculty, scholarly research, and affordable tuition. Students in the university’s School of Mass Communication enjoy access to the school’s extensive technological research and its experience in crafting some of today’s leading media professionals. In addition to numerous courses that teach students the basics of journalistic writing, media reporting, and ethical interviewing of witnesses and suspects, the university maintains on-campus labs that produce broadcast and radio content. These labs serve as excellent hands-on experience for journalism students that they can leverage as they enter the job market after they receive their undergraduate degree.
Communication B.A.
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the University of Arkansas allows students to pick from one of three concentration tracks: Public, interpersonal, or mass communication. Each student takes a required core of both general education and communications courses, before splitting off into one of the three groups above as they select their elective coursework and complete upper-level credits at the university. Students across the board will learn about current and emerging communication technologies, their impact on all forms of communication, and how they can be ethically and responsibly handled. Those who choose to study public communication will take courses in public relations and interfacing with the public, while those in mass media will study journalistic writing, reporting, and related legal issues. Students of interpersonal communication will learn how their own actions, biases, and cultural leanings inform the way they communicate with others and perceive the intentions of other parties in a conversation or group setting.
Contact
University of Arkansas
School of Mass Communication
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: (479) 575-2000
Website
University of Central Arkansas
Department of Communication
At UCA, the Department of Communication is one of the largest and most prestigious on campus. The department oversees numerous student-professional societies and honors organizations, including the Lambda Pi Eta honors society for communication students. Thanks to the department’s efforts, UCA’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta was twice recognized as “chapter of the year” among all nationwide chapters. The Public Relations Society of America also maintains an active chapter on campus. Internships and on-campus job experience are readily available through student newspapers and a broadcast radio station, and professors routinely are involved in off-campus communications positions that offer excellent long-term networking for those students looking to further their career in a dynamic way.
B.A. in Communications
The goal of UCA’s B.A. in Communications is to give students the context they need to understand how communication takes place and what their role is in understanding or reporting those communications in the real world. For this reason, the coursework required of the degree is focused intensively on interpersonal communications studies, the cultural effects and impacts of communication, and the role of certain behaviors or disorders in the way that people communicate in the modern world. Elective courses teach students the ethics of listening to and reporting the news or eyewitness accounts if they choose a journalism track. Other students can choose a public relations concentration that will teach them about interacting with the news media, handling crisis situations, and using language that is both protective of their employer’s interest and honest about events, crises, or big decisions.
Contact
University of Central Arkansas
Department of Communication
201 Donaghey Ave.
Conway, AR 72035
Phone: (501) 450-5000
Website
Whether it’s shaping the world of breaking news and television reporting, or working with those who suffer from any number of serious communication disorders, Arkansas’ many universities have programs that can help students get ahead in their chosen field. The numerous communications degrees in Arkansas range from journalism and mass media to communications sciences and studies in disorders, and each of them provides valuable insight into how we relate to each other.
