For those who have an affinity for talking to others or telling stories, the communications degrees in Florida are a great way to build on that natural skill set and take advantage of a fast-changing profession in the process. Thanks to a number of high-tech developments, from short-message social media to blogs and online reporting, the communications field has never been more fast-paced or fast changing. The classroom makes these advancements easier to understand and utilize in everyday scenarios, beginning at the associate’s degree level and advancing straight through graduate-level coursework. Each of these programs has unique strengths and weaknesses, ranging from great student-to-faculty ratios to institutional research and excellent job connections for new graduates.
Pensacola State College
English / Communications Department
Pensacola State College issues both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, but their primary role is in serving as a two-year, community college institution for the Pensacola community. The college has maintained excellent connections with the surrounding metropolitan area and, as a result, students in the English / Communications Department enjoy a nearly 100 percent job placement rate in industry-related positions after graduation. To help maintain that high level of job placement, the university encourages internships from the students’ first semester and regularly hosts on-campus speaker series and professional job fairs open to those in the final year of the program. Professors include both doctoral faculty members and part-time adjuncts, who teach a variety of traditional communications courses and communications technology classes as well.
Journalism AA Program
The Associate of Arts program in journalism at Pensacola State College is frequently adapted to the needs and developments of the broader communications industry. For this reason, students can expect a large part of their coursework to be heavily tech-involved. They will study the nature of online reporting and publishing, the role of newer communication formats like blogs and social media posts, and the role and responsibility of the modern journalist in an industry that is increasingly decentralized and self-reported. Courses will also teach students the basics of journalistic ethics and the legal issues surrounding modern reporting. By the conclusion of this two-year program, students will have the skills they need to begin an entry-level communications program or pursue a four-year degree in the field by transferring their specialized credits to another Florida university.
Contact
Pensacola State College
English / Communications Department
1000 College Blvd.
Pensacola, FL 32504
Phone: (850) 484-1000
Email: tbotsford@pensacolastate.edu
Website
Santa Fe College
Journalism Program
Santa Fe College is a two-year institution located just a short distance away from the University of Florida in the city of Gainesville. As a result, many students who enroll at the institution do so with the intention of transferring their journalism degree to UF upon graduation. Many of the professors and adjuncts who teach at Santa Fe also teach courses at the University of Florida and maintain an active role in the local journalism or communications industries. This gives professors the insight they need to help students succeed as they pursue a bachelor’s degree, or to succeed as they pursue an entry-level position at local magazines, newspapers, independent publications, or online blogs and opinion sites. Thanks to small class sizes and a number of on-campus clubs that offer hands-on experience, students graduate with a strong resume and enjoy an exceedingly high job placement rate within just a few months of graduation.
Journalism (AA)
The journalism program at Santa Fe College has been designed as a bridge between the historic role of the journalist and the exciting future of the profession. For this reason, all students start their program with courses that introduce basic communication and composition theory, alongside journalistic ethics and legal issues. They’ll also be required to take computer science classes that teach them the basics of technology more broadly, as well as the unique software applications and online publishing opportunities that await journalists in the industry once they land an entry-level position in the field. The program also focuses extensively on the liberal arts, giving students the foundation they need to transfer their degree to a four-year institution upon graduation if they wish to do so. Thanks to close connections with the Gainesville journalism community and the University of Florida, both college transfers and job applicants often meet with high levels of success.
Contact
Santa Fe College
Journalism Program
3000 NW 83rd S.
Gainesville, FL 32606
Phone: (352) 395-5000
Website
Seminole State College
Communications Department
Without a doubt, Seminole State College is the largest two-year institution serving students in the greater Central Florida region. The institution maintains a total of four campuses throughout central Florida, and its Communications Department actively helps students acquire the skills and coursework needed to succeed as an entry-level communications professional or as a student in a four-year degree program after graduation. The Communications Department has long lived by a philosophy that seeks the well-rounded education of students in the program, giving them coursework that introduces them to journalism, literature, grammar, formal composition, and scholarly research. As a result, communications students can seek jobs in the journalism industry, seek positions helping others with communications programs, or be met with success in a four-year program. Thanks to a close relationship with the University of Central Florida, many Seminole State students do opt for the four-year degree track through a fully articulated transfer of credits.
Associate in Communications
Communications students at Seminole State College are required to take the college’s liberal arts core, which ranges from laboratory science to introductory composition and mathematics. This core can be transferred to one of many other Florida universities upon graduation, and it gives communications students the background they need to understand the components of any breaking story that they might cover. Once they begin taking communications classes within their major, students will learn about radio and television broadcasting, the ethics of print journalism, the nature of journalistic research and investigative work, and how to properly write a story according to modern, approved journalistic formats. From the inverted pyramid to the best ways to film and photograph a story, these classes prepare communications students for work in any area of a traditional or high-tech reporting environment.
Contact
Seminole State College
Communications Department
100 Weldon Blvd.
Sanford, FL 32773
Phone: (407) 708-4722
Email: admissions@seminolestate.edu
Website
University of Central Florida
Nicholson School of Communication
The University of Central Florida is one of the state’s largest public universities and a major contributor to the world of scholarly academic research. The university’s Nicholson School of Communication has consistently been ranked among the best values in the United States, and is also among the most prestigious public schools of communication in the country. The faculty members at the school are almost all doctoral degree holders, and virtually all of them have a vast amount of communication and journalism industry experience. The university’s School of Communication frequently hosts world-renowned experts on-campus for a speaker series, and offers its students access to on-campus job fairs and internship fairs during the fall and spring semesters. With a number of on-campus reporting labs and communications-related clubs and organizations, the department’s reach is extensive.
Master of Arts in Communication
Those who wish to extend their understanding of communications beyond the undergraduate level will appreciate the M.A. degree in communication at UCF. Though open to students of any undergraduate background, the ones most likely to succeed are those who studied journalism, communications, or broadcasting during the preceding four years. When they enroll in the program, students will take advanced classes in communication technology, communication disorders and pitfalls, and an advanced understanding of the legal and ethical issues of modern journalism. Students will participate in on-campus reporting labs that simulate real broadcast and print journalism workplaces. They’ll learn how to make quick judgments of a story’s merit, ethical considerations, witness accounts, and more. By the program’s conclusion, they’ll be among the most seasoned reporters and communication observers in the country.
Contact
University of Central Florida
Nicholson School of Communication
Millican Hall 230
PO Box 160112
Orlando, FL 32816
Phone: (407) 823-2859
Email: harry.weger@ucf.edu
Website
University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications
The University of Florida is the state’s flagship public university and is often considered one of the “Public Ivies.” The quality of education at UF has allowed the College of Journalism and Communications to become one of the leading communication schools in the country, consistently ranked as among the top 20 best such schools nationwide. Graduates from the school typically go on to be world-class reporters, journalists, and television personalities, using their advanced understanding of the field to find and tell stories in a unique way. Professors engage students through on-campus communication labs, scholarly research done in UF research centers, and practical experience received through their own industry experience in the Gainesville community and beyond.
Master’s in Mass Communications
The graduate program in mass communications is designed to focus exclusively on how journalistic decisions change when crafting stories for a large, mainstream audience that might be nationwide in its scope. For this reason, coursework at the University of Florida focuses primarily on the modern, 24-hour news cycle, the ethics of reporting stories to a large or nationwide audience, and the impact of mass communications on daily discourse, politics, business, and numerous other fields. Students learn how to ethically and factually report on stories of national or international importance, and they learn the nature of working for broadcast entities. In on-campus reporting and research labs, they study the effect of news on their audience and they learn more about the role of technology in mass journalism and global communication.
Contact
University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications
Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: (352) 392-3261
Email: dtreise@jou.ufl.edu
Website
University of North Florida
College of Arts and Sciences
Though the University of North Florida is one of the newest universities in the state of Florida, it has consistently been ranked as one of the best values statewide and as one of the best schools for academic quality. Today, the College of Arts and Sciences oversees a fast-growing program in communications that is drawing students from all walks of life. The fledgling Department of Communications in the school employs an advanced faculty with doctoral degrees, many of them with decades of experience in reporting, working with communications technology, and researching the impact of journalism on diverse communities. In the classroom, the College of Arts and Sciences uses advanced technologies to give students hands-on experience with new software tools, historic journalistic concepts, and more.
B.A. in Communications
The B.A. in Communications at UNF focuses not only on journalism, but also on the nature of human communication itself. This split in the program means that students will take an interesting mix of courses and have a more comprehensive set of learning outcomes. First and foremost, the program focuses on what it means to effectively communicate with others. Students will therefore take courses in strategic, interpersonal, and public communication. they will briefly study public relations, public speaking, and interviewing, giving them the skills they need to communicate with others and relate to them on a personal level. Journalism-centered courses will teach students how to write a news article, how to research and investigate, and how to make ethical decisions regarding people, places, and events that become part of a larger story in the news.
Contact
University of North Florida
College of Arts and Sciences
1 UNF Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32224
Phone: (904) 620-1000
Website
University of South Florida
School of Mass Communications
USF ranks as one of the best public schools in the country, and also as one of the leading research institution. The school holds more patents than almost any other university in the United States, and frequently guides its students toward a nearly 100 percent job placement rate shortly after graduation. The School of Mass Communications benefits directly from an on-campus commitment to research and innovation, giving students more coursework in technology and journalistic innovation than perhaps any other Florida university can offer. Professors are all seasoned communicators, journalists, and broadcasters, with decades of experience that lay a solid and insightful foundation for undergraduates. Thanks to its central role in industry research, USF frequently hosts national reporters for on-campus discussions and brings major, national organizations to its communications job fair each semester.
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications
The Mass Communications program at USF is designed to give students the background they need to report stories to a large audience. This means that the focus of the program is primarily on making ethical decisions when reporting on events, reporting names, and describing the scene. It also gives students context, educating them about what it means to report a story to a large national audience via television, written communication, or electronic sources. As a result, graduates will be able to cover major national or international stories within an ethical framework. They will be able to preserve the privacy and dignity of those involved, while building a national narrative and informing a massive audience about ongoing developments as news breaks.
Contact
University of South Florida
School of Mass Communications
4202 East Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
Phone: (813) 974-4462
Website
University of Tampa
Communication Program
Founded in 1931, the University of Tampa is one of Florida’s leading private institutions for those with a significant interest in communications. The school has long been central to the business and communications industries in the city of Tampa, and for this reason offers students perhaps the best networking opportunities available in the region. On-campus internship and job fairs are hosted once per semester by the Communication Program faculty, giving students a chance to meet with employers and find an opportunity that fits their unique perspective. The program also oversees on-campus newspapers, a radio station and an honors society, which help students build credibility for post-graduation employment.
B.A. in Communication
The bachelor’s degree in communications at UT is a rather broad and general program, which gives students the context they need for a wide variety of positions after graduation. Thanks to a dual focus on communications and technology, students will have the skills they need to enter the traditional newsroom, reporting on major stories, or the ability to go into freelance writing, journalistic blogging, or opinion and commentary. The communications program focuses heavily on internships, and exchanges academic credit for at least one semester’s worth of off-campus communication, reporting, or electronic writing experience. As a result, the University of Tampa enjoys a high job placement rate for graduates with a few months of issuing their degrees at graduation.
Contact
University of Tampa
Communication Program
401 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606
Phone: (813) 253-3333
Website
University of West Florida
College of Arts and Sciences
The University of West Florida is the largest university in the Florida Panhandle region, and a leading public institution that focuses on both academics and research. the College of Arts and Sciences oversees a large number of academic majors, including communications. The school employs both doctoral professors and part-time adjunct faculty, and gives students the background they need to work in a large number of communications-related positions. The school has its own honors society, while the Communications Department oversees student organizations including the on-campus newspaper and radio station. With close connections to Pensacola businesses and newspapers, students enjoy a large number of internship and entry-level job opportunities throughout their time at UWF.
Communication Arts
The art of communication isn’t as simple as it might seem, and that’s exactly why the Communication Arts degree at UWF focuses on the nature of human communication and how to ensure better outcomes in a variety of settings. In addition to learning the basics of print and broadcast journalism, students learn how to write effectively for journalism, research, and creative purposes. They take classes in public speaking, interpersonal communication, public relations, business communication, and more. As a result, graduates of the program are prepared to be great communicators in journalistic or business environments nationwide.
Contact
University of West Florida
College of Arts and Sciences
11000 University Pkwy.
Pensacola, FL 32514
Phone: (850) 474-2874
Email: commarts@uwf.edu
Website
Engaging Communications Degrees at All Levels for Florida Students
The communications field continues to grow and evolve as emerging technologies change the very nature of interpersonal interactions, mass communications, and journalism. Students who wish to take advantage of these high-tech advancements and guide the profession toward its exciting future have numerous programs to choose from across the country. The communications degrees in Florida are a perfect fit for local residents who are looking to either start or advance their education in the history, nature, and future of the communications industry.
For more information on Communication Degrees in Florida, please see Communications Degrees in Florida (A-O).