Communications degrees in Georgia and the universities offering them are as diverse and varied as the field of communications itself. From text messages and Twitter to national political campaigns, from local radio stations to the twists and turns of communicating across cultures, there is a whole wide world of challenges and opportunities for communications majors to study and master. In today’s media-driven society, well-prepared graduates of communications degree programs can find professional pathways to suit their own strengths, interests and goals — whether they specialize in global communication, mass communication, interpersonal communication, public relations or any other area of concentration.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
College of Health Professions
Located in the picturesque and historic city of Savannah, Georgia, Armstrong Atlantic State University is a master’s level university with a student body of close to 7,000 undergraduates and about 1,000 graduate students. Students enjoy the campus’s close proximity to Georgia’s beaches. Armstrong’s students are encouraged to take part in internships, community outreach and honors programs. Armstrong was founded in 1935, and emphasizes the ideals of liberal education at an affordable state school price. A member of the university system of Georgia, Armstrong offers in-state tuition not only to Georgia residents but also to students from contiguous counties of South Carolina. The school competes successfully in the Division II Peach Belt Conference, and its men’s and women’s tennis teams are particularly noted.
The University’s College of Health Professions in the largest undergraduate health college in the state of Georgia, and emphasizes hands-on student learning through community partnerships. The College of Health Professions offers a range of academic programs from the associate through the doctoral level, including bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders
Given the ubiquity of communications-related careers and educational programs, it’s easy to take communication itself for granted yet, nearly 10 percent of the world’s population is affected by a communication disorder, as reported by Armstrong’s College of Health Professions. Armstrong University strives to fill the demand for audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Georgia and beyond through its Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders program, which prepares graduates for entry-level employment or for further study at the master’s level. Students in the program have the opportunity for hands-on learning at the RiteCare Center for Communication Disorders at the Savannah Mall, where they collaborate with faculty and observe supervised evaluations of adult and youth patients. All senior-level students complete a clinical experience at this center and earn a minimum of 25 directed clinical observation hours.
Master of Science Degree in Communication Sciences
Armstrong’s Master of Science in Communication Sciences program prepares students for licensure as professional speech-language pathologists. Graduates can sit for the necessary examinations and are then eligible for employment in settings such as hospitals, schools and rehabilitation centers. Spanning 5 semesters in length, the program includes coursework in articulation and language disorders, aural rehabilitation, language and literacy and voice and fluency. All students are required to successfully complete three clinical placements prior to graduation.
Contact
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31419
Phone: (912)344-2576
adm-info@armstrong.edu
Bachelor’s Program Website
Master’s Program Website
Berry College
Evans School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Berry College is an independent, co-educational liberal arts college with an interdenominational Christian emphasis to its curricula. The 27,000 acre campus is located just north of Rome, Georgia. Berry College is nationally ranked among liberal arts colleges, rated in the top 200 universities by the US News and World Report, and is especially noted for its on-campus work experience program, through which over 90 percent of the student body practices real-world application of knowledge learned in the classroom.
Evans School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences is the largest school within Berry College. The School is home to a number of Berry College’s most popular programs and departments, one of which is the department of communication.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications
A competitive speech team, an award-winning student newspaper and an on-campus web-based multimedia outlet are just a few of the means through which students in Berry’s Bachelor of Arts in Communications program can earn hands-on experience before graduation. Internship opportunities and related on-campus jobs are also highly encouraged, and the program’s curricula stresses breadth over specialization. Available areas of concentration within the major are journalism, public relations, sports communication and visual communication.
Contact
2277 Martha Berry Hwy. NW
Mount Berry, GA 30149
Phone: (706) 232-5374
admissions@berry.edu
Program Website
Georgia Highlands College
Division of Humanities
A member of the university system of Georgia, Georgia Highlands College is a two-year community college with six different campus locations: Two in Rome, GA, one Cartersville, one in Douglasville, one in Marietta and one in Dallas,GA. The school was founded in 1970 and grants associate-level degrees. Georgia Highlands College’s total enrollment is about 5,000.
The Division of Humanities at Georgia Highlands College oversees the instruction of the college’s core curriculum, which provides associate degree students with the coursework that will enable them to easily transfer into a baccalaureate program at a state university. The division is committed to intellectual and cultural enhancement and to serving the need of its diverse student population.
Associate Degree of Applied Science Communication
Georgia Highland’s Division of Humanities offers a program through which students can complete the first two years of a “journalism core”, facilitating an easier transfer into a baccalaureate journalism or communications program at a university after completion of the associate degree. Students at Georgia Highland College can earn hands-on experience through work at the college’s award-winning student newspaper, with both paid and unpaid positions available to students. Other opportunities include participation in the Georgia College Press Association’s annual press institute, and students can run for elected office positions within the College Press Association.
Contact
5441 Highway 20 NE
Cartersville, GA 30121
Phone: (678)872-8064
humanities@highlands.edu
Program Website
Georgia Regent University
Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
One of the four public comprehensive research universities in the state of Georgia, Georgia Regent University is located in the city of Augusta and was founded in 1828. The student body consists of close to 9,000 undergraduates, and about 3,000 graduate and professional students.
Committed to intellectual and community development, and emphasizing ideals of humane values and human diversity, Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences strives to prepare its graduates for careers as well as for citizenship and lifelong learning. Pamplin College is home to seven departments, including the communications department.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications
The Bachelor of Arts in Communications program’s curriculum focuses on historical and theoretical studies and offers specialization tracks in communication studies, journalism, public relations, television and cinema, and theatre. Students are encouraged to participate in internships, to collaborate with faculty on publications and to conduct undergraduate research. Georgia Regent University is home to a chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association’s official honor society.
Contact
Georgia Regents University
Summerville Campus
Allgood Hall E122
Phone: (706) 729-2417
lwitherington@gru.edu
Program Website
Georgia Institute of Technology
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
A public research university in Georgia’s capitol city Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology rates among the top 50 universities in the nation on the U.S. News and World Report’s prestigious annual ranking list. The Princeton Review lists Georgia Tech as one of the best value public universities in the country. Georgia Tech has a total undergraduate enrollment of close to 15,000. Georgia Tech’s athletic teams, the Yellow Jackets, compete in the Division I, and the football’s team rivalry with the University of Georgia is known as one of the fiercest in college sports.
Georgia Tech may be best known for engineering, but the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, which provides the general education curriculum at the University, seeks to bridge the gap between engineering fields and the traditional liberal arts through an innovative
interdisciplinary approach. The six schools within the college offer a range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Literature, Media, and Communication
The Bachelor of Science in Literature, Media and Communication at Georgia Institute of Technology is the oldest undergraduate degree program in the university’s Ivan Allen College for the Liberal Arts. Students of this unique curriculum initially enroll in courses across six “threads” of study. These threads include communication, interaction design, literature, media, science,technology and culture and social justice studies. Progressing through the curriculum, students eventually choose two of these threads as their major fields of study as they gain theoretical and practical knowledge in a wide range of modern communication modes, including novels, games, film and web-based media.
Contact
686 Cherry St.
Atlanta, GA, 30332-0165
Phone: (404)894-2730
admission@gatech.edu
Program Website
Middle Georgia State College
School of Liberal Arts
Middle Georgia State College was established in 2013, formed out of the merger of Macon State College with Middle Georgia College. The school’s central campus is in Macon, Georgia, and it offers classes at four different satellite locations in Cochran, Dublin, Eastman, and Warner Robins. Middle Georgia State College grants both associate and baccalaureate degrees.
The School of Liberal Arts at Middle Georgia State College offers certificate, associate and baccalaureate degrees in a range of subjects and fields, including communications. The School of Liberal Arts oversees the production of the Middle Georgia State’s college newspaper, television station and literary magazine, providing communications students with ample opportunity to gain practical experience.
Associate of Arts Degree in Communication Studies
Middle Georgia State College offers an Associate of Arts in Communication Studies degree designed to facilitate a streamlined transfer into a communications program at a four-year university. In addition to core liberal arts coursework in the humanities and sciences, the required coursework for the degree includes classes in mass communication, human communication and public speaking. Students can also customize their degree by choosing from among elective coursework options in topics such as editing, creative writing and global communication.
Contact
100 College Station Drive
Macon, GA 31206
Phone: (478)471-2700
mga.edu/admissions
Program Website
Mercer University
College of Liberal Arts
Founded by Baptists in the 1830s, Mercer University is one of the oldest universities in the nation. An independent university, it is ranked among the top 10 southern universities by the US News and World Report. The university also earns accolades from the Princeton Review, which in 2012 featured the university in its list of best colleges for the ninth consecutive year. Mercer University is located in Macon, Georgia and has a student body of a little over 8,000. The university’s stated mission is to support students in professional learning and in its application toward the service others.
The College of Liberal Arts is the oldest of the university’s college, committed to engaged learning and to the traditional values of a liberal arts education. The College’s emphasis on civic responsibility and community service has contributed to Mercer University’s place as one of only 81 colleges listed by the Princeton Review as “Colleges with a Conscience”. The College of Liberal Arts is home to Mercer’s program in communication studies.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies
Mercer University’s Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies program emphasizes engaged, hands-on learning, with opportunities ranging from undergraduate research, intercollegiate debate tournaments and participation in Lambda Pi Eta, the national honor society for communications. Class sizes are small and the curriculum is shaped around interpersonal, intercultural and organization communication.
Contact
1400 Coleman Ave
Macon, Georgia 31207
Phone: (478)301-2700
admissions@mercer.edu
Program Website
Reinhardt University
Arts and Humanities
Reinhardt University is a private, comprehensive university grounded in the liberal arts tradition. The university subscribes to the teachings of the United Methodist church and is open to students of all faiths. Located in Waleska, Georgia, about forty-five minutes from Atlanta, Reinhardt has a student body of just under 1,500. Reinhardt emphasizes a small, personal campus community in which students receive individual attention and the opportunity to learn through partnership with faculty.
The Arts and Humanities programs at Reinhardt University emphasizes life-long learning and seek to prepare graduates ready to adapt to the 21st century’s rapidly changing knowledge and technology. Communication Arts is one of eight Arts and Humanities degree programs at Reinhardt.
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts
Reinhardt’s Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree program encompasses core coursework in interpersonal communication, mass communication, research methods and media law and ethics. In addition to the required core, students take elective courses suited to their personal career goals and interests, ranging from media production to public relations, from global communication to digital art, from technical writing to screenwriting.
Contact
7300 Reinhardt Circle
Waleska, GA 30183-2981
Phone: (770)720-5563
BJO@reinhardt.edu
Program Website
Savannah State University
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Founded in 1890, Savannah State University is a four-year, state-supported and historically black university located in Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest cities in the nation. The school was first formed under the auspices of a land grant act requiring that southern and border states establish colleges for African-American students. A member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Savannah State University operates with the stated mission of developing productive members of a global society. The university campus itself encompasses 175 acres and is situated in a coastal setting. Total enrollment at Savannah State University is just below 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Savannah State University emphasizes broad-based learning in small classes, with curricula designed to develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, work experience and community involvement. State-of-the-art facilities as well as co-curricular opportunities including study abroad, service learning and internships enhance classroom instruction for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science’s five degree programs, which includes mass communication.
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication
Students in Savannah State University’s Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication program can choose to specialize in one of three concentration areas: print and online journalism, public relations and advertising or radio, television and film. They also acquire valuable hands-on experience before graduation, whether by contributing to the school’s radio station or newspaper, or by working in the program’s fully functional television production studio and control room. Coursework covers topics such as copy writing, desktop publishing, web design, photojournalism and radio or television production. Class projects, volunteer opportunities and internships in advertising and public relation provide students with further practical experience.
Contact
3219 College St
Savannah, GA 31404
Phone: (912) 358-4778
admissions@savannahstate.edu
Program Website
From the associate level to graduate study, from media production to media theory, aspiring communications professionals across the state of Georgia have a range of options for pursuing their educational and career goals. Modern media and the technology that produces it is constantly changing, but one thing remains the same for communications professionals: The value of a top-notch education. Fortunately for communications majors in the Peach State, numerous universities and communications degrees in Georgia are ready to provide just that.
