Comm. students have five new reasons to smile
Somewhere near Minard Hall, communication students are pumping their fists in the air.
The communication department recently announced that next fall, the communication degree at the university will be replaced with five new majors available to students.
The new majors include management communication; journalism, broadcasting and mass communication technology; public relations and advertising; health communication, and agricultural communication
The change is long overdue.
There was nothing particularly wrong with the communication department — it was just way too broad before the new majors were formed.
Before this change, there was no difference degree-wise between students majoring in public relations, journalism, advertising and broadcasting. Once the students completed the identical core credits, they were basically on their own to find classes that would fit their emphasis. The career paths were very different, but the students all graduated with the same degree.
It’s a benefit to graduates in that they can tell employers they have a four-year degree from a state university, but a basic mass communication degree doesn’t exactly jump off the page.
A public relations and advertising degree speaks volumes in an interview. It also saves the trouble of having to explain to someone the exact area in which you studied.
Pediatricians and veterinarians don’t go around telling people they’re physicians with white coats. They inform others of their emphasis and qualifications. The same principle applies to communication. Even though communication graduates are a little more versatile in the field and paid a great deal less than doctors, they still need a major that announces their qualifications.
While the changes at NDSU will separate students’ degrees, they won’t create a barrier between communication students. Students will still be in many of the same classes and follow the same basic core credits.
One of the only difficulties I see arising out of the department changes is that there will be more students changing their majors. Currently, students with an emphasis in PR don’t have to change their major if they suddenly decide to emphasize in management communication. However, next fall, students will have to fill out some paperwork in order to be classified otherwise.
In this case, change is necessary for the communication department.
It shows that the program is evolving and becoming more professional, rather than allowing students to study for one of a potential grab bag of jobs.
The idea is that more students will have a goal in mind for graduation and five new paths to follow to help them achieve it.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum