Communication Undergraduate Majors

The Communication Department offers these Undergraduate Majors.
Corporate Communications (BA, BS)
Technical & Science Communication (BS)
Global Journalism (BA)

Corporate and Public Relations Concentration
Bachelor of Science: 182.0 credits
Bachelor of Arts: 182.0 credits

Overview:
Corporate communication covers a very broad range of activities that help an organization and its publics communicate with one another. The field includes media relations, financial writing, publication design, employee and customer communication, and government relations. Skills in this field run the gamut from written to spoken to visual communication. A corporate communication specialist might be called on to write articles for an in-house newsletter, to research and write an annual report to shareholders, to publicize a special event, to write a speech for an executive, to plan a press conference, or to script a video for an employee orientation session. Good communication with key publics is becoming increasingly important to all kinds of organizations. Therefore, corporate communication is a thriving field: the U.S. department of Labor projects strong growth in the field through the 1990's.

Careers:
Graduates with a corporate communication major find employment in a wide variety of fields, including public relations, advertising, special events planning, writing and editing, and public information. In addition, the strong communication and management skills stressed by the major enable the graduates to find administrative positions in various business areas with an indirect relationship to corporate communication such as marketing, sales, human resources consulting, or publishing. Although graduate study is not necessary for those who pursue careers in corporate communication, students have used the major as a basis for graduate work in a variety of areas, including communication, business, and law.

Curriculum:
The curriculum is designed to build the skills most in demand in the corporate environment by developing basic competence in writing and speaking in a corporate context. The major also builds upon a broad liberal arts foundations. In their freshman year, students take a core of courses common to all humanities majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. In subsequent years they take specialized courses in corporate communication, business, and film and video. The major includes many elective courses so that students may develop specialized skills in an area such as marketing, advertising, publications, or video communication.

(Please click here for Sample Plan of Study)

Miscellaneous

Calendar:
The literature major is designed to be completed either in 4 years with 6 months of Co-op experience or in 5 years with 18 months of co-op. Students pursue on-campus studies in the fall, winter, and spring terms of their freshman and senior years. In their other 2 or 3 years, they spend all 4 terms (fall, winter, spring, and summer) either in class or on co-op.

Sample Co-op Positions:

• Advertising and Promotions Assistant, CoreStates Bicycle Championships, Philadelphia.
• Corporate communication Co-op, Philadelphia Electric Company, Philadelphia.
• Advertising/ Promotions Co-op, U.S. Marketing Division, Mobil Oil Corp., Fairfax, VA.
• Assistant Coordinator, communication Bureau, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Facilities and Resources:
Philadelphia, the nation's fifth largest city and a major business and media center, offers excellent opportunities for contact with practicing communication professionals, as well as for Co-op and permanent employment. Further strengthening ties with the business community, the corporate communication program often brings in Philadelphia communication professionals as course lecturers and instructors. An active Drexel chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America offers students career-related involvement out of class, as do the student newspaper and radio station.

Special Features:
The senior project, an exciting feature of our program, is required of all communication students. Each student designs a senior project that that allows them to plan, design, and execute a communication program for a real-life client within the University or a business community. Some of the corporate communication projects have included the development of promotional materials for the CoreStates Bicycle Rave, the Valley Forge Audubon Society, YUHU, an arts program for homeless children. Other corporate communication projects have included events planning for the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Holmes burgh Prison System, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Habitat for Humanity.

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Technical and Science Communication Concentration
Bachelor of Science: 182.0 credits

Careers:
Students who study technical and science communication are prepared for a variety of career options. Currently there is a shortage of people qualified to write about the technology. Many students become technical writers and editors who produce manuals and reports about high-technology products and services. Many students go on to write specifications and in-house organs for business, industry, and government. Other students conduct and interpret surveys for business. Many students quickly rise to managerial and executive positions, in which they participate in the research and development of new products. Some students become science writers for newspapers. In addition, this program is excellent preparation for graduate study in a number of fields, such as law and medicine.

Curriculum:
This major trains students to communicate scientific and technical information to various audiences. The program combines courses that develop communication skills with courses that enhance the students' understanding of science and technology.

(Please click here for Sample Plan of Study)

Miscellaneous:

Calendar:
The communication major is designed to be completed either in 4 years with 6 months of co-op experience or in 5 years with 18 months of co-op. Students pursue on-campus studies in the fall, winter, and spring terms of their freshman and senior years. In their other 2 or 3 years, they spend all 4 terms (fall, winter, spring, and summer) either in class or on co-op.

Cooperative Education:
One of the most pleasant problems any department can face is an inability to produce enough graduates fast enough to fill an existing need in the job market. The Culture and communication Department at Drexel University finds itself in precisely this position: the phenomenal recent growth in high technology companies, coupled with a new awareness of the crucial role of communication, has made it possible for the Department to meet the demand for the students in technical and science communication. Regularly we have to tell our co-op coordinator--and employers who phone us--that we simply do not have enough students trained in this area. Our current students have co-op assignments as technical writers, technical editors, and investigative researchers, to name just a few.

Facilities and Resources:

• Philadelphia, the nation's fifth largest city and a major business and media center, offers excellent opportunities for contact with practicing communication professionals, as well as for co-op and permanent employment.
• Further strengthening ties with the business community, the corporate communication program often brings in Philadelphia communication professionals as course lecturers and instructors.
• An active Drexel chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America offers students career-related involvement out of class, as do the student newspaper and radio station.

Special Features:
All Communication majors complete a senior project that allows them to plan, design, and execute a communication program for a real-life client within the University or a business community.

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Global Journalism Concentration
Bachelor of Arts: 182.0 credits

General Information:
Now more than ever, journalists must be able to report intelligently on events of international import. They must understand the ramifications of events in their countries, and the global impact of social, political, and economic issues and events in other parts of the world. Drexel's Global Journalism track is designed to give students solid journalism skills they can use on a global stage. An appreciation for the international scope of journalism and of the importance of technology will be at the track's core. Students will take courses in international communication, global journalism, intercultural communication, international politics, and international area studies in order to develop an understanding of the world in which they will practice their craft.

Students will take the following courses:

• Foundations of Journalism
• Mass Media and Society
• Global Journalism
• International Communication
• Computer-Assisted Journalism

(Please click here for Sample Plan of Study)

For more information about the track, please contact Dr. Ronald Bishop at 215-895-1823 or bishoprc@drexel.edu.

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