Radford University’s journalism program ranked best value in Virginia

According to College Factual, Radford University’s journalism program, housed in the School of Communication, is rated as the best value journalism program in Virginia and is in the top 20 in the country.

In creating its rankings, College Factual takes into account the average yearly cost of attendance, the average time it takes for a student to graduate and the quality of the education the school provides to the student. College Factual is a company that aims to help students by finding the best values in higher education.

“We have excellent facilities, a student-oriented program and faculty with solid professional backgrounds,” said Bill Kovarik, professor of journalism. “We're teaching advanced skills such as drones, podcasting, livestreaming and social media analytics. At the same time, we emphasize professional writing.”

The journalism program at Radford University was also involved with the Google News Initiative to cover the November 2018 elections – one of the few schools in the United States to participate. According to Google, the initiative aims to work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age.

Drone journalism is taught by a faculty member with a Federal Aviation Administration license and focuses on how the aircraft can be used to craft quality content – including the laws and ethics surrounding drones. The School of Communication currently has two DJI Phantoms and a DJI Mavic, both popular drone models. Also available to journalism students are state-of-the-art facilities, including a television studio that features a robotic camera.

“We also do exceptionally well at bridging the gap between theory and practice,” said Twange Kasoma, associate professor of journalism. “We take advantage of opportunities that take us back into the newsroom, be it for research or journalistic practice, and then bring that knowledge back to the classroom for the betterment of our students.”