The School of Communication is one year old!

Welcome back for the 2009-10 school year! We hope you like the new look and ease of use of our web site. We will continue to update information throughout the year, so plan to check back often.

You will soon find office hours, as well as links to class syllabi on faculty web pages.

Concentration information is being updated as I write this; as are Internship openings, and the paperwork you’ll need to apply. News and announcements will include information about guest speakers, presentations and School events, as well as day to day “news you can use.”

In addition to the web site, we’ve also added a way for you to stay up to date on the School’s activities, events and deadlines – we’re now on Twitter. Follow us at twitter.com/rusoc

We’ve come a long way since the School was formed in summer 2008. All of our classes are now designated by the prefix COMS, and when students register they’ll find us under School of Communication. You can also find the School’s long-range Strategic Plan under “About the School.”

A new faculty member, Scott Dunn, has joined us, and he will be acting as Communication Coordinator for the University’s four Core Foundations classes as well as teaching across our curriculum. We will be welcoming the largest class of graduate students ever, and many of them will be working with students in classes and helping faculty with research projects.

Finally, although I’m sure everyone has read about the budget difficulties facing the Commonwealth – and these cuts have not left Radford University unscathed – the faculty, staff and I are committed to providing the students at the School of Communication an education that will prepare them for the future.

Lynn M. Zoch

Director


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Public Relations

The concentration in Public Relations prepares students for positions as professional communicators by providing a combination of technical communication skills and theoretic knowledge necessary to make them competitive for entry-level public relations positions.

Core courses:
MSTD 130 Introduction to Communication. 3 (Fr)
Comm 230 Communication Theory. 3 (Fr-S)

Required Courses in the PR concentration:
COMM 231, Communication Research (3)
COMM 225, Introduction to Public Relations (3)
COMM 235, Writing for Public Relations (3) COMM 240, Teamwork (3)
COMM 408, Public Relations Case Studies (3)
COMM 411, Public Relations Media and Campaigns (3)
COMM 416, Business and Professional Communication (3)
COMM 430, Crisis Management and Communication (3)
COMM, Internship* (3)

Electives (9)
*Students wishing to complete an internship must have a 2.0 GPA in the major and must apply and interview for the privilege of participating in an internship experience. No more than 6 hours of internship credit may be used to meet requirements for the major.

Suggested electives include:
COMM 314, Organizational Communication
COMM 333, Persuasion
MSTD 173, Introduction to Advertising
MSTD 273, Advertising Analysis
MSTD 226, Digital Imaging


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Corporate Communication and Public Advocacy

The concentration in Corporate Communication and Public Advocacy Concentration prepares students for positions as professional communicators in both the private or public sectors. Students may choose to focus more heavily on corporate communication at the management level.

Total required hours for the concentration: 36

Required Courses: 15
COMM 231. Communication Research. 3
COMM 240. Teamwork. 3
COMM 314. Organizational Communication. 3
COMM 333. Persuasion. 3
COMM 416. Business and Professional Communication. 3

Choose three of the following: 9
COMM 414. Critical Analysis of Public Discourse. 3
COMM 415. Communication Training and Development. 3
COMM 332. Argumentation and Advocacy. 3
COMM 433. Communication and Social Change. 3
COMM 439. Communication and Leadership. 3
COMM 459. Communication in Conflict Management. 3

Elective Courses/Internship 12
Electives 9
Elective or COMM 438. Internship.* 3

*Students wishing to complete an internship must have a 2.0 GPA in the major and must apply and interview for the privilege of participating in an internship experience. No more than 6 hours of internship credit may be used to meet requirements for the major.

Suggested electives include: COMM 250, Interpersonal Communication; COMM 327, Politics and Media; COMM 413, Political Communication; COMM 415, Communication Training and Development; COMM 430, Crisis Management and Communication; COMM 457, Diversity in Communication; COMM 465, Communication and Health Care.


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Corporate and Professional Communication

Master of Science in Corporate and Professional Communication (M.S.)

The Master of Science in Corporate and Professional Communication degree allows students to prepare for many advanced career positions or for the pursuit of a doctoral degree.

Students may choose one of two courses of study:

Non-Thesis Option (30 semester hours):
The non-thesis option is for students not planning on pursuing a doctoral degree. Non-thesis students, in addition to completing 15 hours of required classes, must complete 15 hours of electives as approved by their advisors. Students pursuing a non-thesis course of study must also pass a written examination prior to graduation.

Thesis Option (30 semester hours):
The thesis option is for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree. Thesis students, in addition to completing 15 hours of required classes, must complete 9 hours of electives as approved by an advisor. Instead of a final examination, thesis students must apply for permission to complete a thesis worth 6 credit hours. Prior to graduation, students will present an oral defense of their thesis, which will be evaluated on the basis of the student'’s argument and research.

Application information for Radford's College of Graduate and Professional Studies is here: http://gradcollege.asp.radford.edu

The Graduate Catalog is here: http://www.radford.edu/gradcatalog


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Advertising

The Advertising Concentration prepares students for positions in advertising by providing both theoretical and aesthetic elements as well as skills in the production of advertisements in a variety of media.

Core courses:
MSTD 130 Introduction to Communication
COMM 230 Communication Theory
Concentration Courses:
MSTD 173. Introduction to Advertising. 3
MSTD 223. Advertising Copywriting. 3
MSTD 226. Digital Imaging. 3
COMM 231. Research Methods in Communication. 3
MSTD 273. Advertising Analysis. 3
MSTD 373. Advertising Media Planning. 3
MSTD 473. Advertising Production. 3
MSTD 400. Media Law and Ethics. 3
Internship/Advertising Campaigns. 6
Choose two of the following 6:
MSTD 300. Media History. 3
MSTD 335. Media and Society. 3
MSTD 407. Science and
Environmental Writing. 3
MSTD 434, Media Literacy. 3
MSTD 444. Media Management. 3
MSTD 451. Intercultural and International Communication. 3
All Advertising students must earn at least three hours of MSTD 483: Advertising Campaigns. In addition, they must earn another three hours in an internship and/or Advertising Campaigns course, in any combination

Recommended Courses Outside Major (some of which may satisfy general education requirements): ART 250, 280, 281, 302, 350, 370, 480, 483 COMM 225, 333, 408, 411, 433 ENGL 306, 307, 309, 406, 407, 409 MKTG 340, 341, 343, 442, 452 PSYC 282, 343, 361, 377

Contact: Courtney C. Bosworth, advertising program coordinator


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Journalism

The Journalism Concentration prepares students for careers in researching, writing, editing and transmitting public information though conventional and digitally transmitted media, including newspapers,magazines, the Internet, radio, television, and cable. For more on the profession, see notes below.

Total required hours for the concentration: 36
(Note: Fr-S-Jr-Sr indicates Freshman - Sophomore - Junior - Senior)

Core courses:
COMS 130 Introduction to Communication. 3 (Fr)
COMS 230 Communication Theory. 3 (Fr-S)
Writing & Reporting
COMS 104. Basic News Writing. 3 (Fr-S)
COMS 204. News Reporting. 3 (S-Jr)
COMS 304. Electronic News Gathering.3(S-Jr)
COMS 404. Specialized Journalism 3(Jr-Sr)
COMS 481. Journalism Portfolio. 3 (Jr-Sr)
Media production
COMS 226. Digital Imaging. 3 (Fr-S)
COMS 326. Web Production. 3 (S-Jr)
Either COMS 146. Media Performance. 3 (Fr-S)
or COMS 236. Print Production. 3 (Fr-S)
Understanding Media
COMS 400. Media Law and Ethics. 3 (Jr-Sr)
Choose two of the following:
COMS 300, COMS 335, COMS 407, COMS 434, COMS 444, COMS 451
Recommended Courses Outside Major (some may satisfy general education requirements): CRJU 100, 233, 235,241, 315, 320, 360 ECON 101, 105, 106 ENGL 306, 307, 406, 407 GEOG 100, 103, 241, 322, 323 HIST 316, 355, 364

Contact: Bill Kovarik, journalism program coordinator


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Production

The Production Technology Concentration prepares students for positions in creative production in corporate, industrial and professional environments, utilizing the World Wide Web, multimedia, radio, television and field production.

Core courses:
MSTD 130 Introduction to Communication. 3 (Fr)
Comm 230 Communication Theory. 3 (Fr-S)

Required in the concentration:
MSTD 146. Media Performance. 3
MSTD 226. Digital Imaging. 3
MSTD 246. Basic Audio Production. 3
MSTD 247. Script Writing. 3
MSTD 346. Electronic Field Production. 3
MSTD 347. Video Editing and Effects. 3
MSTD 400. Media Law and Ethics. 3
MSTD 446. TV Studio Production. 3
MSTD 482. Production Technology Portfolio. 3

MSTD Electives: 3
Choose two of the following:: MSTD 300. Media History. 3 MSTD 335. Media and Society. 3 MSTD 407. Science and Environmental Writing. 3 MSTD 434. Media Literacy. 3 MSTD 444. Media Management. 3 MSTD 451. Intercultural and International Communication. 3

Recommended Courses Outside Major:
(some of which may satisfy general education requirements): ART 250, 280, 281, 302, 350, 360, 370, 380, 480, 483 ENGL 306, 307, 406, 407 MUSC 104, 127, 208, 227, 373 MSTD 434, 444, 445, 446, 493 THEA 101, 102, 103, 135, 180, 236, 331, 332, 335, 350, 380, 480

Contact: Joe Flickinger, production technology program coordinator


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Web Design

The Web Design Concentration prepares students to pursue careers in the creation of news, information, entertainment, and other content for the Web and related interactive media.

Core courses:
MSTD 130 Introduction to Communication. 3 (Fr)
Comm 230 Communication Theory. 3 (Fr-S)

Required in the concentration:
MSTD 104. Basic News Writing. 3
ITEC 110. Principles of Information Technology. 3
ITEC 120. Principles of Computer Science. (4)
ITEC 225. Web Programming I. 3
MSTD 226. Digital Imaging. 3
MSTD 326. Web Production. 3
MSTD 400. Media Law and Ethics. 3
MSTD 427. Advanced Web and Multimedia Production. 3
MSTD 484. Web Design Portfolio. 3

*MSTD Electives: 3
And choose two of the following: 6 MSTD 300. Media History. 3 MSTD 335. Media and Society. 3 MSTD 407. Science and Environmental Writing. 3 MSTD 434. Media Literacy. 3 MSTD 444. Media Management. 3 MSTD 451. Intercultural and International Communication. 3

*Suggested electives include:MSTD 236 print production; MSTD 346 Electronic Field Production; MSTD 347, Video Editing and Effects. Web design students may earn additional hours of elective credit towards the degree through additional practicum hours (maximum of six hours after taking the three required credit hours) or through an internship (1-6 credit hours).

Recommended Courses Outside Major (some of which may satisfy general education requirements): ITEC 198, 202, 220, 325, 340 ENGL 306, 406, 407 GEOG 425

Contact: Sam Jennings, Web Design program coordinator

COMM Checksheets & Advising

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COMM Faculty & Staff

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Contact Us:

To contact us:

Phone: 540 831-6553.

Fax: 540 831-5883.

Mail: School of Communication, Box 6932, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142

Faculty & staff info: profiles & RU phone directory.

MSTD Faculty & Staff

Here you will find a list of faculty currently working in the Media Studies Department. Mouse-over each to view contact information and office hours, or click the names to send them an e-mail.

MSTD Contact Information

Below is contact information for the Media Studies Department.

Department chair: Dr. Courtney Bosworth
Department Secretary: Annette Lyle

Contact our main office at:
Phone: (540)831-5531
Fax: (540)831-6005

Physical Address Information:

Porterfield Hall 188
Radford University
PO Box 6929
Radford VA, 24141

Graduation Information

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Internships

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Study Abroad

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Student Media

The following represent the student organized media at Radford University. The Tartan is our print newspaper, while Whim is the online magazine. RadioFree Radford offers internet radio, and Radford on Camera (ROC) is a great way for students to spend some time in front of a TV camera. The BeeHive makes up the yearbook staff, and lastly, SMADS is a club for Student Media Advertising. Click any of their logos to learn more about them from their repspective websites.

COMM Showcase

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MSTD Showcase

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Events & Alumni

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Welcome!

Welcome to the site for the Radford School of Communication. Here are a few things you may be interested in:

• This site was made by Frank Avery, a Web Design major at Radford in 2009.
• Compliance: This site uses only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to achieve what it does. Great thanks to the makers of MooTools and to phatfusion.net for some of the effects on the page. This site uses NO client-side scripting, and can be viewed in Internet Explorer 5 & 6, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Firefox is recommended.
• Features: This entire site loads from ONE HTML PAGE. Talk about easy to edit. Instead of using separate HTML pages, all the different content sections (the red halves) and the sidebars load from one DIV tag within the sheet. Don't believe me? View the source!
• This is where you come in. Feel free to send me your input and your thoughts/ideas via the 'Contact Webmaster' link below. I'm fully willing to answer questions, fix broken links, and troubleshoot for anyone who might have trouble.

Thanks for visiting,
-Frank Avery & the Radford School of Communication