The BA in communication allows you to concentrate in one of two areas of study
The media communication and advertising concentration prepares students for careers in the media (TV, video, podcasting/radio, streaming, social, journalism, sports, entertainment and digital) and advertising (marketing communications) industries. With the help of an expert faculty advisor, students can focus their studies on media, advertising or some combination of these two growing and complementary fields. Students are encouraged to make use of the on-campus multimedia production studio and computer lab and join student-run organizations, such as The Anchor (the student newspaper), ANCHOR TV and WXIN (the RIC radio station). Internships with local media outlets/departments or marketing communications agencies are encouraged. For more information email Brian Knoth, Ph.D. at bknoth@ric.edu.
The speech, language and hearing science concentration gives students a basic understanding of speech, language and hearing. Our curriculum covers the core courses considered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to be prerequisites for graduate study. While an advanced degree in speech-language pathology or audiology is required by ASHA, our program offers students the necessary background for graduate study. Many of our students go on to pursue advanced degrees.
Rhode Island College is an exclusive member of the Common Application.
Here we provide information on course requirements, course descriptions and an Academic Rhode Map for each program, a semester-by-semester plan to help you toward graduation in four years.
Academic Rhode Map BA with Concentration in Media Communication and Advertising
Academic Rhode Map for BA with Concentration in Speech, Language and Hearing Science
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
The ability to communicate clearly is central to each concentration in the Communication Department. Writing is at the heart of good journalism, broadcasting, documentary film-making, public relations, advertising, and public, professional, and academic discourse. Whether you create speeches, films, content for the web, advertisements, brochures, or academic articles, it is important to communicate information clearly and persuasively.
The courses with a "W" next to their course number satisfy the WID requirement for the different concentrations within the Communication Department.
Students will practice and experiment with many different genres of academic, journalistic, and professional writing in the Communication Department. The genres students produce will depend on their chosen concentration.
Students will encounter active and experiential teaching practices in the Communication Department’s WID courses. Most writing assignments include written feedback from instructors, some involve several drafts with individual face-to-face feedback, and others involve peer evaluation and feedback. Learning to write well is a life-long process. Instructors in the Communication Department take pride in nurturing students’ creativity and skills as part of that process.
Students who have completed the WID requirement should feel confident in their ability to communicate effectively through writing in their field. They will have experiential, portfolio-building writing exercises to demonstrate their proficiency. Specific skills will vary by concentration.
Cumulatively over the course of this plan, students receive lots of instruction and feedback from their teachers on the forms and contents of their writing. They exercise their skills frequently in shorter writing assignments and have multiple opportunities for longer papers. They also engage in peer collaboration and peer review under the teachers’ supervision.
When students have satisfied the requirements for writing in the discipline, they should understand the typical goals and forms of writing, and they should have practiced using common conventions of field-specific publications.
Declaring a minor allows you to explore other areas of interest and make interdisciplinary connections. Minor areas at RIC complement and reinforce all major areas of study. By declaring a minor, you can set yourself apart as a candidate for job, internship and volunteer opportunities.
Communication Minor Course Requirements
The minor in digital media production is for any student who wants to expand their digital media skills and learn to produce professional audio, video, music, podcasts, live streams and other multimedia projects. Courses in the minor provide students with foundations in concept development and scriptwriting for various forms of media and opportunities for advanced study in video and audio production and other forms of multimedia content creation. The digital media minor provides skills that complement a wide variety of majors, including education, psychology, music, theatre and dance.