Business Communication
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Business Communication

Would you like to use strategic communications to shape and affect business operations and decisions? If so, a major or minor in business communication could be for you!

About

Business communication students will receive a strong foundation of coursework in a broad range of communication strategies and theories to develop effective team-building and leadership skills necessary in a modern, professional environment. Students learn to conceptualize and produce professional written reports; enhance their verbal skills; understand the complexities and opportunities of effective intercultural communication; and develop the ability to create and implement internal and external communication plans to achieve organizational goals. A minor is also available, and is especially suitable for students whose major resides in the Kania School of Management.

Why Business Communication is in Demand:

  • As businesses are growing to become global conglomerates, they are realizing the need for consistent and effective communications both internally and with external audiences and stakeholders. Demand for qualified professionals in this emerging field of communication is growing worldwide, and The University of Scranton is one of the few universities in the world offering this major and minor.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills are consistently cited by business leaders as essential to any successful organization.
  • Employment of media and communication occupations is projected to grow 6 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations, which will result in about 43,200 new jobs. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Is it for me?

Do you enjoy:

  • Writing and using technology?
  • Organization, coordination and decision making?
  • Being part of an organization’s dominant coalition?

Five Reasons to Choose Scranton for Business Communication

1.
Employment.   Department of Communication & Media students have one of the highest rates of internships and full-time employment at the University – well over 90%.
2.
Strong Community.   With one of the best professor-to-student ratios, and faculty involvement in student groups and club activities, the Department of Communication & Media is your home away from home.
3.
Focus on Professional Content Creation.   We empower you with training and knowledge, using the latest technologies so you can be successful communication professionals and leaders of tomorrow.
4.
Jesuit Education.   All our programs and courses place emphasis on Jesuit principles and ethics to give you a more holistic and transformational educational experience.
5.
Critical Thinking.   The Communication Department & Media gives you the tools necessary to engage in critical thinking and analysis that will help you succeed in more than just your careers.

The professors in the Department of Communication & Media are the absolute best. They help us get internships and jobs and are excellent at teaching and managing student clubs and organizations. I could never have imagined how much my communications skills have improved in the last four years.

Mia Raho
BA Strategic Communications – Class of 2019

  • Preparing You For Personal & Professional Successplus or minus

    You'll learn how to:

    • effectively write complex memoranda and transactional documents
    • develop strong oral presentation skills
    • persuade and influence others
    • create highly professional presentations
    • work as part of a team
    • use technology effectively

    Internships:

    Professional internship opportunities give students valuable experience and business contacts. Here are a few of the internships that our students have held in the Department of Communication & Media:

    • Havas
    • Edelman Public Relations
    • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
    • The University of Scranton
    • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

    We believe our students can accomplish fantastic things when they have the right training. Our department is well situated to provide them with the academic and professional rigor they need to succeed – especially in the area of business communication. Corporate leaders are pleased with the training their employees receive in higher ed, but they frequently bemoan the lack of training in writing, speaking, technology and persuasion. Our business communication program provides those skills, making it easier for students to enter corporate careers, to succeed in them that much longer and to provide more opportunities for upward advancement.

    Howard Fisher, Ph.D.
    Chair of the Department of Communication & Media

  • What You'll Learnplus or minus

    Curriculum:

    Courses include content exploring the importance of effective intercultural communication, the development of interpersonal skills, social media and the role of media and technology in the modern marketplace.

    Multiple core courses are designed to develop strong oral presentation skills that focus on both persuasive communication techniques and the use of graphics and visual presentation software to create highly professional presentations.

    Additionally, students will receive a strong foundation in a broad range of communication strategies and theories to develop enhanced team-building and leadership skills necessary in a modern professional environment.

    New courses in the business communication major include:

    • COMM 117: Foundations of Business and Social Media Communication
    • COMM 230: Principles of Business Communication
    • COMM 233: Methods of Business Communication
    • COMM 430: Advanced Business Communication Strategies

     

    Click here to see the curriculum. 

  • Pursue Your Passion and Make a Differenceplus or minus

    Business communication majors do not need to wait until graduation to make professional-level contributions to the world. Internships, class projects, volunteering, and campus media enable students to use and practice skills learned in the classroom.

    For example, Eddie Ravert, Class of 2014, demonstrated this in a big way. A native of Capertown, New Jersey, Eddie was named Outstanding Public Relations Student and received the PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) Daniel J. Edelman Award. This included a scholarship and a paid internship at Edelman Chicago. Eddie had several internships as a student, including with Gregory FCA Communication, Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 93.3 WMMR, 92.5 WXTU and Wired 96.5 WRDW. He was also a Royal baseball player and had a regular program on the campus radio station.

Careers

Where will Business Communication take me?

Business communication is a rapidly growing new field in the corporate world. Careers span from corporate communications managers to chief communications officer, to corporate narrative executive. Business communications experts are rapidly becoming part of the dominant coalition in top multinational organizations and occupy essential positions as top senior executives.

Top Graduate Schools

Approximately 10% of majors within the Department of Communication & Media continue their education through advanced degrees. Here are just a few of the graduate schools that have admitted recent graduates:

  • University of Hawaii
  • New York Law School
  • Liberty University
  • Texas Tech University
  • Boston College

Leading Employers:

You’ll find graduates of Scranton's Department of Communication & Media working for a wide range of companies and organizations in every state. Here are some examples:

  • Atlantic Coast Media Group
  • Beckerman PR
  • CBS, New York City
  • Clear Channel Media & Entertainment
  • Hearst Magazines
  • The Nielsen Company
  • Ogilvy Public Relations
  • Edelman Public Relations
  • Sirius/XM
  • Havas
  • Horizon Media
  • Fenty Beauty

How Scranton Gives You a Competitive Edge

Competitive Edge

The dedicated and highly qualified faculty members in the Department of Communication & Media take a three-pronged approach to achieve their objective of holistic student success:

  1. We have one of the highest faculty terminal degrees and scholarly research in The University (90% of our faculty members have Ph.D.’s or MFA’s). Also, all our faculty members have had careers in industry. This mix of academic and professional rigor makes the department’s offerings world class and cutting edge.

  2. We assist all our students to get professional internships. One hundred percent of our recent graduating classes had at least one internship and more than 50% had two. Also, most of our students participate in faculty-managed professional organizations such as PRSSA, IABC, SPJ, etc.

  3. Numerous department alumni are extremely successful in their professional careers and are actively involved in helping current students with job leads, network access, career advice, guest lectures, etc.

Take the Next Step

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Get the Facts

View PDF with Program Overview
& Curriculum

For More Information

Office of Admissions
The Estate
Scranton, PA 18510
1-888-SCRANTON or (570) 941-7540
570-941-7572
admissions@scranton.edu

Department of Communication & Media
Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., A.B.C.
Chair, Department of Communication & Media
(570) 941-4135
stacy.smulowitz@scranton.edu

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