Beginning this fall, the Stony Brook School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ) will offer a new academic program: a bachelor of arts in communication. The program will offer undergraduate students a chance to explore and understand how communication shapes culture and community, with a particular emphasis on how communication impacts systemic inequalities, discrimination and injustice.
“It is through communication that we express and create culture. Studying communication offers students and researchers a deep and powerful way to understand and engage with the world around us,” said Laura Lindenfeld, dean of the School of Communication and Journalism and executive director of the Alda Center for Communicating Science. “Students in this program will gain insights into how and why communication shapes us as individuals and as societies. They will learn to use social science research to design compelling communication approaches, while improving their own interpersonal, team collaboration, and intercultural communication skills. These are among some of the most in-demand skills employers are seeking today.”
The program provides students pathways for a variety of careers including in business, advertising, media and content creation, and law and policy, among others. It is designed to offer a seamless transfer pathway to students coming from area community colleges with associate degrees in communication-related fields.
“Stony Brook is a known leader in science and we are also one of the best comprehensive institutions in the nation so students and parents know the value of our degrees,” said Dawn S. Medley, vice provost for enrollment management and retention. “Employers are looking for students with strong communication skills in the workplace and graduates who are able to convey the value propositions of their organizations. By launching this focused communication degree, Stony Brook further solidifies our place as the number one public institution in New York.”
The BA in communication is the latest in a series of new degree programs launched recently by the SoCJ: a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and two master’s degrees in journalism and science communication, respectively.
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