The Department of Communication and the Department of Journalism have been established within the School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ), effective July 1, 2025. This change marks a significant milestone in the school’s growth and its commitment to academic excellence, research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
“Over the past several years, the SoCJ has grown in student enrollments and the number of programs it offers at the graduate and undergraduate level,” said Carl W. Lejuez, executive vice president and provost. “I’m pleased to see the School enter into this new phase of its growth.”
The decision to create distinct departments reflects years of strategic development within the SoCJ, which has expanded its research enterprise, launched five new degree programs, and attracted top-tier faculty and students. With these enhancements, dedicated departments will provide a more specialized approach to education, research and community engagement. Dean Laura Lindenfeld stated, “I’m so proud of the work we have done to grow the School to this level. The establishment of these two new departments will strengthen our ability to advance solutions-oriented work with real-world impact.”
The establishment of department chairs will further strengthen faculty development, enhance resource acquisition and foster innovative interdisciplinary research.
A search for department chairs from across the Stony Brook University community will commence immediately.
Building on a Legacy of Excellence
Originally founded as the School of Journalism in 2006, the school was renamed in 2021 to reflect its growing academic breadth. The new Department of Communication will focus on diverse fields including interpersonal, intercultural, health, environmental, organizational and mass communication. It will serve as the administrative home for the BA in Communication, the BS in Mass Communication and the newly introduced BA in Rhetoric and Writing, offered in collaboration with the Department of Journalism in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Writing and Rhetoric. Graduate offerings include the MS in Science Communication and the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication, with plans underway to launch a new MA in Communication. Given its emphasis on STEM and health communication, the department will work closely with other campus units to foster interdisciplinary programs and research opportunities, including potential joint master’s programs.
The Department of Journalism will continue to offer its highly regarded BA and MS in Journalism programs. The MS program is distinguished by its emphasis on solutions journalism — a reporting approach that explores responses to social issues and evaluates their effectiveness. The BA program is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, with plans for the MS program to seek accreditation in its next review.
The school works in close partnership with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and hosts The Center for News Literacy, which equips students and the public with critical skills to evaluate news and information, and The Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, dedicated to training journalists to cover global issues, human rights and humanitarian crises.
While the formation of separate departments provides distinct identities and leadership structures, the SoCJ remains committed to fostering intellectual collaboration across disciplines. Both departments will continue working together on shared initiatives, curricular overlaps, and interdisciplinary research that contribute to the broader mission of the school — creating a fairer, more just, and more rational world through ethical and effective communication.
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