Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Mass Communications Studies
Overview
Barton’s Mass Communications Studies program fuses the practical with the theoretical to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare them for entry-level positions and ultimately a career in the dynamic and creative field of mass communications and media. Students will receive a foundation and hands-on experience in audio technology recording, broadcast/video production, journalism, public relations, and graphic/digital design.
Minors
Non-majors can earn a minor in one of the four concentration areas: Audio Recording Technology, Broadcast/Video Production, Journalism, and Public Relations. The general requirement for a minor is the completion of 21 semester hours of designated courses for each concentration area. Please contact the Department of Communication and Performing Arts for more information.
Special Features
With an interdisciplinary approach to communications, the B.A. degree program draws from a number of selected humanistic and social scientific disciplines with different modes of academic inquiry to examine and critically analyze how culture, society, history, and legal/ethical issues, as well as globalization and technological advancements have and will influence and affect communications and the media landscape now and into the future.
At its core, the B.A. in Mass Communications Studies is designed for students who wish to pursue a broader and encompassing approach and receive multi-dimensional perspectives in the study of mass communications; the traditional, social and digital media; media institutions, and different communication platforms.
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Course Information
As an Audio Recording Technology student, you’ll take courses such as Recording Technology, Digital Audio Production Techniques, and Audio for Film and Video.
Broadcast/Video Production classes include Video Production, Broadcast Scriptwriting, Audio for Film and Video, and Broadcast Journalism.
Journalism includes introductory and advanced courses in newsgathering, writing, reporting, and editing.
Public Relations students will take courses in Public Relations Writing, Principles of Public Relations, Public Relations Strategies and Campaigns, and Public Relations Case Studies.
Upper-level courses include Law and Ethics in Mass Media and the Senior Seminar course, which requires completion of a capstone project. The Senior Seminar additionally assists you with interviewing skills and writing your résumé — just what you need if you’re preparing to enter graduate school or searching for a job.
Internships
An internship is the single most important step toward employment. That’s why you’re required to complete an internship as part of your degree.
Audio recording students have recently interned at:
- Black Lodge Recording, Eudora, Kansas
- IMI, Ivey Music International, Nashville, Tennessee
- Mill West Studios, Fayetteville
- Osceola Recording Studios, Raleigh
- Radio Express, Inc., Burbank, California
- Sea Note Recording, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Broadcast/video students have interned at many North Carolina commercial and public television stations. These include:
- WNCT in Greenville
- WLFL in Raleigh
- WNCN in Raleigh
- WRAZ in Raleigh
- WUNC in Raleigh
- WITN in Washington
Journalism students have recently interned at:
- The Wilson Daily Times
- The Arts Council of Wilson
- The Spring Hope Enterprise
- The Kenly News
- The Selma News
Clubs and Organizations
Barton sponsors a chapter of the Society for Collegiate Journalists, a national organization that recognizes scholastic achievement for majors in all four mass communications concentrations.