The Huffington Post (Jason Schmitt) recently published an article on the growth of Communication
Studies Majors in undergraduate institutions. Two
excerpts of that article that stood out to me:
“As an
academic discipline, Communication Studies is posting strong growth in relation
to undergraduate majors, undergraduate degrees awarded, student popularity, and
number of institutions offering the degree according to a newly released
American Academy of Arts & Sciences Humanities Indicator assessment.”
“In many ways
Communication Studies is the right offering at the right time. The discipline
is extremely well positioned as the digital economy, social networking and the
move toward media creation rises to prominence. Concepts that may have been
more abstract for students fifteen years ago such as relationship networks,
group communication, and media theory are becoming vitally relevant knowledge
that a wide ranging student body want to obtain.”
It would be low-hanging
fruit to say that the discipline of communication is at a crucial point in
potential development although…it is. We live in a rapidly advancing
relationship-based society. Twitter, Facebook (Bookface for those “The Office”
lovers), Google +, etc. etc. etc. etc. have been integral in the development of
a true social network. It
would make sense that Communication (the ultimate ‘relationship-major’) degrees
would increase in popularity. We should also note that there is an increasingly
relevant digital-media infrastructure present in corporations across the world.
The storm is perfectly suited for communication majors who specialize in, among
other sub-disciplines: Interpersonal, Organizational, Health, Instructional,
Mass Media, areas of focus. In any advising meeting I have ever had with a student,
even if they do not want to major in Communication, I encourage them to at
least review the Communication minor as a potential fit for a secondary area of
focus. Communication skills, the epitome of broad strokes qualifications, are
consistently included in job descriptions and desired employee characteristics.
Communication Majors have a place in a globalized 21st century
workforce. The Communication discipline should continue to refine expectations,
enhance an applied scholarly agenda, and “sell” a Communication degree as an
integral and necessary fabric of an organizational structure.
One final statement
from the Huff Post:
“It is clear that
Communication Studies has more students and fewer faculty positions than many
of its humanities peers, many of
whom are experiencing significant decline. As universities and colleges retool
to best meet the future and create the most informed and relevant future
citizens, it seems that Communication Studies is destined to be high on the
evolving educational roster.”
I agree…
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