Integrated Media & Strategic Communication

Program Codes: BAIMSCOM
Bachelor of Arts

Introduction
The curriculum of the Communication Department is designed to create professionally flexible communicators who are both non-fiction digital storytellers and multimedia specialists. All communication professionals engage in similar functions: gathering  information  and  data,  formulating  audience  analysis,  and creating, expressing, disseminating and evaluating messages. Therefore, each graduate must be proficient in writing, speaking, digital media, and visual communication along with the ability to collect and express data, as well as organize, evaluate and plan strategically.

Students are required to complete a core sequence that covers areas of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, research and data analysis, skill development (technical and writing), and professional development. The curriculum employs    a practical approach where students build their portfolio of skills in every class.

Aside from the completion of the core classes, students in their junior and senior year working with their advisors craft a focused path based on their professional goals. These classes offer them application of communication skills through real- world experiences. The capstone is completed as an industry internship.

Upon graduation, students are prepared for entry into the communication industry in high-paying areas of content creation and management that include traditional media, social media, customer experience and strategic communication.

Mission Statement
The Department of Communication seeks to provide a wide-lens, hands-on and whole person approach to communication that will prepare students for an entry- level position in a variety of industries in and relating to the field of communication or to pursue study at the graduate level.

To this end we:

  • Provide a generalized curriculum in communication while simultaneously providing students the opportunity to narrow their focus within one or more areas of expertise.
  • Facilitate a whole-student focus and hands-on approach to learning that helps students develop practical skills as well as ethics, critical thinking abilities and creativity, providing the basis for lifelong learning while promoting the dignity of work.
  • Foster a community of learning and influence between students, alumni, faculty, administration and the community.
Program Outcomes:

 

Student Learning Outcomes
A bachelor’s degree in Integrated Media & Strategic Communication from Mercyhurst University prepares students to either enter the workforce at  the  entry level or to pursue graduate education. The learning outcomes were derived from and continue to be modified by studies of the needs of the communication industry as well as surveys and interviews with alumni who are now working in the field as well as through data collected relating to the knowledge, skills, and abilities demanded from employers in the field of communication.

We recognize that because the field of communication is multi-faceted and always expanding, it is essential to not merely teach students the skills they need to enter the workforce—the skills used today very well may be outdated within the next decade. Instead, we provide not only the most up-to-date skills to enter the field of communication but also theoretical knowledge paired with critical thinking, creativity and ethical skills which will allow our graduates to embrace and adapt to changes in the industry.

The goal of the academic program is to produce a lifelong learner who possesses   a general knowledge of the many facets of communication while specializing in one or more areas within the field. Upon graduation, students will demonstrate mastery of the following learning outcomes:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication including various theories, laws and ethicalconsiderations
  • Collect and analyze collected data/information using a variety of techniques and methodologies as appropriate to the communication field
  • Create and manage communication campaigns and plans for a variety of audiences.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of and skills in current and emerging communication syndication channels / outputs including oral and written communication, social media, multimedia storytelling, video production, website development and graphic design.
  • Apply accumulated knowledge within professional settings and situations

Department Offerings Major

  • Integrated Media & Strategic Communication

Minors

  • Communication - A Communication minor complements a variety of majors and allows students to refine their professional and creative skills. The minor includes six courses. 
  • Web and Social Media Management - The Social Media and Web minor couples with a student’s chosen major to harness the power of convergence in a network of related coursework and skill sets by training students in the professional use of emerging technologies and web-based communication. Combined with their major field of study, the Social Media and Web Minor prepares students to be skilled practitioners in the new media landscape. The courses enable students to participate in the virtual forum of cyberspace, to use proper protocols informed by communication theory and to adapt as protocols change. Students who are Communication Majors may pursue the Minor Electives Cluster in Website Design in the Art Department, while Graphic Design Majors may pursue the Minor Electives Cluster in Communication.

Advanced Certificate

  • Corporate Communication

Department Standards
Communication Department majors are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in major course work and earn a C or higher in all required courses. No major or minor course can be taken on a pass/fail basis. Students who fail to earn a grade of C or better in a required course must repeat the course.

Internship
Students majoring in communication or integrated marketing communication must complete an internship before graduation. For-credit and not-for-credit options exist,  allowing  students  the  maximum  flexibility  in  completing the requirement. A minimum of 150 hours  for  the  zero-credit  option  and 200 hours for the three-credit option must be completed to count toward graduation requirements. The department reccomends that students complete more than one internship to be competitive in the marketplace. Students must register for the course before starting the internship to count toward the graduation requirement.

Electives

Major Electives
Students choose 18 credits in consultation with their advisor to demonstrate an area of specialty within each elective cluster. Communication majors should choose courses with a COM prefix. A minor or  double major outside  the department may count toward this requirement.

Free Electives
Students choose free electives that may or may not relate to the Communication Department or their major. If students choose to complete a three-credit internship, no credits in this category would be required, if a student chooses a zero-credit internship, three credits would be taken in this category. Credits for a minor in another area or double major can count toward this requirement.

Bachelor of Arts Major Requirements

Communication is interdisciplinary as professionals are engaged in similar functions (gathering information and data, creating, disseminating and evaluating messages) and must be prepared with necessary skills including writing, speaking and visual communication, as well as the ability to develop a plan, organize, evaluate and think strategically.

The communication program is designed to prepare students for entry to the communication industry in high-paying areas. Our  students  are  equal  parts data analyst, storyteller, and multimedia specialist. Students are required to complete a core sequence that covers areas of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, research and data analysis, skill development (technical and writing), and professional development to accomplish these skills. The core sequence cultivates an improved understanding of the role, practice, and analysis of communication in media, social and economic systems.

The curriculum employs a “learn by doing” approach to expose students to the necessary knowledge and skills to enter a chosen career path and advance within their profession. In each of the courses in the curriculum, students are assigned projects appropriate for inclusion in a professional portfolio. These projects are detailed on each major course syllabus.

Major Elective Clusters

Complete 3 courses from each of the following 2 categories and 2 classes from the last category. In order to graduate a student needs at least 3 courses at the 300 level & 2 courses at the 400 level in major cluster electives

Section I: Theory, Planning and Management

Other General Theory, Planning, or Management course with approval

Section II: Skill Sets

Other Skills course with approval

Section III: Professional Extensions

Other Professional Extensions course with approval

Communications Minor

COM 101 Communication in Society - 3 credits

COM 102 Interpersonal Communication - 3 credits

COM 260 Introduction to Social Media - 3 credits

Three more electives from the COM prefix or departmentally approved electives (two courses must be 300-level or higher)

Social Media and Web Minor

Required Courses

ART 128 Graphic Design Basics - 3 credits

ART 221 Digital Imagery - 3 credits

ART 321 Introduction to Website Design - 3 credits

COM 260 Intro to Social Media - 3 credits

Minor Electives Cluster (Chose one - if courses in the minor cluster are required for your major, please take the opposite cluster)

ART 225 Computer Illustration Technology - 3 credits

ART 325 Intermediate Website Design - 3 credits

ART 326 Advanced Website Design - 3 credits

               OR

COM 202 Contemporary Media Literacy 3 credits

COM 240 Digital Video Production I 3 credits

COM 330 Digital analysis & Strategies 3 credits

Degrees & Certificates
Course Descriptions