Communications

Through core courses in the fundamentals
of communications, hands-on internship opportunities, and specialized courses in broadcast and print journalism, and
TV production, public relations, magazine writing and production, and advertising, you will gain the skills and experience that television and radio stations, newspapers, and public relations agencies and departments seek in an employee. That’s why our communications graduates usually find jobs in their field within six months after graduation.

THE SAINT ROSE DIFFERENCE
As a communications major at Saint Rose, you won’t have to leave the classroom to earn hands-on experience. All of our production classes are taught in the College’s full-scale television studio or multimedia production facility where students learn by using the equipment that they will likely see in the workplace after graduation. Writing courses are taught in the exclusive communications department Journalism Lab, where students write and edit on Macintosh G-4 computers using the latest industry software. This intimate atmosphere feels more like a newsroom than a classroom and it gives students the opportunity to interact with one another and brainstorm ideas while developing depth and intensity in writing. Communications faculty members keep class sizes small to allow for the opportunity to offer guidance to each student individually during class.

Curriculum
Required courses in the major provide a basic foundation in communications including its history and culture. Core courses include Introduction to Mass Media, Introduction to Communication Theory, Communication Law, Research in Communications, and Senior Seminar, in which students are required to compile a portfolio of their work for evaluation by department faculty. Students select their major courses from five different specialty areas. The specialty areas integrate theory and practice and students gain hands-on skills in content creation and production, as they write and design pieces they will use in their portfolio. The specialty areas are:

• Advertising/Public Relations: Contemporary Advertising, Persuasion and Propaganda, Introduction to Public Relations
• Social Dimensions: Conflict Management, Gender and Communication, Communication and Culture
• Writing: Broadcast News, Magazine Feature Writing, Introduction to Journalism
• Theoretical: Film Arts, Media Ethics, Documentary Film and TV
• Technical: TV Production-Studio, TV Production-Field, Multi-Media Production

Communications majors are also encouraged to complete a minor or concentration in a non-communications discipline such as business, graphic design, music technology/ entertainment arts, history/political science or another area of interest.

Time Warner Media Education Program
The Media Education Program is a unique, cooperative effort between Saint Rose, the City of Albany and Time Warner Cable through which Saint Rose students produce four weekly 30-minute television programs, Culture TV, Capital & Commerce, The Choice Years and Law Matters. Students also work with not-for-profit clients to write, direct and produce professional quality educational programs and serve as mentors to students from area schools.

FACILITIES
Communications department facilities include:

• An exclusive communications department Journalism Lab with Macintosh G-4 computers;
• A multi-media production facility; and
• A full-scale television studio with: four custom-design interview sets, Sony DXC-327 studio cameras, Panasonic 800 S-VHS field cameras, computer-based graphics system, and digital nonlinear audio and video editing facilities.

OUR EXPERIENCED FACULTY
Faculty members contribute actively to the field, especially in the areas of video production and creative writing. The professional activities of our faculty often provide opportunities for our students to gain hands-on experience, especially on projects that originate in the classroom and extend out into the “real world.” For example, students may be asked to assist faculty members who are working with outside clients on projects such as not-for-profit videos or public relations packages, and may then be hired as a production assistants, grips, editors, or even talent.

FIELD EXPERIENCE
Communications students are encouraged to complete a full semester internship of 20-30 hours a week, as the faculty believes that it is the intense, focused experience with media professionals that gives our graduates a distinct advantage over other candidates for job placement.

Internship placements are developed for students according to their interests and ability, enabling them to put their learning to work at a variety of television and radio stations, public relations and advertising agencies, newspapers and magazines, and government and nonprofit organizations. The internship experience at Saint Rose is highly structured and each student is closely supervised by a faculty member. Recent internship placements include:

• The Albany Institute of History and Art
• Albany Medical Center Public Relations
• The American Red Cross
• The Hearst Corporation’s Albany Times Union newspaper
• Local NBC, ABC, and CBS television affiliates
• New York State Police Academy A/V Department
• The Troy Record newspaper
• WAMC public radio station

CAREERS
As a Saint Rose graduate in communications, you will be highly qualified for employment in a variety of fields,including:

• Television and Radio Production: camera
  operators (field and studio), board operators (switchers), tape editors, producers (field and studio), technical directors, and announcers/on-camera talent;
• Print and Broadcast Journalism: writers (features, sports, hard news), and editors (layout and design);
• Public Relations: writers, editors (layout and design), and promotions and special events coordinators;
• Advertising: creative, sales, management,
  and media buying.

Some of the companies and agencies where our graduates have found employment include:

• America On-Line n Times Union
• The Associated Press n Time Warner Cable
• CBS News n VH-1
• Court TV n WRGB-6 (CBS affiliate)
• MTV-Europe n WNYT-13 (NBC affiliate)
• New York Network n WTEN-10 (ABC affiliate)

GRADUATE STUDY
Attending graduate school after receiving your bachelor’s in communications from Saint Rose can be a smart career move for those students interested in journalism and public relations, as it gives them a deeper understanding of how theory is applied in the field of communications. The College of Saint Rose offers a master’s degree in communications that focuses on media writing and public relations and is targeted at professionals who have gained some “real world” experience and are looking to pursue graduate study as a means of career advancement or change. Saint Rose graduates also have been accepted to graduate programs at:

• Florida State University
• Illinois State University
• Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School
  of Public Communications
• University at Albany
• University of Minnesota
• University of the Pacific McGeorge School
  of Law

MODERATE PRICE AND
AGGRESSIVE FINANCIAL AID
The College of Saint Rose has one of the lowest tuitions of all New York state private colleges and we offer a variety of scholarships, including academic talent. More than 90% of our students receive several forms of financial aid.

I not only walked away from The College of Saint Rose with a terrific education, but with invaluable hands-on experience. In radio class, I got to broadcast a real show and my internship was at a television station. Instructors provided individual attention…Saint Rose gave me the first taste of a career I truly love.”

Sue Nigra ’89,
WRGB-TV (CBS affiliate) news anchor

Student Publications
Communications students are integral to the success of our award-winning newspaper, The Chronicle and the student literary magazine, Sphere. Last year, The Chronicle won first place in the American Scholastic Newspaper Awards, and has placed in this competition in each of the past four years.

Fred Antico, Ph.D.
Specialty: Radio and television production, and emerging technologies.

Mary Alice Molgard, M.S.,
Specialty: Broadcast law, broadcast
writing, film, and ethics in communications.

Jeannine Pondozzi, Ph.D.
Specialty: Communication research and theory, specifically rhetorical theory.

Karen Smith, Ph.D.
Specialty: Human communication, specifically in interpersonal and intercultural situations, and the role of mass media in influencing cultural, social and gender expectations.

Through my internship at
Proctor’s Theatre I was able to
observe and work with a number of professionals in an environment that was both fun and challenging. My internship gave me the ‘real life’ experience that I needed to be successful in public relations and marketing after college. It helped me to define my career goals and got me my first job.

Jeremy Bogan ’00,
marketing/public relations
assistant, Proctor’s Theatre

The communications department at Saint Rose taught me valuable skills and how to work with a variety of media. The curriculum and faculty encouraged me to set goals and instilled in me a strong work ethic for which I am grateful. Because of the communications program, I gained the knowledge that allowed me to obtain internships at ‘Live with Regis and Kathie Lee’ and at the sitcom ‘Cosby.’

Jamal Benjamin ’99,
news producer for station
affiliates, CBS News