Undergraduate Mass Media
Based on a “learn by doing” approach, the Mass Media department will teach you the necessary knowledge and skills to enter your chosen career track early and advance quickly within the profession.
QUICK FACTS
- Get class credit for designing logos,
writing public relations plans for area businesses,
or working on a film crew or at an area radio
or TV station
- Gain experience by producing Stephens Life,
the College's award-winning newspaper; participating in
SCM Comm Productions, the media production
firm; PRProse, the public relations firm;
and the student-staffed marketing consulting firm
- Complete a required internship that immediately
immerses you in your future career at locations such as
AOL, INCA Productions in London, Marie Claire, MTV Studios
or TakeTwo Productions in Kansas City
- Double major or minor in business, graphic
design, theatre, fashion or event planning
- Study in the related fields of Digital Filmmaking, the first major of its kind in Missouri and Fashion Communication, which equips students with necessary fashion knowledge and communication skills
B.S. IN MASS MEDIA
Become prepared for success in the entertainment, information
and news industry. Starting your very first year, the curriculum
places you in real-world learning contexts so you will develop
and refine your communication skills while completing a broad-based
liberal arts degree. Depending on your desired area of expertise,
you will choose an emphasis in one of the following areas:
TV and Radio
Does the camera love you? Do you have a voice for radio? This
emphasis prepares you for careers in television, film, or radio,
from voice training to audio production. Courses include: Television
Programming; Digital Video/TV Production; and Advanced Radio Production.
Journalism
If you have a way with words or have ever wanted to be a professional
photographer for the media, this emphasis is for you. Prepare
for careers in business communication; reporting and writing;
and production careers at newspapers or magazines. Courses include:
Digital Photography; Print Production;, and Advanced Print Writing;
and Reporting.
Public Relations
Have you ever wanted to handle publicity for a celebrity or major
corporation? An emphasis in Public Relations prepares you for
a career in areas such as event planning, internal affairs, public
affairs and media relations. Courses include: Special Events Planning
and Management, Print Writing and Reporting, and PR Writing: Form
and Style.
B.S. IN MARKETING: PUBLIC
RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
You will be ready for a career in business and agency integrated
marketing communications, combining
training in written, oral and visual communication. Benefit
from several opportunities to gain hands-on experience in
your area of interest. Be selected to join the College’s
student-staffed marketing consulting firm that assists clients
on advertising, events, promotion and design projects, and
work with real clients to develop a comprehensive marketing
plan as part of your senior capstone project. Courses include:
Advertising, Case Studies in Public Relations and Special
Event Management.
FACILITIES
Using professional quality equipment and facilities, you will
learn communication skills and techniques. You will train
at the Helis Communication Center in two
of mid-Missouri’s largest television studios, in the
KWWC Sweet 90.5 FM radio station (originally
founded in the 1920s) and audio studios, and in the Macintosh-equipped
newsroom and digital design studio. You will work in a new
G5 Mac lab, which is equipped with Final
Cut Pro, the latest in non-linear editing systems.
Stephens’ Patricia Barry Television Studio
is home to the City
of Columbia’s public access channel, which provides
you with unlimited opportunities to get involved and showcase
your work. In the Stephens Life
newsroom, you will work in all aspects of
newspaper production, including writing, editing, photography,
layout and graphic design. You also will work on projects
such as marketing plans and event planning for Columbia businesses
with guidance of faculty.
ALUMNAE
Stephens alumnae include the following successful professionals:
- Lindsey Trosper '00, Barkley Evergreen &
- Gayla Daugherty ’94, Anheuser-Busch
Account Executive
- Wendy Parish Anderson ’92, former
Austin Film Society Public Affairs Director
- Lyah LeFlore ’91, Author of “Cosmopolitan
Girls"; former TV Producer
- Susan Keaton ’81, Chicago Tribune
Business Editor
- Anne-Louise Wallace ’82, “Today
Show” Stage Manager
- Paula Zahn, CNN News Anchor
CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS
Take advantage of job experience, leadership challenges, &
networking opportunities through organizations such as:
- Alpha Epsilon Rho, the national broadcasting honorary
- Broadcast Educators Association
- Missouri College Media Association
- National Broadcast Society
- National Communication Association
- Public Relations Student Society of America
- Sigma Beta Delta, a national honorary for business students
- Stephens Women’s Business Association
- Students in Free Enterprise
- The Film Club
INFORMATION
FACULTY
Stephens professors hold master's degrees in their chosen fields and can back up their teaching methods with years of experience in the communication industries of public relations, filmmaking, journalism and broadcasting. Among the faculty are a professor who is an experienced marketing consultant, one who has reported for CNN, and another who works in the film industry and runs her own production company.
QUOTE
“The Stephens community formed an environment that
helped make my transition to AOL Corporate Events seamless. It’s
an experience beyond that of a typical college or university .
. . at Stephens you are taught to think for yourself, and in that
development come hundreds of opportunities you never even knew
existed. Along with its unlimited alumnae network, an education
at Stephens is priceless.”
—Jenny Stahl ’05
Event Planner
AOL
Arlington, Va.



