Chair, Department of Mass Communication: Mark Smith, M.A.

Coordinator, Marketing:
John S. Blakemore, M.A.

This interdisciplinary major between Business Administration and Mass Communication is designed to prepare students for a career in the increasingly complex communication field by integrating marketing, advertising and public relations as well as management and other marketing communication-related areas. Employment of marketing, advertising and public relations managers is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations. The increasingly intense domestic and foreign competition in products and services offered consumers requires greater marketing and promotional efforts.

The major is significant in its emphasis on necessary specialized skills within the larger context of the liberal arts offerings in the College. Both faculties believe in a strong interdisciplinary orientation and believe that preparation for any career must be grounded in a liberal arts education. Skill courses include accounting, graphic design, account management, business speaking and presenting, business and communication law.

This major will increase the student's competitive edge when seeking employment at managerial levels in integrated marketing communication. Career options for our graduates in a wide range of industries include: advertising agency account management, public relations account management, marketing management, communication specialist in virtually any business or organization, self-employment in the marketing communication field.

Requirements for the Marketing: Public Relations and Advertising Major
This bachelor of science major requires completion of liberal arts requirements, 8.0 BUS/ACC courses, 7.5 MCO courses, 1.0 BUS/MCO course, .5 INT course, 1.0 ART course, 1.0 CIS course and 2.0 liberal arts courses. Students may elect 1.0 additional BUS or MCO course for total of 20.0 courses in the major within a 40.0 course degree program. A grade of C- or better must be earned in required BUS/ACC and MCO courses and an overall GPA of 2.0 must be maintained to graduate.

The required internship experience includes the successful completion of the pre-internship course INT 210: Internship Development, of the performance of an industry internship, and of the post-internship debriefing course MCO 483: Advanced Internship Case Study and Report.

Students are strongly urged to take BUS 171 and MCO 101 in the fall of their freshman year or first semester of their sophomore year. A checklist for this major, which will help keep the student on track, may be obtained in either the business administration or mass communication office.

NOTE: Descriptions for ACC, ART, BUS, CIS, MCO, and INT courses will be found under those programs' headings.

Required Courses

BUS 171: Contemporary Business Practices (1c)
ACC 210: Accounting I (1c)
ACC 220: Accounting II (1c)
BUS 225: Principles of Management (1c)
BUS 250: Principles of Marketing (1c)
BUS 331: Advertising (1c)
BUS 345: e-Commerce (1c)
BUS 354: Consumer Behavior (1c)
BUS/MCO 335: Case Studies in Marketing and Public Relations (1c)
MCO 101: Media and Society (1c)
MCO 106: Basic Speech (1c)
MCO 205: Public Relations Principles and Practices (1c)
MCO 362: Communication Law (1c)
MCO 403: Public Relations Writing (1c)
MCO 431: Advertising Copywriting (1c)
MCO 483: Advanced Internship: Case Study and Report (.5c)
MCO 493: Senior Project or Thesis (1c)
ART 202F: Graphic/Digital Design I (1c)
CIS 160: Introduction to Computers (1c)
INT 210: Internship Development (.5c)

Required Liberal Arts Courses

MAT 207M: Introduction to Statistics (1c)
MCO 333E: Media Ethics (1c)
or
PHL 318E: Social & Ethical Issues in Business (1c)