Online bachelor's in mass communications launches in fall
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University's A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications is launching an online bachelor's degree in mass communications designed to offer students the skills needed in today's media environment.
The bachelor's degree, for 120 credits, officially launches on Aug. 17 with new classes starting every eight weeks. Tuition for the degree, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, is $461 per credit hour or $13,830 per year for full-time students. Students can apply through K-State Online.
The program includes specific coursework in journalism or strategic communications. The journalism sequence prepares students for work in broadcast, news reporting and media design. Strategic communications focuses on advertising and public relations with an emphasis in social media.
"We will be one of a handful of accredited journalism and mass communications programs in the world to offer an entire undergraduate degree program online," said Steve Smethers, director of the A.Q. Miller School. "This fits nicely with K-State's cyber land-grant university leadership, and we are proud to be among the programs on campus making this vision a reality."
Envisioning this degree program and facilitating the launch was K-State alumnus Alan Boyer. A member of the A.Q. Miller School's JMC National Advisory Council, Boyer is based in Atlanta and is a longtime marketing executive and an adjunct professor of strategic communications at K-State.
"We quickly assessed the opportunity, developed a road map to moving the in-person curriculum online, mobilized the JMC faculty to select areas of online teaching interest and identified solutions to create an interactive learning environment that equals the in-person experience," Boyer said. "This program will serve both our current students and prospective students from around the world who will now have access to this school's talented faculty."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide demand for trained professionals in public relations, advertising and journalism is expected to grow by 4% over the next eight years. In addition, the bureau reports the median for entry-level salaries will range from nearly $40,000 to more than $72,000 for writers, producers, announcers, editors, public relations specialists, advertising copywriters, photographers, social media assistants and related jobs.
The online bachelor's in mass communications is ideal for the following prospective students:
• Students who started courses on any campus and want to transfer credits to finish stronger and safer online from home.
• Recent high school graduates who want to become advertising, public relations, journalism or digital media pros.
• Working professionals who want to boost their career opportunities on their own time.
• Military service members and veterans looking for opportunities to gain new skills that enrich life experiences.
• Homeschooled students who want to continue learning at home.
While many of K-State's mass communications courses have been available online, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent move to remote teaching accelerated the creation of this program, Smethers said. The school also offers an online master's in mass communications.
"The bachelor's program offers students the chance to get hands-on experience working in the media while earning their degree," Boyer said. "The curriculum in both sequences emphasizes communication across platforms, preparing each student for a long career in a communications industry that is constantly changing and evolving.
"This program will serve both our current students and prospective students from around the world who will now have access to this school's talented faculty."
More information on the mass communications bachelor's degree can be found at online.kstate.edu/programs/mass-communications-bachelors/.
