Montclair State Creates School of Communication and Media

Montclair State University’s Board of Trustees has approved the creation of a new School of Communication and Media. The new school will combine existing, high-quality degree programs with new offerings to provide an unparalleled educational experience to students entering this rapidly changing industry.

The School of Communication and Media will reside within the College of Arts, and will offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication Studies, Television and Digital Media, and Communication and Media Arts, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Filmmaking, and a Master of Arts in Public and Organizational Relations.

Montclair State has well-established, cutting-edge programs for communication and broadcasting students, preparing them to enter the workplace as creative and critical decision-makers in an evolving environment. Specifically designed with an eye to the future, the new program will take students’ skills to the next level in the critical and creative use of new media technologies in a broad array of public communication fields.

“The School of Communication and Media will offer a comprehensive program that is academically superior and reflective of the emergent digital technologies that have resulted in unprecedented cultural and global interactivity,” said Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole. “This initiative underscores the University’s commitment to aligning our programs with evolving critical workforce needs in the state and beyond.”

The University expects to launch the new School’s core offerings for the Fall 2012 semester. These will include the new interdisciplinary degree program in Communication and Media Arts, and the new Multi-Platform Journalism concentration within an enriched Television and Digital Media degree program.

“In making these curricular and organizational changes within the University’s communication program, Montclair State is responding to scholarly changes that have influenced the study of communication,” said Geoffrey Newman, Dean of the College of the Arts. “This is an exciting time to be engaged in the field of communication, particularly with the University’s accessibility to the nearby media markets of New York City and northern New Jersey.”

To further support the School of Communication and Media, the University recently completed a major technology upgrade of its DuMont Television Center to a state-of-the-art high-definition studio, which includes the most technologically advanced equipment. The University also announced that it will become the new headquarters for NJTV’s news division and will provide studio space for the public media network’s nightly news broadcast. Additional investments, partnerships, and initiatives within all areas of media will continue to round out the scope and reach of the new School.