Results of a 2014 study reported in the Huffington Post reveal that Communication Studies (also commonly called “Communication Arts”) is fast emerging as an in-demand degree by students. This comes as no surprise to the Communication Arts Department at Florida International University. Since the department began offering the degree just over two years ago, the number of students has soared from the initial dozen to over 1000 in both the traditional face-to-face and fully online programs. This exponential growth in the academic field generally referred to as “Communication” is a result of various factors, according to author Jason Schmitt in his article, “Communication Studies Rise to Relevance.” The broad nature of the discipline, which encompasses the theory and practice of communication, is evident in the partial list of course topics it includes: rhetoric, persuasion, conflict management, debate, interpersonal and intercultural communication, small group communication, organizational management, and social media. This diversity of key knowledge and skill areas, makes Communication Studies/[Communication Arts] very desirable as a relevant and transferable course of study. Schmitt attributes “the digital economy, social networking and the move toward media creation” as contributing to employers’ desire for Communication Studies/[Communication Arts] graduates. “I think as students become a little more careerist, they search for a degree that is flexible and adaptable and I think communication provides for both of those,” says Betsy Bach, Communication Studies Professor at University of Montana. “It is the right [degree] at the right time,” says Schmitt.
To read the full story and see the study results, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-schmitt/communication-studies-ris_b_6025038.html
To find out more about FIU’s Communication Arts degree, go to http://carta.fiu.edu/comm-arts/
Written by Char Eberly and Gabriella Portella, FIU Communication Arts
