Welcome from the Dean

Welcome to the School of Communication (SCOM). While many colleges and universities offer programs in communication, I believe our school is unique in several respects.

What makes us unique, first and foremost, is our faculty, which includes professors who have both advanced academic degrees and professional experience. They've worked in newsrooms, built Web sites, consulted for healthcare organizations, worked with hearing impaired children and adults, served as corporate public relations managers, developed crisis communication plans, helped political candidates shape and communicate messages, and created advertising campaigns. So you'll learn from people who can teach you basic and advanced professional skills and give you critical perspectives on how to use those skills.

A second unique characteristic is our "total communication environment." As a student at Emerson College, you'll learn from your classmates and dormitory friends, as well as from your professors. That's because all our students are concentrating their studies on an aspect of communication, and you'll take both specialist and non-major courses with like-minded students. Imagine taking a course in world history with other students from throughout the College - in film, journalism, theatre, marketing communication, etc. - who are all interested in the role of symbols, of the media, and of individual personality and creativity in shaping historical events. Even if you are not heading for a media production career, imagine being a journalism or advertising student helping a friend shoot a video for one of his or her classes. You'll be learning about the other communication, media and performing arts professions that you'll eventually be dealing with in your own career.

This total communication environment also includes numerous co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Students have formed their own advertising and public relations agency - EmComm. This organization handles both Emerson and non-Emerson clients, and enables members to practice building a business, establishing and maintaining client contacts, managing accounts, and the like. Or you might consider writing for the College's newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon, which is published weekly during the school year. Even freshmen can join and take on writing assignments. Over time, you'll have opportunities to apply for editorial and management positions. And, finally, given the power of the Internet, you might consider joining faculty and students in JSONS, an online newspaper that combines broadcast and print journalism. All these opportunities are available to undergraduate and graduate students.

There are many other features of the School of Communication, and the best way to learn about these is to explore our Web site and learn about our degree programs, faculty, visiting speakers series, and student activity groups.

In the meantime, enjoy your virtual "visit" to the School of Communication.

Janis Andersen, Dean