Webster University: School of Communications

Dean TBD

Departments

Audio Aesthetics and Technology
Communications and Journalism
Electronic and Photographic Media

Administrative Staff

Mindy Berkowitz, director, SOC Portfolio Development Center and Internship Program
Jane Ferry, academic advisor, graduate program
Barbara Finan, academic advisor, graduate program
Gary Ford, director, graduate programs
Liz Jokerst, academic advisor, undergraduate program
Susan Napoleon, coordinator
Libby Pappineau, department assistant
Linda Williams, academic advisor, undergraduate program
Michael Zakibe, director of operations

Mission Statement

The School of Communications, a worldwide educational organization of student-centered staff and faculty, prepares graduate and undergraduate students to achieve excellence in ever-changing global communication fields. We do this by providing theory and practice in media courses framed within a liberal arts-based curriculum, augmented by personalized mentorship and professional development opportunities.

The School of Communications houses and supports:

The May Gallery, a photographic exhibit space;
The Webster University Film Series, a comprehensive alternative film series allowing students, faculty, and community members to view independent features and documentaries, avant-garde films, animation, retrospectives, and short works and offering filmmaking workshops to students and the community;
The Journal, an award winning student newspaper offering print and internet news;
Gorlok TV, a student operated television station;
The Galaxy, a student operated radio station;
The Ampersand, an award winning student magazine

General Education Requirements

Webster University requires all baccalaureate students to complete a general education program.

In 2011, the faculty of Webster University approved the Global Citizenship Program (GCP) to replace the previous General Education Program. Starting with the 2012-2013 academic year, the GCP will apply to School of Communications degree-seeking students with fewer than 30 credit hours of college credit who have not previously matriculated at a post-secondary institution. For information on the GCP program, please refer to the General Education section of this catalog.

Until 2014, School of Communications degree-seeking transfer students with less than 75 credit hours will remain under the School of Communications General Education Program as described below:

Category One - Humanities

18 hours

Literature, history, foreign language, general studies, religious studies, philosophy, visual art, dance, theatre, music, composition

Category Two - Social Sciences

12 hours

Political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, women's studies, multicultural studies, international relations, international studies, economics, human rights

Category Three - Math/Computer Science

6 hours

Computer applications, computer science, mathematics, natural sciences, physical sciences

In 2015, the Global Citizenship Program will apply to all new students.

Audio Aesthetics and Technology Department

Tori Meyer, chair
Judi Smith, department associate

Majors and Degrees

Minors

Audio Production

Certificate

Entrepreneurship for Audio Majors

Department Description

Students majoring in audio production learn to work in a variety of audio fields, including music recording, film sound, audio for video, radio, electronic sound synthesis, theatrical sound design, sound reinforcement, audio for computer applications, and audio equipment maintenance. A hands-on approach is a key part of the program and complements lectures on audio theory. The history of the audio industry is also an important component of the program, lending perspective and offering insight into the industry's future.

Special Study Opportunities

Students learn about their fields of interest through internships and externships in communications businesses and organizations. In recent years, audio students have secured internships in St. Louis as well as in California, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Los Angeles, Germany and Spain. Prestigious internships have included top recording studios, live sound companies and post production facilities.

Learning Outcomes

Successful graduates of the Department of Audio Aesthetics & Technology will:

Function professionally using a variety of audio/media technology;
Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of the theories underlying the science and art of audio production;
Perform professionally in the field of audio production.

Special Requirements

Portfolio Review
Students declaring a major within the Department of Audio Aesthetics & Technology complete portfolios of their work as part of their degree requirements. Students majoring in audio production must complete a portfolio review with a panel of faculty within their major after they have successfully completed the following course requirement:

AUDI 3000 Multitrack Recording

In the portfolio review process, students learn to develop personal portfolios in their areas of interest. In addition, the process enables the faculty to gauge the talent, aptitude, and potential of the student in his or her area of study. This mid-program portfolio review gives faculty members the opportunity to talk with students about their progress and make suggestions regarding their school program and career goals

The student's portfolio is judged on both the quality and presentation of the material. Faculty members consider accuracy, creativity, content, and technical expertise in the work presented, and enthusiasm and professionalism of delivery when judging the student for formal admittance into his or her major in the Department of Aesthetics & Technology.
Portfolio deadlines are announced each academic year, and reviews are held each semester. Students should contact their academic advisors in the School of Communications for more specific information about portfolio review requirements as soon as they enter Webster University.

Capstone Course

Successful completion of a capstone class with a grade of B or better is part of the degree requirement for each major and emphasis. A capstone class is an advanced course designated by the major in which students learn to demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter. The capstone class should be taken in the student's senior year.

Transfer Students

Transfer students should not expect to obtain a degree in the Department of Audio Aesthetics & Technology in less than four full semesters of sequenced courses.

Transfer students who have completed the associate of arts (AA) degree have satisfied the school's general education requirement.

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C- or better in any course they wish to apply toward their major or toward the 36 required credit hours in general education. The pass/fail option is not available for courses that students wish to apply toward their major or toward their general education requirements, unless those courses are offered only under the pass/fail option. (For example, creative writing courses in the English Department are offered only as pass/fail and may count toward Category I of general education.)

Double Majors

An area of concentration (major) in the School of Communications may be combined with a major in another Webster University School or College as part of the student's bachelor of arts degree plan. Double majors are not allowed between the departments of the School of Communications.

Communications and Journalism Department

Joseph Schuster, chair
Samantha Davis, coordinator

Majors and Degrees

Minors

Certificates

Special Study Opportunities

Internships
Students have opportunities to learn about their fields of interest through internships and externships in communication businesses and organizations. In recent years, students in the department of Communications and Journalism have secured internships at organizations in St. Louis as well as in New York, Chicago, Nashville, California, London, Japan, Switzerland and Thailand.

Prestigious internships have included: MTV Network in New York, NBC Late Night with Conan O'Brien, ABC The View in New York, KSDK-TV, KMOV-TV, KPLR-TV WB Channel 11, Busch Entertainment Corp., KTVI-TV Fox Channel 2, KETC-TV Public Broadcasting Service Channel 9, KMOX Radio, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Fleishman Hillard Public Relations, Mary Engelbreit Studios, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, The Vision Factory, Waylon Advertising, Clayton Studios, Missouri Botanical Garden, The St. Louis Science Center, The Ronald McDonald House, The Hughes Group, the St. Louis Rams, Nestle Purina, Petcare and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Independent study and reading courses add further flexibility to the established curriculum.

Double Majors

Minors

The following apply to all minors:

A minor must be comprised of 18 credit hours taken at Webster University.
No course counted toward a major can also count toward a minor. If a student pursues a minor that requires a course also required for the student's major, the student should contact his or her advisor or the department chair to discuss an appropriate substitution.
Students may have a major and a minor within the same department in the School of Communications; they may not major and minor within the same area of emphasis.
Students must earn a grade of C- or better in any course they wish to apply toward a minor.

Special Requirements

Portfolio Review
Students declaring a major within the Department of Communications and Journalism (except in speech communication studies) complete a portfolio of their work as part of their degree requirements. Students majoring in advertising and marketing communications, public relations, scriptwriting, media literacy and media communications must complete a portfolio review with a panel of faculty within their major after they have successfully completed the following course requirements:

EPMD 1000 Introduction to Media Production
MEDC 1010 Introduction to Mass Communications
9 credit hours as defined by each major

In the review students learn to develop personal portfolios of their work in their areas of interest. In addition, this mid-program review process enables the faculty to gauge the talent, aptitude, and potential of the student in his or her area of study.

Instead of the portfolio review panel, students majoring in journalism and global journalism complete a portfolio of their work as part of the requirement of JOUR 3300 Newspaper Production Workshop and JOUR 4700 Professional Development in Journalism, under the guidance of their professors. Students majoring in speech communication studies incorporate elements of all their coursework in their culminating senior overview in place of a portfolio review.

Students should contact their academic advisors in the School of Communications for more specific information about portfolio review requirements as soon as they enter Webster University.

Capstone Course
Successful completion of a capstone class with a grade of B or better is part of the degree requirement for each major and emphasis. A capstone class is an advanced course designated by the major in which students learn to demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter. The capstone class should be taken in the student's senior year.

Grade Requirements

Transfer Students --Pre-Enrollment Interview

Transfer students with prior coursework in communications must submit a portfolio of their work in a pre-enrollment interview to determine placement within the curriculum and their standing regarding portfolio review. If the student meets the portfolio review criteria, this pre-enrollment interview may serve as the portfolio review.

Transfer students should not expect to obtain a degree in the Department of Communications and Journalism in less than four full semesters of sequenced courses.

Transfer students who have completed the associate of arts (AA) degree will have satisfied the school's general education requirement.

Electronic and Photographic Media Department

Jorge Oliver, chair
Lori Corzine, department associate

Majors and Degrees

Minors

Certificates

*Only offered in Vienna
**Only offered in Geneva and Saint Louis

Special Study Opportunities

Students learn about their fields of interest through internships and externships in communications businesses and organizations. In recent years, Electronic and Photographic Media students have secured internships in St. Louis as well as in California, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Ghana, Japan, Switzerland and Thailand. Prestigious internships have included KSDK-TV, KMOV-TV, KPLR-TV, KTVI-TV, KETC-TV Channel 9, The Vision Factory, Photo Source, Beacon Pictures and 20th Century Fox TV (both in California,) the St. Louis Blues, MTV Network, and the Discovery Channel,.

Special Requirements

Portfolio Review
Students declaring a major within the Department of Electronic and Photographic Media (except in animation, film production and interactive digital media) complete portfolios of their work as part of their degree requirements. Students majoring in video production, film studies, and photography, and some students in film production must complete a portfolio review with a panel of faculty within their major after they have successfully completed the following course requirements:

EPMD 1000 Introduction to Media Production
MEDC 1010 Introduction to Mass Communications
9 credit hours as defined by each major

Students majoring in animation, interactive digital media, and film production must apply and receive approval for a petition to proceed with their senior overview in lieu of a portfolio review.

The student's portfolio is judged on both the quality and presentation of the material. Faculty members consider accuracy, creativity, content, and technical expertise in the work presented, and enthusiasm and professionalism of delivery when judging the student for formal admittance into his or her major in the Department of Electronic and Photographic Media.
Portfolio deadlines are announced each academic year, and reviews are held each semester. Students should contact their academic advisors in the School of Communications for more specific information about portfolio review requirements as soon as they enter Webster University.

Transfer Students--Pre-Enrollment Interview

Transfer students with prior coursework in communications must meet with an advisor to determine placement within the curriculum.
Transfer students should not expect to obtain a degree in the Department of Electronic and Photographic Media in less than four full semesters of sequenced courses.
Transfer students who have completed the associate of arts (AA) degree have satisfied the school's general education requirement.

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C- or better in any course they wish to apply toward their major or toward the 30 required credit hours in the Global Citizenship Program (GCP) or the 36 required hours in the previous School of Communications General Education Program. The pass/fail option is not available for courses that students wish to apply toward their major or toward their general education requirements, unless those courses are offered only under the pass/fail option. (For example, creative writing courses in the English Department are offered only as pass/fail and may count toward Category I of general education.)

Double Majors

Minors

The following apply to all minors:

A minor must be comprised of 18 credit hours taken at Webster University.
No course counted toward a major can also count toward a minor.
Students may have a major and a minor within the same department in the School of Communications; they may not major and minor within the same area of emphasis.
Students must earn a grade of C- or better in any course they wish to apply toward a minor.

Certificate Programs

Students must earn a grade of C- or better in all courses applied toward the certificates.