Communication

The College of Charleston’s integrated, custom-tailored communication major prepares you for a lifetime of success. We expect our graduates to switch careers and adapt to dramatic technological changes during their lifetimes. Our broad and flexible curriculum is the best preparation you can have for managing your career path in the 21st century.

Careers

Employment opportunities exist in corporate communications, public relations and advertising agencies, the mass media, and civil and social agencies. Many communication majors go on to graduate and professional programs in communication, journalism, law and business.
Public relations is the fastest-growing profession within the communication discipline. It ranks second in job satisfaction among all jobs in media and external communications. Many of our graduates become successful public relations professionals, in a variety of areas, ranging from commercial agencies to non-profit organizations.
Many communications studies students continue on to graduate and professional schools, while others find employment in a variety of other professions (working in sales or for non-profit organizations, for example) that require the complex skills this concentration provides.

A sample of positions held by recent graduates includes:

public relations counselor
journalist
real estate manager
marketing director
music manager
event planner

A sample of graduate and professional schools that our majors have attended:

Duke University Law School
University of Michigan School of Law
University of South Carolina
University of Georgia
University of Charleston

Active Learning Opportunities

Internships. Well over half of all communication majors participate in our highly successful internship program, the largest at the College of Charleston. It is based on the productive partnerships we have developed with local, national and international businesses and organizations such as:

American Red Cross
Bank One
Charleston Area Visitor’s and Convention Bureau
Charleston Battery Soccer
Charleston Magazine
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Charleston City Paper
Clear Channel
Comcast
Kiawah Island Golf Resort
League of Women Voters
NASCAR
South Carolina Aquarium
Spoleto Festival USA
The Post and Courier
US Financial
Chase Manhattan Bank
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the largest student networking and professional association in the field of public relations. Our chapter is one of only two chartered in South Carolina. Members participate in many national events and competitions and are encouraged to take leadership roles in the campus community.

Lambda Pi Eta. The national communication honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). Its goals include stimulating interest in the communication field, promoting professional development among majors, and establishing and maintaining close relationships and understanding between faculty and students.

Forensic and Debate Team. The College of Charleston has had a debate team since the 1920s and it ranks as one of the region’s premier forensic teams. You may receive academic credit for competing in speaking, interpretation and debate events at tournaments. The Forensics Team is a member of Pi Kappa Delta, a national honorary fraternity for students interested in speech and debate.
Cougar Television (CTV) – student-run TV show.
College of Charleston Radio – student-run, non-profit radio station.
The George Street Observer – College of Charleston’s campus newspaper is produced in both print and online versions.
The Comet – official College of Charleston yearbook.

Other Special Opportunities

Networking Fair. An annual opportunity for communication majors to meet informally with representatives of dozens of organizations – ranging from media outlets to nonprofits, and corporations to campus offices – that are seeking interns, volunteers and/or employees.

Distinguished Communicators Series. Each year, a nationally prominent person is invited to deliver a public speech and to address students in selected communication courses in a more intimate setting. Since the series was inaugurated in 2003, the guests have included:

John Palmer, longtime NBC News anchor/White House correspondent
Marva Smalls, executive vice president for public affairs and chief of staff at Viacom’s Nickelodeon
U.S. Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings

Special guests. The department regularly sponsors campus visitors such as:

Comedian and best-selling author Al Franken who hosted a live broadcast of the The Al Franken Show from the College of Charleston campus.
Garrison Keillor of public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, who spoke with media writing students.
Robert Ariail, award-winning editorial cartoonist for The State newspaper in Columbia.
Peter Vecsey, sports columnist for the New York Post and a regular contributor to Fox Sports Net.

Panels and forums. Recent topics have included “The Future of Presidential Campaign Communication” and “Communication and the Political Process.”

Department Advisory Council. A group of renowned professionals serves as a sounding board for communication faculty and students – helping them to establish new mentoring and intern opportunities, visiting classes, providing feedback on student projects and public relations.

“All my communication classes at the College of Charleston have been intellectually stimulating. It’s obvious that the professors here genuinely care about students and are passionate about what they teach.”

Caroline Giles ’08