NJIT’s Communication and Media program, which offers either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, provides a uniquely liberal education within a technological environment and the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills that will position graduates to work in a variety of fields crucial to the twenty-first century global economy. The Communication and Media program is rich in the arts and humanities and it is also geared for the new world of high technology. With its four tracks and variety of concentrations, the program serves as the basis for a number of professions or graduate school. The ability to communicate and be creative has always been, and will continue to be, highly prized in our society; people who can communicate will always be in great demand. Communication and Media in an assortment of roles is a greatly rewarding and necessary activity in society.

Qualified students in either degree program have the option to enroll in a Bachelor's- Master's Program in Professional and Technical Communication or to earn a graduate certificate in this rapidly growing field. A minor degree in Communication and Media is also available, as is teacher certification at either the primary- or secondary-school level. In addition, students may pursue a double major with another disciplinary course of study, and qualified students can complete an accelerated program leading to a degree in dentistry, medicine, optometry, or law.

Both the BA and BS curricula include the same set of core courses covering various aspects of communication, among which are a co-op work experience consisting of two semester-long internships in appropriate fields and a senior project capstone course in which a student produces a substantial, original work consisting of either a traditional research thesis, a substantial work of creative writing (such as a novella), or a practical communication application.

Core Courses, Required of All Communication and Media Majors

• Eng 200 Communicating in Organizations
• Eng 302 Communication Theory
• Eng 336 Advanced Composition
• Eng 339 Practical Journalism
• Eng 340 Oral Presentations
• Eng 353 Electronic Publishing 1
• Eng 354 Electronic Publishing 2
• Eng 360 Collaborative Communication: Community/Global Perspectives
• Eng 490 Co-op Work Experience I
• Eng 491 Co-op Work Experience II
• Eng 496 Senior Project
• Hist 345 History of Communication
• IT 201 Information Visualization Techniques 

Core courses are complemented by course concentrations of choice in four disciplinary areas (detailed via links below). The core courses are taught at NJIT, while the remainder of a student’s courses may be taken at NJIT or at Rutgers-Newark (across the street from the NJIT campus), for degree credit. General University Requirements (GUR), along with the core courses and concentration electives, plus seven free electives, comprise the full complement of courses needed for graduation.

The Communication and Media program’s bachelor of arts degree (BA) stresses the humanistic; the bachelor of science degree (BS) stresses the technological. Both degrees, however, provide a blend of the humanistic and the technological. The program entails study in one of four disciplinary areas:

1. Literature
2. Professional and Technical Communication
3. Media Arts
4. Theatre Arts

The Literature track offers the option of primary- or secondary-school Teacher Certification. The Professional and Technical Communication track offers an option in Journalism. The Media Arts track provides for possible concentrations in Film and Video, Fine Arts, Graphic Arts and Design, Media Studies, Television, or Web Design. The Theatre Arts track provides opportunities to study Drama and Performance (acting, directing, play-writing and screenplay writing, and set design and lighting).

Both degrees prepare students to work in the expanding and rapidly transforming field of high-tech communications such as the World Wide Web. Today, communication specialists are required for a wide range of positions in business, industry, government, journalism; and in technological, scientific, humanistic, and artistic communities. Professional communicators are needed to serve as writers, editors, and researchers; they are particularly needed for the increasingly complex and challenging task of coordinating technical materials and publications. The typical Communication and Media graduate can work in occupations such as multimedia design and communications; technical writing; journalism; television; film and video production; print publishing; graphic art and design; theatre; education; writing for regulatory agencies; quality assurance documentation; advertising; grant proposal writing; medical and/or scientific reporting or analysis; and technical reporting or analysis. The bachelor's degrees also serve as the foundation for a graduate degree in writing, journalism, literature, theatre, the arts, media studies, and law.

Double Majors

Students may earn a second major in addition to the Communication and Media major. A double major with the BA or BS in Communication and Media and the BA in History, for instance, is usually feasible within four years of full-time study. For general rules about double majors, see Degree Options in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of NJIT's undergraduate catalog. For further information about appropriate double majors with the Communication and Media program, contact the Humanities department.

• BA in Communication and Media, Literature Track; and BA in Communication and Media, English Education Track, click here
• BA and BS in Communication and Media, Media Arts Track, click here
• BA and BS in Communication and Media, Professional and Technical Communication Track, click here
• BA in Communication and Media, Theatre Arts Track, click here

For list of program faculty and sample curriculum, click here

Queries should be directed to: ba-bs-communication@njit.edu or the Humanities Department, 973-596-3266.