The University of Saint Joseph and Connecticut Public will together launch a distinctive digital media and communication undergraduate degree program beginning in January 2020.

Submitted

An innovative undergraduate program in Digital Media and Communication will launch in January 2020 at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) in West Hartford, thanks to a pioneering collaboration with Connecticut Public. The undergraduate degree program offers students two distinct concentrations: Spanish Media and Communication or Sport Media and Communication. 

The program will be the third in the nation – and only in New England – to offer a concentration in Spanish Media and Communication. Students will take courses at both USJ and Connecticut Public, located minutes from each other on Asylum Avenue. The program will combine the University’s faculty with the facilities, resources and award-winning professionals of Connecticut’s only locally-owned media organization producing TV, radio, print, and web content for Connecticut’s wide-ranging and diverse communities.

“In addition to having access to our notable faculty for language and communication courses, USJ students will greatly benefit from access to Connecticut Public resources. Through this program, the students’ media courses will be taught in newly modernized production studios led by working professionals in the industry ranging in disciplines from graphic design to video production,” said Provost Michelle Kalis, Ph.D. 

The combination of academic rigor and hands-on experience will prepare undergraduate students in the Digital Media and Communication Program to enter into the media and communication industries ready to serve bilingual, bicultural and growing audience interest in a variety of sports.

“A key differentiator for our program is the application of educational theory to real-world projects led by instructors, including Emmy award-winning documentarians and producers,” said Donna Sodipo, Senior Vice President of Education at Connecticut Public. “Our team works closely with students to produce professional work in a way that focuses on critical thinking and creative problem-solving as an integral part of the media landscape. Students’ access to the producers who, on an everyday basis, work to create content for the trusted and celebrated PBS and NPR brands makes this program an innovative and trailblazing step toward a comprehensive media education.” 

Connecticut Public provides hands-on education in media skills that strives to develop students into the next generation of media professionals. Their instructors are working professionals who, on a day-to-day basis, employ the skills they teach in their courses. As a result, their curricula are current and refreshed on a regular basis to reflect the constantly changing and evolving media and technology landscape. 

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