Brigham Young University announced this week that the Department of Communications will now be known as the School of Communications.
While the School of Communications will remain within the College of Fine Arts and Communications, the name change is designed to better reflect the distinguished reputation of the program. It will also help the program to continue providing exceptional educational and professional experiences to more than 1,200 students.
"Renaming our department a school more accurately describes our program within our discipline," said School of Communications Director Ed Adams. "It brings us into line with our peer institutions and reinforces the quality and excellence of our program. Students will benefit from a more recognized designation, and we will be able to better attract resources."
The name change reflects the program's focus on providing a strong academic experience and professional preparation in the areas of journalism, advertising and public relations.
"The growth and development in the communications program at BYU over the last two decades has brought us to a national level of excellence," said BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications Dean Stephen Jones. "The faculty and students should be very proud of their accomplishments in classrooms, labs and internships that have earned such great recognition and this name change."
The School of Communications, which ranks as the 17th largest accredited communications programs in the country, offers bachelor's degrees in advertising, journalism and public relations; and a masters degree in mass communications.
In the last several years the department has received critical acclaim from local, regional and national sources. The public relations program was named one of the "Top 5 in the Country" by PR Week magazine in four of the last five years. The journalism program has earned top awards from the Hearst Foundation and Broadcast Educators Association. The broadcast journalism program is considered as one of the top 10 in the country. The advertising program consistently wins some of the highest regional, national and international awards.
