700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, AL 36265
Academic Year Represented
2024
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Communication is to prepare students to successfully enter the workforce by providing an industry current education in the subfields of mass communication that reinforced and broadened by a well-rounded liberal arts foundation. The Department of Communication maintains its "5+7" standard as guiding values and objectives we assess student achievement annually.
Technology/Equipment/Facilities
- Summer 2022: Upgrade of second floor studio to 4K HD cameras and production technology. - Summer 2022: Upgrade of first floor computer labs to Mac with full compliment of Adobe editing software - Spring 2022: Updating student media checkout to provide 25-30 DSLR camera kits w/ audio & lighting. - Spring 2022: Meeting with partner WRBC TV in Birmingham about gifting equipment for large studio.
Undergraduate Degrees Offered
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Graduate Degrees Offered
N/A
Majors
Communication
Tracks within Majors
Public Relations and Advertising Digital Journalism Digital Media Production Sports Media & Analytics (new for 2026)
Internships Accepted for Credit
The Communication Department requires 250-hour internships for all Communication majors, regardless of concentration. The Internship must be qualified for by the taking of certain classes and provide a written agreement with the client partner about what industry-relevant work they will do during the work period. The Department grants three credits for its successful completion.
Internships Facilitated
The Department of Communication provides students with a list of vetted organizations in the communication disciplines represented in our program, thus facilitating student access to creditable internships. Internships must be in settings where communication professionals supervise student work. Our department head currently serves as internship coordinator, and performs a joint evaluation of student internships with industry professionals who supervise the interns.
Experiential and/or Immersion Programs for Credit
Across all three of our concentrations, students are strongly advised to complete student media workshop courses. They are eligible to take 3 1-hour classes. Students will typically work with the radio station, the student newspaper, the University's Marketing & Communications division and the University's Athletic Communication/Broadcast areas. We are expanding our service learning offerings by connecting students with community partners for final projects that yield portfolio-worthy products.
Online Options
At present, we will typically offer 33% hybrid courses in our MWF course sections to facilitate flexible learning for our commuting students, and we also are expanding offerings in our core and general studies courses to serve a wider group of students flexibly and to make a path to graduation more efficient.
Study-Abroad Options
N/A
Graduate Programs
At this time, the market doesn't support a graduate program.
Department Budget
$868,304
Amount Spent per Student
$5,049
Undergrad Student Fees
$4,250
Undergraduate Student Fees Exclusive of Housing and Meal Plan
$4,250
Undergraduate Student Fees for Housing and Meal Plan
$8,522
Undergrad In-State Tuition
$10,440
Undergrad Out-of-State Tuition
$20,880
Average Undergraduate Financial Aid
$47,704
Average Undergraduate Student Debt
Graduate Student Fees
$None
Graduate In-State Tuition
Graduate Out-of-State Tuition
Average Graduate Financial Aid
Average Graduate Student Debt
Total Accredited Unit Enrollment
172
Undergraduate Enrollment
172
Graduate Enrollment
0
Number of In-State Students
129
Percentage of In-State Students
78
Number of International Students
1
Percentage of International Students
1
Male
74
Female
98
Not Specified
0
White
107
Black
44
Asian
1
Hispanic/Latino
8
Pacific Islands or Native Hawaiian
1
Native American or Native Alaskan
0
Other
10
Average Size of Skill Based Classes
19
Average Size of Non-Skill Based Classes
13
First Year Student (Freshman) Retention Rate at University
92
Four Year Completion Rate
40
Six Year Completion Rate
56
Full-Time Employment within Six Months of Graduation
17
Full-Time Employment Within Field of Study
14
Part-Time Employment Within Field of Study
3
Full-Time Employment Not In Field of Study
Part-Time Employment Not In Field of Study
Attending a Graduate Program
2
Unemployed
Unknown Status
5
Full-Time Faculty
351
Part-Time Faculty
193
Faculty with Tenure
126
Faculty on Tenure Track
175
Untenured Part-Time Faculty
Untenured Full-Time Faculty
Percentage of Faculty within Scholarship or Research Field
Male
159
Female
192
Unspecified
0
White
275
Black
24
Asian
7
Hispanic/Latino
6
Pacific Island or Native Hawaiian
Native American or Native Alaskan
Other
39
Faculty-to-Student Ratio for All Classes
18
Faculty-to-Student Ratio for Skill Classes
15
Comments on Quantitative Numbers
Most data are from the 2024-2025 academic year. Retention data are based on 2023 cohort. Graduation data are based on 2020 cohort (4 year) and 2018 (6 year)l