Communication, Sports Information Concentration

Offered by the Department of Communication

The Department offers a major in Communication with four concentrations: Electronic Media, Public Relations, Sports Information, and Organizational Communication.

The sports information concentration prepares students to coordinate communication between athletic departments, student-athletes, and coaches as well as disseminate information to the news media and general public.  Students take courses in public relations, electronic media, and organizational communication.  Sports information professionals write a variety of communication material, produce video segments, coordinate interviews with the media, compile statistics, and update social media / digital communication.  Students in the sports information concentration cannot pursue a dual concentration with public relations or electronic media.

Internship

Qualified students are encouraged to participate in the Department’s successful internship program. The intern applicant must have a 2.5 over GPA and a 3.0 in the major to qualify. Additional experiences may be acquired through COM 2250/4450 Special Projects. Internships may be completed for 6-12 credits for the internship experience. A student may only complete one internship experience for credit.

The Communication Program Goals are:

• To foster student’s knowledge in the theory, practice, and application of communication
• To develop and improve student’s written communication skills
• To encourage students to use ethical and critical thinking skills as they apply to communication in various contexts
• To develop and improve student’s proficiency in various technologies used in the field
• To provide opportunities that expose and connect students to professionals and MU alumni working in the communication field

The Student Learning Outcomes for the Sports Information Program are as follows:

• To be able to explain an organization’s public relations efforts and how the organization is portrayed in the media.
• To be able to develop appropriate communication material to target specific audiences and media.
• To be able to evaluate an organization’s use of social media.
• To be able to effectively disseminate information to organizations, media, and the public.