Mission Statement

​

The Professional Communications Program is dedicated to teaching relevant and marketable 21st century communication skills. In this interdisciplinary major, faculty mentors from the Communication, Art, and English programs work closely with students as they build valuable skills in creative, social, workplace, and global communications; collaborate successfully in design teams; and create communication plans in partnership with local businesses and agencies. At graduation with either a 2 or 4-year degree, Professional Communications majors will have professional communications portfolios including:

• website content writing and site design;
• social media content creation;
• print and electronic publication;
• document design and production;
• business and technical writing;
• visual rhetoric and multimedia composition;
• digital photography;
• group, organizational, and strategic communication; and,
• other written, oral, visual, and 21st-century digital communication skills within a workplace context.

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Science – Professional Communications
• Associate of Arts – Professional Communications
• Bachelor of Arts or Science – Minor in Professional Communications

Facilities

Robert S. Wood Hall opened in September, 1989 and contains an auditorium, several general classrooms, seminar rooms, two smart classrooms and the Instructional Design and Media Center, which assists faculty with online learning and additional technology. The offices of senior and part-time faculty are on the second floor.

The Rio Grande John W. Berry Fine and Performing Arts Center opened in 1981. A signature glass atrium introduces visitors to the Center and serves as an entry to the 500-seat state-of-the-art Alphus R. Christensen Theatre. The theatre hosts numerous university and community productions and serves as a cultural hub to residents in a five-county area of Southern Ohio and West Virginia. Within the Center, the Art Department houses a Mac computer lab with Adobe software for web and print production, a large-scale color printer, a fully equipped darkroom and multi- purpose classrooms.

The Esther Allen Greer Museum houses a 3,000 square foot exhibition space, museum prep room for framing and preparing artwork for display, multi-purpose classrooms and the University Archives. Among the museum’s holdings are numerous prints, drawings, paintings and sculpture comprising the Brooks Jones Endowment Collection.

The Art Annex was constructed in 1997. This 10,000 square foot building houses equipment and dedicated space for woodworking, metalworking, stone carving, printmaking, drawing, painting, hand building and wheel throwing ceramics, as well as a number of kilns and a foundry.

Degree Requirements

​The Professional Communications degree follows the Rio model of two-year associate degree + two-year stackable bachelor’s degree. Students take classes in Communication, Art, and English to gain the perspective, knowledge, and skills necessary to communicate professionally, creatively, and effectively in the 21st century workplace. In the 4-year bachelor program, students are offered internship opportunities with local businesses and agencies and choose from a variety of course electives that will enhance their individual interests, their future goals, and their Professional Communications portfolios.