University of Texas at Austin College of Communication

Infobox University
name = University of Texas at Austin College of Communication


image_size = 250px
established = 1965
city = Austin
state = Texas
country = United States
dean = Roderick P. Hart
website = [http://communication.utexas.edu/ communication.utexas.edu]
alumni =
undergrad = 3635
postgrad = 670cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/sp/groups/public/@comm/documents/web_assets/comm-fact-sheet.pdf | format = PDF | title = Fact Sheet 2007 | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ]
doctoral =
faculty = 113

The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication is the Communication College at The University of Texas at Austin. The College was established in 1965 in an effort to consolidate the all Communication Studies under one roof including "the Department of Public Speaking (1899)", "School of Journalism (1914)", and independent "department of Radio-Television-Film (1921)". The College is home to one of the countries top film programs as well as a Journalism department which consistently produces the nation's number one college newspaper. [cite web|url = http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/gicurrent/ch5/ch5g.html|title = Student Publications|accessdate = 2007-08-05|work = University of Texas at Austin] The College of Communication offers Bachelor of Science degrees in several communications disciplines as well as offering a robust postgraduate circulum.

History

The Department of Public Speaking, now the department of Communication Studies, at UT Austin was established in 1899, and the School of Journalism began in 1914 moving into its own building in 1952. An early interest in broadcasting on campus resulted in the formation of the Department of Radio-Television-Film. In 1921, a radio station was established to conduct experimental work in radio communication, and by the 1930s what was probably the first television broadcast in Texas originated on the campus. The first degree program in broadcasting began in 1939. Established in 1941 with the founding of The University of Texas at Austin Speech and Hearing Clinic and the introduction of course work leading to Texas Education Agency certification, the program of Communication Sciences and Disorders is the oldest program of its kind in the state of Texas.

In 1965 the School of Journalism, the Department of Speech, and a newly formed Department of Radio-Television-Film became the three departments officially organized as the School of Communication. In that same year, the accredited sequence of advertising in the Department of Journalism was established as a separate Department of Advertising. Originally housed in the Department of Speech Communication, a separate Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders was established in 1998.cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/about/history/index.html| format = HTML | title = 40 Years of Communication | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ]

In recent years, Austin has become a mecca of sorts for filmmaking due in part to several Communications alumni including Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater leading many people in the industry to begin calling Austin the "Third Coast" for film. This has spurred the Radio-Television-Film department on to national recognition, while also giving students more oppurtunities for internships and jobs after matriculation.cite web | url = http://www.cm.utexas.edu/Academics/Prospective-Students/Why-Austin| format = HTML | title = Why Choose Austin? | publisher = College of Natural Sciences | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ]

Campus

The campus of the College of Communication sits in a complex on the north west side of UT's campus, adjacent to The Drag and just north of the Littlefield House. There was no formal definition of the Communication campus until all communication's studies were consolidated in the late 1960s. Construction of a three-building communication complex began in 1968, and the three Departments of Journalism, Radio-Television-Film and Speech Communication moved into new facilities in 1974.

In 2007, the first new construction project for the school in over 30 years was announced after a 15 million dollar donation from the Belo Foundation. The "Belo Center for New Media" will augment teaching and research space for the college. The two-year construction project should break ground in January 2009. Construction costs for the center, projected to be between 100,000 and 125,000 square feet, are estimated to be $45 million.cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/new-building/prod75_009239.html| format = HTML | title = The Belo Foundation, Philanthropists Commit $15 Million to The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ]

Academics

The College of Communication serves as both UT's undergraduate department of communication, as well as a graduate school offering advanced degrees. Undergraduate majors can receive their Bachelor of Science degree at the school and have the option of enrolling in programs wherein the student can group his or her electives together towards a "concentration" in a particular field apart from their major including computing,cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/current/programs/eoc.html| format = HTML | title = Elements of Computing | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ] , business,cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/current/programs/bfp.html| format = HTML | title = Business Foundations Program | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ] , a more general "Bridging Disciplines Program".cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/current/programs/bpd.html| format = HTML | title = Business Foundations Program | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ]

Organization and research

Like the undergraduate portion of the University of Texas at Austin, the Communication College operates on a semester system. As part of the larger institution, the College is ultimately administered by UT's President and Board of Trustees. The school is directly managed by a dean (currently Roderick P. Hart) who is advised by several associate deans responsible for various aspects of the administration.cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/about/orgcharts/college.html| format = HTML | title = College Administration | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] The Communications College offers a bachelor of science degree in five "academic departments" including: Advertising and Public Relations, Communications Studies, Communications Disorders, Journalism, and Radio-Television-Film as well as a more generalized "communications studies".

The College contains six separate "research units" focusing on different aspects of communication including the "Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas" which focuses on promoting journalism in Central and South Americacite web | url = http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/knightcenternews.php | format = HTML | title = Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas homepage | publisher = Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] and the "UT Film Institute" which works in conjunction with the university affliated "Burnt Orange Productions" allowing students a chance to participate in workshops and internship opportunities. To date UTFI has employed over 200 interns on four feature films including "The Quiet" and the upcoming Homo Erectus.cite web | url = http://utfi.utexas.edu/screen/index.html | format = HTML | title = UTFI On Screen | publisher = UT Film Institute | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ]

Rankings and admissions

Admissions for undergraduate students are handled by the universities undergraduate admissions in general. Along with the schools of Architecture, Business, and Engineering, admissions into the College of Communication is highly selective.cite web | url = http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/transfer/admission/majors/communication/index.html| format = HTML | title = Requirements and Restrictions of the College of Communication| publisher = Be a Longhorn | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ] . Of the 3270 freshman applying to the school for fall 2008, 790 were admitted leading to an overall acceptance rate of 24.1%.cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/prospective/freshmen/index.html| format = HTML | title = Prospective Freshmen| publisher = Office of Student Affairs | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ] , roughly half the rate of the university as a whole. For this reason, many UT students apply for an "internal transfer" while completing their core requirements. The school leaves on average 200 spots per year for internal transfers and 80 spots for external transfers though official numbers are not disclosed. Within the school itself, the Journalism and Radio-Television-Film programs are the most highly sought after with a total undergraduate population of 707cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/sp/groups/public/@commosa/documents/general_information/dev75_006893.pdf | format = PDF | title = Radio-Television-Film Prospectus| publisher = Radio-Television-Film Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] and 876cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/sp/groups/public/@commosa/documents/general_information/dev75_006894.pdf | format = PDF | title = Journalism Prospectus| publisher = Journalism Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] respectively in the spring of 2008.

People

Student profile and student life

As of the 2007-2008 academic year, the College of Communication has an enrollment of 4505 students: 3635 undergraduates, 670 graduate students, and 233 doctoral candidates. The school offers a number of professional and community service student groups, as well as social life governance councils for the student body. As a hub for all media on campus, the Communications College has historically been at the center of major issues on campus and a nexus of school spirit. The college operates TSTV, one of the few FCC licensed television stations entirely run by students.cite web | url = http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K09VR | format = HTML | title = TV Query | publisher = FCC | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] The station has interviewed several persons of note in the past including Pauly Shore, Mark Cuban, and Dennis Quaid.

Faculty

The Communication College currently claims 113 active instructors, including 20 Pulitzer Prize winners.cite web | url = http://communication.utexas.edu/alumni/pulitzers/index.html | format = HTML | title = Pulitzer Prize Winners | publisher = College of Communication | accessdate = 2008-08-12 ] Many professors have had successful careers independent of the College as independent filmmakers,cite web | url = http://rtf.utexas.edu/faculty/index.htm | format = HTML | title = RTF Faculty | publisher = Radio-Television-Film Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] editors, cite web | url = http://journalism.utexas.edu/facstaff/index.htm | format = HTML | title = Journalism Faculty | publisher = Journalism Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] and captains of industry. cite web | url = http://advertising.utexas.edu/faculty/johnmurphy.htm | format = HTML | title = John H. Murphy, II | publisher = Advertising Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ] cite web | url = http://advertising.utexas.edu/faculty/isabellacunningham.htm | format = HTML | title = Isabella C. M. Cunningham | publisher = Advertising Department | accessdate = 2008-08-13 ]

Alumni

The communication college has matriculated several distinguished alumni including Walter Cronkite, Lady Bird Johnson, and Matthew McConaughey. Filmmakers Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, and Robert Rodriguez are all former students of the college despite never graduating. The College has also been the starting place for many famous cartoonists including Ben Sargent, Roy Crane, and Berkeley Breathed who had all drawn for The Daily Texan during their tenure.

References

External links

* [http://communication.utexas.edu/ The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication]