About the Program

Students in the Broadcast Communication program at Barry University discover media theory and develop media production skills in small classes working with dedicated faculty and support staff.  The David Brinkley Studio, our video production facility endowed by the family of the respected NBC news anchor, provides a state-of-the-art background in production technique that is transferable to emerging media platforms.  Media theory and survey courses are taught in small classes with professors who are delighted to develop mentoring relationships with their students.

Broadcast Communication majors are able to follow one of two specialized tracks within their program.  Our majors with an interest in program content creation and its management will follow the Television and Video Production focus, while majors with an interest in informational content creation and management will follow the Broadcast News focus. 

Our majors in either focus take a balance of courses that instill a solid background in media institutions, media writing, and media production.  Many courses address emerging media platforms and how traditional electronic media is now expanding into these areas. 

A unique learning opportunity for all Broadcast Communication majors is found in the program’s capstone course “Public Affairs Production.”  In this course students are the full-charge producer of Community Crossroads, a half-hour public affairs television program produced in the David Brinkley Studio and currently broadcast in Florida’s four largest television markets.  Majors taking this course bring all the skills and abilities they have developed in our major to identify a viable program topic, secure appropriate program guests, do topic specific background research, and produce a background video clip to be rolled into the show.  Students completing the “Public Affairs Production” course graduate with real professional credits to add to their resume. 

Students in the Broadcast News Focus have the hands-on opportunity to produce, report, and anchor a weekly half-hour newscast in the David Brinkley Studio.  Meanwhile, students in the Television & Video Production Focus have extensive experiential opportunities in both studio production and field production techniques.

Internships provide a valuable transitional step into the world of professional media and our location in Miami allows students to explore internship opportunities with media organizations in the area. All of our majors are encouraged to complete an internship as part of their curriculum. This provides them valuable real world experience prior to entering the work place, along with a network of professional contacts.

The Department of Communication’s Study Abroad Program in Thailand provides Broadcast Communication and other majors with the opportunity to produce an insightful documentary about the people and culture of Thailand.  Each summer a group of students, accompanied by Department of Communication faculty who are thoroughly familiar with Thailand, travel to Chiang Mai, a beautiful small city in Northern Thailand, for the study abroad program.  Other courses offered as part of the Thailand Study Abroad program are “Intercultural Communication” and “Creative Nonfiction Writing.”

We invite you to learn more about our program through these pages. If you require additional information send us an e-mail at communication@mail.barry.edu