School of Communications

Communications and Computing & Engineering Building

Ed McMahon Communications Center, Lender building

203-582-8492 (central office)

Administrative Offices

Administrative Offices

Title	Name	Phone	Email
Dean	Nadine Barnett Cosby	203-582-3641	nadine.barnettcosby@qu.edu
Senior Associate Dean	Terry Bloom	203-582-8440	terry.bloom@qu.edu
Assistant Dean for Academic Advising	Danielle Reinhart	203-582-8501	danielle.reinhart@qu.edu
Director of Career Development	Lila Carney	203-582-8358	lila.carney@qu.edu
Assistant Director for Academic Advising	Rosa Nieves	203-582-3498	rosa.nieves@qu.edu
Assistant Director of Career Development	Amanda Kehoe	203-582-7381	amanda.kehoe@qu.edu
Director of Operations	Peter Sumby	203-582-3413	peter.sumby@qu.edu
Assistant Director of Operations	Michael Schleif	203-582-3120	michael.schleif@qu.edu
Director of Community Programming	David DesRoches	203-582-7539	david.desroches@qu.edu
Quinnipiac in Los Angeles Program	Andres Rosende Novo	203-582-7887	andres.rosendenovo@qu.edu

Departments

Departments

Department	Chairperson	Phone	Email
Advertising and Public Relations	Katie Place	203-582-7804	katie.place@qu.edu
Film, Television and Media Arts	Frederick Staudmyer	203-582-6554	frederick.staudmyer@qu.edu
Interactive Media and Design	Ewa Callahan	203-582-3470	ewa.callahan@qu.edu
Journalism	Ben Bogardus	203-582-3417	ben.bogardus@qu.edu
Media Studies (BA in Communications)	Kearston Wesner	203-582-7727	kearston.wesner@qu.edu

Administrative Offices

Title	Name	Phone	Email
Graduate Program Director, Interactive Media and Communications	John Powers	203-582-7939	john.powers@qu.edu
Graduate Program Director, Journalism and Sports Journalism and Media	Wasim Ahmad	203-582-7493	wasim.ahmad@qu.edu
Graduate Program Director, Producing for Film and Television	Blythe Frank	203-582-7624	blythe.frank@qu.edu
Graduate Program Director, Public Relations	Laura Willis	203-582-7805	laura.willis@qu.edu

School Overview

The School of Communications offers bachelor’s degrees in advertising and integrated communications; film, television and media arts; graphic and interactive design; journalism; media studies; public relations; and sports communications as well as master’s degrees in interactive media and communications, journalism, producing for film and television, public relations and sports journalism and media. The school also has well-established relationships with more than 1,000 private and nonprofit communications organizations, offering advanced students internship opportunities in professional settings. Students are encouraged to explore and advance their educational and professional interests while gaining the critical practical experience and training to develop a portfolio of work before they graduate.

On campus, students work in one of the finest university media education facilities in the Northeast — the Ed McMahon Communications Center. The center features a spacious, professional-level, all-digital 4K television studio; a media innovation classroom; 4K collaborative editing suites; a social media creation lab; and a 7.1 surround sound screening theater. The center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including numerous iMac stations running the latest applications for post-production and animation. It includes an automated podcast studio, and is staffed with highly skilled media professionals to instruct and assist our students. Additional classrooms and labs, along with the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio, the Open-Air Production Studio, "The Agency" (a student-run integrated communications agency offering design, advertising and public relations services to clients), a design studio, The Vault (a remote equipment depot), the "Hub" (a dedicated content creation space), and independent study facilities are located in the Communications and Computing & Engineering building, which also houses the school’s faculty and administrative offices.

Undergraduate Studies

School Requirements

Beyond the University Curriculum requirements, students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in the School of Communications must complete the following:

• 9 credits in the school-wide core.
• All major requirements, including electives.
• A minor (typically 18 credits) to be chosen in consultation with the student’s adviser.
• 2 credits in the Seminars for Success: COM 101 and COM 201.
• 6 credits in the area of “global issues and cultures.” The School of Communications maintains a list of acceptable courses to satisfy this requirement.
• A minimum of 45 credits of the total number of credits (includes major, minor, UC, electives, etc.) must be taken at the 200 level or higher​.

Transfer Credits: The School of Communications accepts up to 18 transfer credits toward major requirements. Additional courses may apply to UC or elective courses as appropriate.

Advising

Academic advising in the School of Communications fosters a collaborative relationship between student and adviser. Our academic advising program is dedicated to guiding undergraduates in achieving intellectual and personal growth and preparing them for professional success in a diverse and changing global community. Each undergraduate student is paired with a faculty adviser who will serve as a guide and mentor. Although the primary responsibility for course selection rests with the student, the adviser assists in reviewing the student's program plan and discussing course selection during a mandatory advising meeting each semester prior to course registration. Students are required to schedule and attend a meeting with their assigned adviser each semester by their advising deadline.

Note: The primary responsibility for the completion of all prerequisites for courses belongs to the student. Students may not repeat a course for credit except to remove an F grade or, under special circumstances, to remove a C- or D grade in a school requirement, a prerequisite, or within the major.

Career Development

In the School of Communications, career development staff work with students to explore communications career interests and assist with application materials unique to communications industries such as portfolios and resume reels. There is a strong focus on networking, particularly with alumni of the School of Communications, to prepare students to land internships and launch careers in fields that require specific searching techniques and rely heavily on referrals. Students learn about a variety of job structures from traditional full-time roles to freelance work common in some areas of industry. Staff play an integral part in the career curriculum of the school and are the instructors of both the Media Career Development course, required for all Communications students to graduate, and all credit-bearing internship courses.

United under one vision, the School of Communications educates students to become the transformative storytellers of tomorrow—critical thinkers, globally engaged, social justice–minded, and innovative. Through a commitment to freedom of communication, we empower our students to uphold the truth, challenge inequities, and lead with integrity in a rapidly evolving communications landscape.