Department of Telecommunications

The Department of Telecommunications is home to more than 200 majors with more than 1,700 alumni working in various fields, many of whom are now top executives in major media companies such as Time Warner Cable, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fox Sports Network, and Clear Channel.  These distinguished alumni are members of our alumni advisory board.

With digitization and increasing convergence in the media and entertainment industry, more career opportunities are available for our graduates, who receive a well-rounded social science and professional skill curriculum in all aspects of the electronic media.  The department is supported by professional facilities such as the TV studio, the public broadcast TV station WBGU, a FM radio station, WBGU-FM, and an online and cable radio station, WFAL, and various student media organizations that utilize these facilities. 

• Mission
• Tracks and Focus Areas

• To prepare future community and national leaders in the media industry and proficient communication professionals in all types of organizations. Career opportunities are available in public and commercial radio and television, cable television, telephony, multimedia, web, advertising and education.

  Graduates obtain such positions as television producers, technical directors, radio or television programmers, media sales executives, script writers, copy writers, radio announcers, audio and video editors, web page designers, sportscasters, promotion directors, station managers, and audience research analysts.

• In addition to the core curriculum, students specialize in one of the two tracks: Media Studies or Media Production and a focus area under each track. Each focus area comprises 5 courses with 3 to 4 required courses and electives. 
  
  Media Studies Track:
  

  • Media Business: Media Management and two courses from Media Sales & Promotion, Media Programming, Audience Research, or Media & Strategic Communication.
  • Media Culture: Scriptwriting, Broadcasting History, Documentary Studies, Sports Telecommunications, Film & TV Criticism, Online Social Media, Media & Strategic Communication, Contemporary Aspects of Telecommunication, Gender, Media & Culture, Media Programming, Audience Research or Surveillance & Privacy
  Media Production Track:
  
  • Interactive Media: Online Interactive Media, Practicum in Interactive Online Media Production, and Online Social Media or Surveillance & privacy
  • Radio: Intermediate Radio Performance and Production, Advanced Radio Production and one of Media Programming, Media Sales & Promotion or Media Management
  • Television/Video: Multi-Camera TV production, Field Production and Online Distribution, Advanced Directing and Producing and Video Practicum
  In addition, the department offers many university general education classes:
  • TCOM1030 Media and Information Society (Social Science)
  • TCOM2700 Topics in Minorities TV and Film (Cultural Diversity and Humanities)
  • TCOM3520 Online Social Media (Social Science)
  • TCOM3550 Global Telecommunication Systems (Social Science)
  • TCOM3600 Media Research (Social Science)
  • TCOM3650 Broadcast History (Social Science)
  • TCOM4660 TV and Film Criticism (Humanities)
  • TCOM4670 Media, Gender and Culture (Cultural Diversity)
  For all courses offered by the department, see the Course Descriptions page or the BGSU Course Catalog. 
  
  Guideline for Transfer Students