Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

The Department of Mass Communication at UAEU is one of the largest academic units within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in terms of enrollments. The department offers a professionally-oriented program that is committed to producing highly competent graduates who possess the requisite skills to become successful professionals in an increasingly complex media industry, and who are steeped in a broad-based knowledge of a society that is acquired through a rich and diverse liberal arts education. The department is further committed to challenging students to become socially responsible citizens whose professional careers are defined by observation of personal and professional ethics derived from society's ideal moral order. The approximately 240 majors in the department pursue courses of study in three of the most common tracks within mass communication programs anywhere - journalism, television broadcasting, and public relations. Students in the program use modern facilities including a state-of-the-art TV studio and two high-tech media creativity labs to enhance their professional skills in broadcasting, video production, and digital editing and layout design. In 2010, the Department developed three proposals for academic minors that were approved at the end of spring 2010 by the university-wide curriculum committee. The three minors are in Leadership & Communication, Journalism, and TV Studies. The minors are available to students in any other discipline at UAEU except mass communication.

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Program Objectives

• To produce graduates who are highly competent professionals and who will be competitive in a technology-driven job market.
• To produce graduates who are capable of independently exploring theories and concepts, understand the history, structure, and economics of media institutions, and appreciate the role of media in shaping culture.
• To produce graduates who understand and appreciate the role of ethical conduct for media professionals and the concomitant respect for societal norms and values in the UAE and the Arab World.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Apply professional writing requirements for print, broadcast, public relations, and online media. They will also develop competence in the production and operation of convergent media.
• Demonstrate critical thinking abilities as applied to academic as well as professional arenas.
• Acquire independent learning experiences by drawing on a rich and broadly based liberal arts education through research and analysis of social issues and prescribing appropriate solutions to problems.
• Discuss the principles of professional and mass communication ethics and how they inform the work of the media professional in the Arab and Islamic contexts.
• Explain the importance of diverse perspectives in solving societal problems.
• Develop organizational, teamwork, and leadership skills.
• Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms with various audiences.