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Welcome

From the Department of Communications

Thank you for your interest in Tennessee State University and its Department of Communications.  We offer three areas of concentration:

• Communication Studies
  (2 tracks in: Cultural Communication and Health Communication)
• Mass Communication  
  (4 tracks in:  Journalism, Film & Television Production, Integrated Marketing Communication and Media Leadership & Performance)
• Theatre  
  (2 tracks in: Performance and Production)

      The field of communications is constantly transforming itself. You need to prepare yourself to work in careers that have not yet been invented. Yet, you will want to graduate with the skills and connections that will land you an immediate job or a spot in a top graduate program. We're the place for you.  At TSU we stress a hands-on approach to learning. This practical approach may come in the form of theatre set design, preparing a public relations strategy to covering a news story. Our full-time faculty bring a blend of scholarly activity and creative professional work to the classroom. Students also learn from each other through their work in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities that complement formal instruction.  

        TSU TV News, Sports and Entertainment programs are produced by students in a state-of-the-art studio with two studio sets and a multi-row control room.  Students can edit digital video using Adobe Premiere and the Creative Cloud applications.  Tennessee State University Campus Radio, is our student-run radio station and is open to all students.  The Meter is a student news organization with print and online versions. which is housed separately inder Student Affairs. All three traditional media have combined to win hundreds of awards in recent years.   In new media, the TSU News Network is a new entity involving the multiplatform distribution of student media.  We feature a brand-new radio station, multimedia newsroom, more than a dozen audio and video editing workstations, a new student-run advertising agency and an annual 48-hour film/video challenge.  

        The theatre faculty and students produce three productions per year.  Theatre was selected for national recognition for its 2010 performance of “Ruined” and its 2009 performance of “Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill” and received rave reviews for its version of Romeo & Juliet (see the theatre page and its link to the Nashville Scene).  The theatre program is rich in its history and uses the beautiful Cox-Lewis theatre as its centerpiece.  

     Communication Studies promotes the responsible use of communication as a tool in a variety of situations: interpersonal, small group, intercultural, and corporate settings. Students gain an understanding of how communication serves as the organizing feature of relationships:  interpersonal, work, societal and more.  Related to Speech is the Forensics team, an organization that focuses on the art of competitive public speaking.  In the last three years this group of talented students has won more than 700 awards, including several top national honors.  

        At the TSU Department of Communications, we're small enough to know you, big enough to challenge you and diverse enough to stretch you. We've been in the communications education business for many years, not only adapting to, but leading the changes in our remarkable field.   We look forward to meeting you and hope you will join us in your journey.