Ouachita Baptist University Communications Department

Our department offers two degree programs, a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication. The BA in Mass Communications program offers a variety of courses in the field of mass media that focus on print and broadcast journalism, advertising, public relations, video production, photography and Internet communications. We require a common core of classes wi

thin the department and allow for elective hours so that you can focus on your particular interest. Our students are actively involved in our award-winning student publications. The Ouachitonian yearbook and The Signal newspaper have both won the prestigious Gold Medalist rating from Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Our curriculum reflects the new media convergence emphasis in the mass media field. This convergence trend is reflective in online edition of The Signal, which includes not only news and feature articles, but photography, podcasts and video. Our video production staff produces a monthly newsmagazine titled “Ouachita,” aired on OBU’s local cable channel. The staff also produces a weekly high school football coach’s show and a variety of projects throughout the year. In recent years we have had students work on their own film projects, ranging from feature films to award-winning documentaries. With a general degree in mass communications our graduates are very marketable. We encourage students to pursue an internship as part of their degree program. This past summer we had students working at Turner Classic Movies, The Dallas Morning News, KNWA-TV in Fayetteville and Fox Sports Southwest in the Dallas Metroplex. The BA in Speech Communication program offers a variety of courses designed to foster students’ presentational and relational skills. Students will develop communication skills that will be beneficial in a variety of job settings. The curriculum focuses on public speaking as well as relational skills such as family communication, small group communication, and organizational communication. Communication skills are vital in every field of work, and our speech communication graduates are an example of just that. We have alumni in a variety of job settings including Heifer International, national office for the American Cancer Society, foreign missions and the legal profession. We hope you find the information links helpful in your search. If you have additional questions about our department, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Deborah Root
Professor and Chair
Rogers Department of Communications