The Communication major at Avila
The Avila communication major is well prepared to begin a career with the technical and theoretical skills necessary to excel in an increasingly mediated world. You’ll graduate with the exposure and experience to land a job in any number of key sectors: media planning, healthcare, video production, marketing, and advertising, as well as event planning, just to name a few.
You’ll build your portfolio utilizing both digital and traditional media that will emphasize the breadth of experience you have received. You’ll learn how to create promotions, manage a public relations campaign, and have the communication principles to sway opinion.
Transcript
My name is Dr. J. Anthony Sawgrass. I’ve been with Avila University since the year 2000, however I didn’t join the full-time faculty until 2005. I started as an adjunct. I taught feature writing and journalistic things, all aimed at and associated with my career at the time. But I found it such a welcoming place I decided to join full-time, and I became a professor of communication. I teach advertising and public relations.
We must all understand that communication is vital to just about every career, every discipline that exists. If you can’t communicate it, nothing will happen.
The School of Visual Communication Arts is unique in the sense that we’re a portfolio driven school. We don’t just show students what to do, we actually engage them in doing specific real-world projects. That’s very important because once you hit the job market or begin to establish a career, you’ve got to be able to show your work. So from day one our students are actively engaged in doing real-world actual projects.
We don’t just teach communication because there’s an art to communication and there’s a science to communication. We meld both of those together into a curriculum that prepares students not to just get a job in the world, but to shape the environment the way they want it to be. That means we prepare them to make changes, we prepare them to create opportunities, we prepare them to challenge the system and the way things are. We prepare our students to become citizens of the world. And we know that right now, digital is the energy of the world.
Are you interested in communication?
Be Prepared for Your Career
Incoming first-year students are guaranteed access to an internship or research experience before graduation. Avila communication students have completed hands-on learning experiences at:
- Cumulus Radio
- Trozzolo Communication Group
- Unicorn Theatre
Avila communication graduates are pursuing careers as:
- Marketing & Advertising Executive
- Filmmaker
- Brand Manager
Graduate with a portfolio of work that gets you noticed.
Choose your Concentration
Advertising and Public Relations
The advertising and public relations concentration is reality-based. Blending theoretical knowledge with practical experience, a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Avila prepares students for successful careers in advertising, brand management, copywriting, public relations, sales, event planning or sports marketing.Film and Digital Media
The film and digital media concentration is reality-based. Blending theoretical knowledge with practical experience, a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Avila prepares students for successful careers in independent digital video and film production, studio recording, screenwriting and corporate scriptwriting.Sports Communication
The sports communication concentration prepares students to pursue a career in sports media with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. It meets the expanding needs for sports marketing, promotion, advertising, broadcasting, and creation of video content for a wide variety of applications in social and other electronic media.Healthcare Communication
The School of Visual and Communication Arts Healthcare Communication concentration will equip students with the tools necessary to design, produce, analyze and evaluate media products, strategies, procedures and content delivery for individuals, organizations, and corporations in the health-related industry.4+1 Strategic Communication M.A. Degree Option
Earn your Bachelor’s degree and Master’s together
Interested in earning your Master’s faster? The Avila School of Visual & Communication Arts offers an early admission option to outstanding communication students. This option allows you to earn your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in as few as five years. Students are eligible to apply in their junior year. Once accepted, you can begin taking graduate-level courses in the senior year of your undergraduate degree and complete your Master of Arts in Strategic Communication in one additional year.
Transferring to Avila?
We work with you to make the most of your transfer credits so you’re on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
An Environment to Enhance your Education
Learning Commons
Located in the Hooley-Bundschu Library, this cutting-edge space is complete with flexible study areas, meeting rooms, and the latest technology. Dedicated lounge areas and access to our substantive on-site holdings mean you don’t have to compromise while you’re studying for that next exam.