University of Texas at Austin College of Communication
Encyclopedia
The College of Communication is the communication college
at The University of Texas at Austin. The College was established in 1965 in an effort to consolidate the all Communication Studies under one roof including the Department of Public Speaking (1899), School of Journalism (1914), and independent department of Radio-Television-Film (1921)
. The College is home to one of the country's top film programs as well as a Journalism department which consistently produces the nation's number one college newspaper. The College of Communication offers Bachelor of Science
degrees in several communications disciplines as well as offering a robust postgraduate circulum.
communication, and by the 1930s what was probably the first television broadcast in Texas originated on the campus. The first degree program in broadcasting began in 1939. Established in 1941 with the founding of The University of Texas at Austin Speech and Hearing Clinic and the introduction of course work leading to Texas Education Agency
certification, the program of Communication Sciences and Disorders is the oldest program of its kind in the state of Texas.
In 1965 the School of Journalism, the Department of Speech, and a newly formed Department of Radio-Television-Film became the three departments officially organized as the School of Communication. In that same year, the accredited sequence of advertising in the Department of Journalism was established as a separate Department of Advertising. Originally housed in the Department of Speech Communication, a separate Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders was established in 1998.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Austin had become a filmmaking
hub due in part to several Communications alumni including Robert Rodriguez
and Richard Linklater
leading many people in the industry to begin calling Austin the "Third Coast" for film. This has spurred the Radio-Television-Film department on to national recognition, while also giving students more opportunities for internships and jobs after matriculation.
. There was no formal definition of the Communication campus until all communication's studies were consolidated in the late 1960s. Construction of a three-building communication complex began in 1968, and the three Departments of Journalism, Radio-Television-Film and Speech Communication moved into new facilities in 1974.
In 2007, the first new construction project for the school in over 30 years was announced after a 15 million dollar donation from the Belo Foundation. The Belo Center for New Media will augment teaching and research space for the college. The two-year construction project officially broke ground in May 2010. Construction costs for the center, projected to be between 100,000 and 125000 square feet (11,612.9 m²), are estimated to be $45 million.
The Texas Student Media
building, formerly known as the CMC building, was officially renamed the William Randolph Hearst
Building after a significant donation from the Hearst corporation
in 2009. The FCC licensed Student television station
locating within the Hearst Building K09VR
received an 80,000 dollar digital transmitter
retrofit to comply with the mandated digital television transition in 2009.
. As part of the larger institution, the College is ultimately administered by UT's President and Board of Trustees. The school is directly managed by a dean (currently Roderick P. Hart) who is advised by several associate deans responsible for various aspects of the administration. The Communications College offers a bachelor of science degree in five "academic departments" including: Advertising
and Public Relations
, Communications Studies, Communications Disorders
, Journalism
, and Radio-Television-Film
as well as a more generalized communications studies.
The College contains six separate "research units" focusing on different aspects of communication including the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas which focuses on promoting journalism in Central
and South America
and the UT Film Institute which worked in conjunction with the university affiliated "Burnt Orange Productions" allowing students a chance to participate in workshops and internship opportunities. The now defunct UTFI had employed over 200 interns on four feature films including The Quiet
and Homo Erectus before financial difficulties .
Program gives students the opportunity to intern in the entertainment industry while also completing upper division coursework. The program is open to all UT students who have completed core communications classes as well as a handful of non-UT students usually from universities around the world. UTLA encourages students to intern
the last semester of their senior year and focuses on practical experience through interning 4 days per week with classes on Mondays. Students have access to a large database of internship opportunities but arrange interviews themselves prior to the start of the semester.
, Business
, and Engineering, admissions into the College of Communication is highly selective.. Of the 3270 freshman applying to the school for fall 2008, 790 were admitted leading to an overall acceptance rate of 24.1%., roughly half the rate of the university as a whole. For this reason, many UT students apply for an internal transfer while completing their core requirements. The school leaves on average 200 spots per year for internal transfers and 80 spots for external transfers though official numbers are not disclosed. Within the school itself, the Department of Advertising and Public Relations has the largest number of both undergraduate and graduate students, with 1212 and 180 , respectively, in the 2008-2009 academic year.
. The college operates TSTV
, one of the few FCC licensed television stations entirely run by students. The station has interviewed several persons of note in the past including Pauly Shore
, Mark Cuban
, and Dennis Quaid
.
, Lady Bird Johnson
, and Matthew McConaughey
. As well, 18 former College of Communication students have been awarded Pulitzer Prizes. Filmmakers, Wes Anderson
, graduated with a BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas and Richard Linklater
, though did not graduate, are former students of the college. In 2008, Robert Rodriguez
, graduated from the college with a BS in Radio-Television-Film, and was the University of Texas at Austin Spring 2009 Wide-Commencement Speaker.http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/01/26/rodriguez_commencement/. The College has also been the starting place for many famous cartoonists including Ben Sargent
, Roy Crane
, and Berkeley Breathed
who had all drawn for The Daily Texan
during their tenure.
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
at The University of Texas at Austin. The College was established in 1965 in an effort to consolidate the all Communication Studies under one roof including the Department of Public Speaking (1899), School of Journalism (1914), and independent department of Radio-Television-Film (1921)
University of Texas at Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film
The Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin located in Austin, Texas, is one of the five departments comprising the College of Communication...
. The College is home to one of the country's top film programs as well as a Journalism department which consistently produces the nation's number one college newspaper. The College of Communication offers Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degrees in several communications disciplines as well as offering a robust postgraduate circulum.
History
The Department of Public Speaking, now the department of Communication Studies, at UT Austin was established in 1899, and the School of Journalism began in 1914 moving into its own building in 1952. An early interest in broadcasting on campus resulted in the formation of the Department of Radio-Television-Film. In 1921, a radio station was established to conduct experimental work in radioHistory of radio
The early history of radio is the history of technology that produced radio instruments that use radio waves. Within the timeline of radio, many people contributed theory and inventions in what became radio. Radio development began as "wireless telegraphy"...
communication, and by the 1930s what was probably the first television broadcast in Texas originated on the campus. The first degree program in broadcasting began in 1939. Established in 1941 with the founding of The University of Texas at Austin Speech and Hearing Clinic and the introduction of course work leading to Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
certification, the program of Communication Sciences and Disorders is the oldest program of its kind in the state of Texas.
In 1965 the School of Journalism, the Department of Speech, and a newly formed Department of Radio-Television-Film became the three departments officially organized as the School of Communication. In that same year, the accredited sequence of advertising in the Department of Journalism was established as a separate Department of Advertising. Originally housed in the Department of Speech Communication, a separate Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders was established in 1998.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Austin had become a filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
hub due in part to several Communications alumni including Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
and Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
leading many people in the industry to begin calling Austin the "Third Coast" for film. This has spurred the Radio-Television-Film department on to national recognition, while also giving students more opportunities for internships and jobs after matriculation.
Campus
The campus of the College of Communication sits in a complex on the north west side of UT's campus, adjacent to The Drag and just north of the Littlefield HouseLittlefield House
The Littlefield House is an historic home in Austin, Texas on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The home was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield, who was a successful businessman in the bank and cattle trades and a major benefactor to UT...
. There was no formal definition of the Communication campus until all communication's studies were consolidated in the late 1960s. Construction of a three-building communication complex began in 1968, and the three Departments of Journalism, Radio-Television-Film and Speech Communication moved into new facilities in 1974.
In 2007, the first new construction project for the school in over 30 years was announced after a 15 million dollar donation from the Belo Foundation. The Belo Center for New Media will augment teaching and research space for the college. The two-year construction project officially broke ground in May 2010. Construction costs for the center, projected to be between 100,000 and 125000 square feet (11,612.9 m²), are estimated to be $45 million.
The Texas Student Media
Texas Student Media
Texas Student Media is an auxiliary enterprise of The University of Texas at Austin and the largest student media operation in the United States.-Media properties:The Daily Texan is the most significant of TSM's properties...
building, formerly known as the CMC building, was officially renamed the William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
Building after a significant donation from the Hearst corporation
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
in 2009. The FCC licensed Student television station
Student television station
A student television station is a television station run by university, high or middle school students that primarily airs school/university news and in many cases, student-produced soap operas, entertainment shows, and other programming....
locating within the Hearst Building K09VR
K09VR
K29HW-D channel 29, known on-air as TSTV is the Student television station of The University of Texas at Austin, operated by Texas Student Media...
received an 80,000 dollar digital transmitter
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
retrofit to comply with the mandated digital television transition in 2009.
Academics
The College of Communication serves as both UT's undergraduate department of communication, as well as a graduate school offering advanced degrees. Undergraduate majors can receive their Bachelor of Science degree at the school and have the option of enrolling in programs wherein the student can group his or her electives together towards a "concentration" in a particular field apart from their major including computing,, business,, a more general Bridging Disciplines Program.Organization and research
Like the undergraduate portion of the University of Texas at Austin, the Communication College operates on a semester systemAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
. As part of the larger institution, the College is ultimately administered by UT's President and Board of Trustees. The school is directly managed by a dean (currently Roderick P. Hart) who is advised by several associate deans responsible for various aspects of the administration. The Communications College offers a bachelor of science degree in five "academic departments" including: Advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and Public Relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, Communications Studies, Communications Disorders
Communication disorder
A communication disorder is a speech and language disorder which refers to problems in communication and in related areas such as oral motor function. The delays and disorders can range from simple sound substitution to the inability to understand or use language...
, Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, and Radio-Television-Film
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
as well as a more generalized communications studies.
The College contains six separate "research units" focusing on different aspects of communication including the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas which focuses on promoting journalism in Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the UT Film Institute which worked in conjunction with the university affiliated "Burnt Orange Productions" allowing students a chance to participate in workshops and internship opportunities. The now defunct UTFI had employed over 200 interns on four feature films including The Quiet
The Quiet
The Quiet is a 2005 American drama and thriller film directed by Jamie Babbit, and starring Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert. It focuses on a mute teenage girl, Dot who goes to live with her godparents after her father dies, where she slowly learns the disturbing secrets of the family, primarily...
and Homo Erectus before financial difficulties .
UT Los Angeles Program
Founded in 2003, the UT Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Program gives students the opportunity to intern in the entertainment industry while also completing upper division coursework. The program is open to all UT students who have completed core communications classes as well as a handful of non-UT students usually from universities around the world. UTLA encourages students to intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
the last semester of their senior year and focuses on practical experience through interning 4 days per week with classes on Mondays. Students have access to a large database of internship opportunities but arrange interviews themselves prior to the start of the semester.
Rankings and admissions
Admissions for undergraduate students are handled by the universities undergraduate admissions in general. Along with the schools of ArchitectureUniversity of Texas School of Architecture
The University of Texas School of Architecture to is a college within The University of Texas at Austin and has its major facilities located on the main campus in Austin, Texas...
, Business
McCombs School of Business
The McCombs School of Business, also referred to as the McCombs School or simply McCombs, is a business school at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to the main Austin campus, McCombs offers classes outside Central Texas in Dallas, Houston and internationally in Mexico City...
, and Engineering, admissions into the College of Communication is highly selective.. Of the 3270 freshman applying to the school for fall 2008, 790 were admitted leading to an overall acceptance rate of 24.1%., roughly half the rate of the university as a whole. For this reason, many UT students apply for an internal transfer while completing their core requirements. The school leaves on average 200 spots per year for internal transfers and 80 spots for external transfers though official numbers are not disclosed. Within the school itself, the Department of Advertising and Public Relations has the largest number of both undergraduate and graduate students, with 1212 and 180 , respectively, in the 2008-2009 academic year.
| Reviewing Body | Survey Name | Rank | Scope | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Advertising Programs | 4 | National | 2003 |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Public Relations Programs | 7 | National | 2003' |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Audiology Programs | 13 | National | 2003 |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Speech Pathology Programs | 12 | National | 2003 |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Print Journalism Programs | 11 | National | 2003 |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Film Programs | 7 | National | 2003 |
| U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Top Radio-Television Programs | 4 | National | 2003 |
| National Communication Association | Applied Communication | Top 3 | National | 1996 |
| National Communication Association | Communication Theory and Research | Top 3 | National | 1996 |
| National Communication Association | Critical/Cultural Media Studies | Top 3 | National | 1996 |
| National Communication Association | Organizational Communication | Top 3 | National | 1996 |
| National Communication Association | Rhetoric | Top 3 | National | 1996 |
People
Student profile and student life
As of the 2007-2008 academic year, the College of Communication has an enrollment of 4505 students: 3635 undergraduates, 670 graduate students, and 233 doctoral candidates. The school offers a number of professional and community service student groups, as well as social life governance councils for the student body. As a hub for all media on campus, the Communications College has historically been at the center of major issues on campus and a nexus of school spiritSchool spirit
School spirit is emotional support for one's educational institution. This can apply to any type of school, from grade schools to universities...
. The college operates TSTV
K09VR
K29HW-D channel 29, known on-air as TSTV is the Student television station of The University of Texas at Austin, operated by Texas Student Media...
, one of the few FCC licensed television stations entirely run by students. The station has interviewed several persons of note in the past including Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American business magnate and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet....
, and Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
.
Faculty
The Communication College currently claims 118 active instructors. Many professors have had successful careers independent of the College as filmmakers, editors, and captains of industry.Alumni
The communication college has matriculated several distinguished alumni including Walter CronkiteWalter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
, and Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
. As well, 18 former College of Communication students have been awarded Pulitzer Prizes. Filmmakers, Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
, graduated with a BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas and Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
, though did not graduate, are former students of the college. In 2008, Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
, graduated from the college with a BS in Radio-Television-Film, and was the University of Texas at Austin Spring 2009 Wide-Commencement Speaker.http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/01/26/rodriguez_commencement/. The College has also been the starting place for many famous cartoonists including Ben Sargent
Ben Sargent
Ben Sargent is an American editorial cartoonist. He began drawing editorial cartoons for the Austin American-Statesman in 1974 and retired in 2009. His cartoons are also distributed nationally by Universal Press Syndicate....
, Roy Crane
Roy Crane
Royston Campbell Crane , who signed his work Roy Crane, was an influential American cartoonist who created the comic strip characters Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy and Buz Sawyer. He pioneered the adventure comic strip, establishing the conventions and artistic approach of that genre. Comics historian...
, and Berkeley Breathed
Berkeley Breathed
Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip that dealt with sociopolitical issues as understood by fanciful characters and through humorous analogies...
who had all drawn for The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is entirely student-run and independent from the university. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States with a daily circulation of roughly 30,000 during the fall and spring semesters and bills...
during their tenure.