New Communication Major Boosts Career Prospects for Students

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• Triveni Sheshadri- [email protected]

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• Inga Kiderra- [email protected]

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Mindfulof the evolving career interests and learning needs of its students, the UC San Diego Department of Communicationis now offering the Media Industries and Communication (MIC) major. The new major is designed to prepare students for careers in journalism, advertising, marketing, public relations, film, streaming media and allied fields.

"It was a natural way of extending our interests, and a natural way to meet where our students are," said Shawna Kidman, associate professor of communication who was part of the faculty group that developed the MIC major."They were really hungry for more media classes. And the media classes that were the most popular were the media industry classes, courses like the film and Internet industries."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projectsoverall employment in media and communication occupations to grow at the same pace as all occupations from 2023 to 2033. The agency predicts an average of 109,500 openings each year due to job growth and the need to replace workers who leave the media jobs permanently.

While the MIC major welcomes those who aspire to work as filmmakers, performers, musicians and journalists,it also prepares students interested in pursuing careers asmarketers, managers, agents, lawyers, policy analysts and HR professionals - jobs that make up an enormous portion of the media industry, Kidman said.

Senior Lizabeth Wong, who wants to pursue a management career in the music industry, is among the first wave of students who have chosen to major in MIC. "I was excited when they announced the major," she said. "I was really hoping that it would be launched before I graduated."

A musicaficionado and a fan of bands and artists like Jimmy Eat World,The 1975, Lana Del Rey and Gwen Stefani, Wong hopesto parlay her knowledge of musicians and the music industry into a career in event planning and artist and tour management. "You really get to oversee the creative process and see the artist's vision come to life," she said.

The MIC major will draw on the expertise of faculty in fields such as journalism, digital editing and advertising. Among them are Thomas Schmidt, a former news reporter and now associate professor in critical journalism studies;film maker, artist andassistant teaching professor Daniel Martinico; assistant professor Caroline Jack, an expert in advertising, corporate communication and promotional culture; and Kidman, who has worked in the film and television industries.

In addition, the department is working to bring in reporters, editors and other professionals who will serve as lecturers.

What distinguishes MIC from the Comm major is its focus on media industries, Schmidt said. TheMIC major provides a more direct and focused path for students with an interest in media careers. On the other hand, with their broad range of interests, Comm majors take courses in areas like scientific communication, activism and advocacy, arts and culture, and borders and transnationalism.

"As a department, we love that we offer a broad and interdisciplinary way to study the theory and practice of communication," Schmidt said. "But we realized that there were lots of students who were interested in learning more about media-related work. They wanted to work in film and television, or learn more about advertising, or asked about how to break into specific industries like journalism. We also realized that we already have a cluster of faculty teaching courses in this area. But the problem was that this was not visible to students, and it was challenging for them to figure out a way through the curriculum if they had specific interests like that."

Beth Accomando '82, well known arts and entertainment reporter for KBPS, is an alumna of the UC San Diego Department of Communication, as well as the Department of Visual Arts. She welcomes the new addition as it may align with the career interests of many students.

"I think it is good for a university to react to a changing media landscape and try to tailor a degree and courses to those changes," Accomando said.

The launching of the MIC major is the culmination of a thorough and intensive three-year effort by Kidman, Schmidt and colleagues. The process included conceptualizing the major, outlining goals and finalizing details like how to include transfer students and incorporate coursework in other departments on campus . A critical step in the process was talking to students. Kidman and her faculty colleagues conducted focus groups and student surveys.

"We really thought about every stage of the major," Kidman said.

MIC requirements are similar to those for the general Comm Major, but add skills-oriented, practice-based instruction. Students can choose from a wide array of courses offered by other departments across UC San Diego. Practice-based courses that fulfill MIC requirements include Financial Accounting, Business Project Management, Screenwriting, Introduction to Python, and Principles of Data Science, among many others.

MIC majors will also immerse themselves in thecritical and historical analysis of specific industries such as film, television, video streaming, internet, tourism, data & AI, journalism, and advertising. They will do a deep dive into nontraditional and emerging fields such as streaming video and message boards; production of live media events; experiences like tourism and pop-up brand activations; and crisis communication.

"We want to give them the long view," Kidman said. "We want to show them from the bottom up how the system works and provide the historical, social and theoretical context of the industries they enter. We really want to make sure that we can give students a perspective that will last long into the future in doing media and culture work."

Learn more about the MIC major.

The MIC major is designed to help students gain footholds in journalism, advertising, marketing, public relations, film, streaming media and allied fields.