Is Communications a liberal arts major or a vocational major?

[Anonymous]

It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

It's concerning that anyone at the collegiate level can't handle the math of a business major...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

It's concerning that anyone at the collegiate level can't handle the math of a business major...

Somebody has to play defensive tackle and being 6'4 300 with a quick burst is not common

[Anonymous]

"Vocational" implies you will get a job after graduation. We're talking about communications majors here.

[Anonymous]

All the Chinese are now majoring in communications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communications is more vocational.
Communication, without the S, is a liberal arts major and many tend to go and get masters and PhDs.
The s is very important and there's a distinction there.

100% bona fide grade-A bull manure.

https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/undergraduate-programs/communication-major

I have no idea if this is true at the undergraduate major level, but it is true in the professional world. I do strategic communication for a living, which is different from communications, which is primarily PR and marketing. Certainly related, and there is probably some snobbery in there about the distinction in the name of the field, but what I do is the kind of public health interventions that change health metrics like HIV incidence. Generally public sector rather than private, and doesn’t aim to sell a thing (or market a person) as its goal.

I’m a communications exec. “Communications” covers a lot of ground, including what you do. You’re attempting to separate yourself from a field that you think has a bad rep/connotation. But the truth is that it’s all “communications.”

I acknowledged that it was attempting to separate in my post. And that there is snobbery in that. And also…what we do is slightly different, and is held to the standard of other health interventions so it can be tested and written up in scientific journals. We are pleased to hire people with deep backgrounds in communication theory. It may seem like semantics, but we use communication theory (how human communication influences behavior) to design health interventions. I think it is important to use the language people like to use about themselves, and my field makes a distinction between the PR/marketing side (which we do) and the communication side (which may end up with interventions that most comms shops don’t do, like training doctors in evidence based counseling methodology).

Anyway, I have no bias against communications majors and hire lots of them, then train them in the kind of work we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communications is more vocational.
Communication, without the S, is a liberal arts major and many tend to go and get masters and PhDs.
The s is very important and there's a distinction there.

100% bona fide grade-A bull manure.

https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/undergraduate-programs/communication-major

I have no idea if this is true at the undergraduate major level, but it is true in the professional world. I do strategic communication for a living, which is different from communications, which is primarily PR and marketing. Certainly related, and there is probably some snobbery in there about the distinction in the name of the field, but what I do is the kind of public health interventions that change health metrics like HIV incidence. Generally public sector rather than private, and doesn’t aim to sell a thing (or market a person) as its goal.

I’m a communications exec. “Communications” covers a lot of ground, including what you do. You’re attempting to separate yourself from a field that you think has a bad rep/connotation. But the truth is that it’s all “communications.”

DP - i think of Communication to be a subset of Communications. So you're right it's all "communications" but the study of communication is more grounded in humanities and science, deeper and more intellectual

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

Is that true for all schools?

My daughter is actually really interested in this…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communications is more vocational.
Communication, without the S, is a liberal arts major and many tend to go and get masters and PhDs.
The s is very important and there's a distinction there.

100% bona fide grade-A bull manure.

https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/undergraduate-programs/communication-major

I have no idea if this is true at the undergraduate major level, but it is true in the professional world. I do strategic communication for a living, which is different from communications, which is primarily PR and marketing. Certainly related, and there is probably some snobbery in there about the distinction in the name of the field, but what I do is the kind of public health interventions that change health metrics like HIV incidence. Generally public sector rather than private, and doesn’t aim to sell a thing (or market a person) as its goal.

I have 2 degrees in diff types of comms, 20+ years of professional experience, and have never heard this before.

I do the same type of work as the (first PP) and can confirm that this distinction is commonly made in our field. Comms people tend to come out of a PR background, while strategic communication people are more technically focused and tend to be grounded in things like behavioral science. Both use communication as a means to an end, but the aims are very different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Communications is more vocational.
Communication, without the S, is a liberal arts major and many tend to go and get masters and PhDs.
The s is very important and there's a distinction there.

100% bona fide grade-A bull manure.

https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/undergraduate-programs/communication-major

I have no idea if this is true at the undergraduate major level, but it is true in the professional world. I do strategic communication for a living, which is different from communications, which is primarily PR and marketing. Certainly related, and there is probably some snobbery in there about the distinction in the name of the field, but what I do is the kind of public health interventions that change health metrics like HIV incidence. Generally public sector rather than private, and doesn’t aim to sell a thing (or market a person) as its goal.

I’m a communications exec. “Communications” covers a lot of ground, including what you do. You’re attempting to separate yourself from a field that you think has a bad rep/connotation. But the truth is that it’s all “communications.”

I acknowledged that it was attempting to separate in my post. And that there is snobbery in that. And also…what we do is slightly different, and is held to the standard of other health interventions so it can be tested and written up in scientific journals. We are pleased to hire people with deep backgrounds in communication theory. It may seem like semantics, but we use communication theory (how human communication influences behavior) to design health interventions. I think it is important to use the language people like to use about themselves, and my field makes a distinction between the PR/marketing side (which we do) and the communication side (which may end up with interventions that most comms shops don’t do, like training doctors in evidence based counseling methodology).

Anyway, I have no bias against communications majors and hire lots of them, then train them in the kind of work we do.

Marketing people use “communication theory” in their work, as well; “how human communication influences behavior” IS the essence of marketing.

You are in health/public health communications. We all have specialties under the big umbrella or communications.

[Anonymous]

It wasn't a major at my SLAC. Neither was Business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

Is that true for all schools?

My daughter is actually really interested in this…

A major is usually only 25% of college coursework. So it doesn't control/dominate the experience. When people feel concerned about a major, I always suggest dual majoring.

English major counts are declining. I see Communications, like Marketing, as a more commerce-oriented field, but I believe these topics are worthy of being college majors so I don't think they should be disdained.

I have no association between athletes and Communications. Only with Kinesiology, P.E. Education, and Sports Management majors. I learned about kinesiology from watching player bios during games. I associate Communications with women who might otherwise go into English or Marketing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

It's concerning that anyone at the collegiate level can't handle the math of a business major...

Sure, but that is why law schools exist & thrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

It's concerning that anyone at the collegiate level can't handle the math of a business major...

Sure, but that is why law schools exist & thrive.

..? Philosophy and English majors can add and divide--oh sorry "do business calc"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where they stick athletes and admits they made a mistake on who are incapable of the math required for a business or stem major or the writing and research required for a liberal arts major

Is that true for all schools?

My daughter is actually really interested in this…

A major is usually only 25% of college coursework. So it doesn't control/dominate the experience. When people feel concerned about a major, I always suggest dual majoring.

English major counts are declining. I see Communications, like Marketing, as a more commerce-oriented field, but I believe these topics are worthy of being college majors so I don't think they should be disdained.

I have no association between athletes and Communications. Only with Kinesiology, P.E. Education, and Sports Management majors. I learned about kinesiology from watching player bios during games. I associate Communications with women who might otherwise go into English or Marketing.

No need to double major, just take courses in other subjects and find the applied ones that'll lead to a job. Major in the fun, coursework in the things that'll get you the job