Welcome back to Clarke University! Together, we will cultivate new ways of delivering the Clarke experience — supporting each other and our community. We stand as One Clarke, One Community.
Fall 2020 Return to Campus Information
COVID-19 Communication
Digital. Convergence. Remix. Circulation. Fragmentation. Mobility. Collaboration. Crowdsourcing. Participatory. Personalization. Hashtag.
These buzz words reflect a reconfiguration of the world for media and communication professionals. Clarke’s communication degree program empowers students to navigate this digital media world. A communication major at Clarke is challenged to become flexible, adaptive, and nimble. So, our students studying for a bachelor of communication are preparing for many career options, even ones that do not yet exist.
What is a communications major? Clarke communications major students become powerful advocates fluent with digital media. The communication studies program balances new media studies with rhetorical fundamentals. Students pursue interests though projects analyzing communication, producing with visual and audio media, crafting arguments, and designing presentations.
At the same time, bachelor of arts in communication students graduate with a sophisticated communicative awareness, deep knowledge of how rhetoric and digital media shape society, and honed skills to make an impact. We help communications majors and graduates find their paths for their long-term success in a variety of professional careers. Visit Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, for hands-on-learning about our digital media studies and communications major.
The ability to communicate effectively is a vital skill that is applicable to most careers. With the upsurge of the internet and social media, the need for strategic communication professionals in the digital media world has also grown. As a communications major, you will learn how to navigate, manage, and participate in the multifaceted flow of information. You will be able to serve as the voice of any organization in Dubuque, Iowa, nationally, and worldwide.
Innovative learning within the Communication Degree Program. As a communications major, you will:
Our communication and digital media degree majors have access to professional technology:
Our communications degree program prepares students for an ever-changing media environment, develops students’ rhetorical invention to adapt for future changes, and empowers students to advocate for themselves, for others, and for products, ideas, and actions.
Our Communication Major Students:
Communications Degree Classes with Relevance
Social Media and Virtual Communities — Study social media platforms and their impact on community-building.
Professional Presentation — Make oral presentations more compelling and more beautiful to meet the needs of a variety of speaking situations.
Visual Literacy — Analyze and create visual communication media used in social networks, online culture, marketing, film, television, art, and science.
Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Apply to Clarke today to begin your journey.
More Opportunity for the Communication major at Clarke: The Crux
A new, student media initiative, The Crux, launched in May 2017 with the primary purpose to be a campus news and culture outlet of, for, and by students. The Crux is an excellent way for communications degree students to publish their work, creativity, and research. It provides a powerful avenue that can be utilized in a professional interview setting to highlight projects from their beginning stages to the final format. The Crux unites student newspaper, student radio, and student television into one digital place. Visit clarkecrux.com.
Let’s talk about jobs
You might wonder, what can I do with a communications degree? Clarke University offers a multi-faceted Bachelor of Arts degree that empowers students to pursue successful careers in a variety of fields, not just one. Here is a sampling of the vast lineup of jobs available to graduates of our communications degree program:
Chair of the Communication Department, David Deifell, teaches students Adobe InDesign for an assignment.
Clarke Graphic Design Program Student Erik Brolin's Art
Small liberal arts schools have always attracted me, but the BVM’s inclusion of the values of freedom and justice as central to Clarke’s mission make it unique. Education should not simply be about job preparation; it should cultivate citizenship for the common good.
Students in the Communication Department at Clarke understand and participate in the changing thinking and practice about everything from copyright and privacy, to visual culture and identity, to public discourse and ethics. They are ahead of the curve and able to position themselves as leaders in a digital age fluent in the media that saturates our daily lives.
You have a voice through our student media initiative, The Crux. Write stories. Create podcasts. Make videos.
What can I do with a degree in this major?
Learn about the classrooms, labs, radio station, whisper rooms, and green screen space.
You’ll become immersed in real projects and work with real clients. Internships often facilitate entrance into the job market and are highly recommended for acceptance into some graduate programs.
Life at Clarke is living traditions, being proud, participating in the campus community, and being an active member of our greater community.
You will be involved in many different activities that will guide you on your college journey. By your senior year, you will have a résumé of all your awesome involvements packaged and ready for your first interview.
The best part of the Communications major program at Clarke is its diversity and broadness. There’s no limit to the subjects we study – from law to media studies to rhetorical strategy. Clarke has not only prepared me for a wealth of professions, but it has also given me confidence in my skills as an interpersonal communicator.
The Clarke communication major pushes students to question and research in order to arrive at an answer that will both explain and tell a story. This major is the multi tool that will prepare students for jobs all across the world.
I am Co-Editor-in- Chief of The Crux. My work with The Crux is important to me because it promotes students’ voices, creativity, ideas, and opinions to be heard. We are here to share students’ truths.
CareerBuilder reported that 63% of 2017 employers expect employees to have social media savviness.
The average yearly salary for communication majors, according to the 2017 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to Job Outlook 2018 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the number one quality for job candidates is the “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization,” making communications major graduates highly sought after.
