Reliable information is more important than ever, and communication through media is how we access that information. Adams State’s Communication & Media program trains educated professionals to work in the field and become well-versed in media literacy and production knowledge that helps analyze the information they consume.
The program offers degrees both on campus and online. The in-person version of the program sets students up for careers in multiple communication areas, with everything from media production to social media as part of its generalist emphasis, according to Beth Bonnstetter, PhD., chair of the English, Communication and Media department. Although it concentrates on media skills, the degree also provides advantages for successful working lives in many different fields, even those not directly related to the media industry.
Online, however, the program concentrates on preparing students specifically for professions in the media industry, Bonnstetter said.
Greg Carter, mass communication major with a minor in marketing, plans to graduate in May. He “fell in love with Adams State,” according to the 23-year old from Beverly Hills, Calif. The environment around Alamosa helps him really zero in on academics without distractions, and the experience has sculpted him as a man, he said.
The Communication and Media Studies program at Adams State provides students opportunities to jump straight into involvement with campus media, including the Paw Print student newspaper, Grizzly Video production and KASF campus radio, giving them platforms to communicate with thousands of people, Carter said.
Carter served as general manager at the radio station, where he gained valuable work experience. He also helps create social media posts for the Public Relations and Marketing Department as a work-study staffer. In addition, he interned in Los Angeles with comedian Kevin Hart at Sirius XM and for Viacom/CBS, under which companies like MTV and the Smithsonian Channel operate. He worked with other interns who attended large state schools or Ivy League institutions, too. “No matter where you are, you have to work hard,” Carter said.
Students are not just statistics at Adams State, according to Carter, and he has established rapports with everyone from his scholar peers to staff, to janitors and cafeteria workers. Carter also credits Dr. Bonnstetter for inspiration.
A personal touch is one of the advantages of the media program at Adams State, according to Bonnstetter, and faculty is always ready to sit down with a student and offer guidance.
Although students in Adams State’s Communication & Media program learn traditional skills useful in the field, such as the “inverted pyramid” article structure, according to Bonnstetter, they also come to understand the importance of thinking about their media diets and the need to appreciate the influence of the media.
