COMMUNICATIONS JOB FORECAST: 26 PERCENT GROWTH. PACE UNIVERSITY OFFERS NEW MASTER’S TO MEET DEMAND

Noted department now offers advanced preparation for careers in corporate scriptwriting, public relations, video production and web content

PLEASANTVILLE, NY, October 12, 2009 – With job growth for communications specialists expected to soar through 2014, Pace University has created a new 36-credit Master of Arts degree in media and communication arts at its Pleasantville, NY campus.

The demand for skilled communicators is projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to expand nearly 26 percent a year for the next five years. Mirroring a BLS finding that media and communications is one of the fastest growing areas of study in North America, in the last few years the undergraduate major has been one of the fastest-growing at Pace’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences.

The new advanced degree is intended for people interested in becoming media and communications specialists, corporate scriptwriters, public relations professionals, media producers and editors, and web content specialists. Its courses include media production and editing, media writing, public relations, law and ethics and international communications.

Approved by New York State in June, the program already has a dozen students. Applications are being accepted for the spring term at http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=788#Dyson.

Star graduates: The new degree is being offered by a communications program whose graduates have become executives in national and international media like CBS, Clearchannel, NBC, A&E Television Networks, public television and MTV. They have also become leaders in local and regional media including WFAS radio, News 12 and the Jacob Burns Film Center.

Notable alumni include Paul Ryan, Senior Producer of CBS News and instructor in the Pace communications department; Mary O’Grady, a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, and Rossana Rosado, one of the first Hispanic women to hold a high ranking position in newspaper publication as CEO of El Diario La Prensa. She is a former producer and Emmy Award winner for WPIX-NY Channel 11. Kate Crocodilis, a 2007 graduate, is currently working in production at CBS’s As The World Turns and has also worked on casting for NBC’s 30 Rock.

Another alumnus, Rob Decina, teaches “Casting and Careers” in the department. He is a five-time Emmy-nominated casting director whose credits include Guiding Light, Dawson’s Creek, and The West Wing. As an expert and commentator he appears regularly on programs like CBS’ Early Show and Bravo’s "It Factor."

“Timeless and current” Initial demand for Pace’s new degree has been strong. After the program was approved, program director Maria Luskay, PhD, an award-winning documentary producer, started viral messaging about it on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The Facebook page quickly attracted over 30 fans, many of them recent graduates of Pace’s undergraduate media and communication arts program.

Pace alum Vanessa Dones graduated in May and found a job as a public relations coordinator at a food and wine PR agency. “But in this economy,” she says, “and with growing competition in the field, I felt this was a great time to add to my resume. I spent four of the best years of my life at Pace so I knew I would be in good hands.”

She added, “I envision this program helping me climb the career ladder, validate a pay increase, and secure other job options if I decide to move on.”

Noted Matthew West, another student in the program: “Knowing communication business techniques, law, and practices is absolutely necessary for career advancement. The class discussions about these topics are both timeless and current, and they’re just phenomenal. Classes are four hours each, yet it feels as though you're only in there for a few minutes.”

Michelle Veillette, who finished her BA more than two years ago, applied the day she heard about the program. “I hadn’t started my Master’s before this because I couldn’t find a program that suited my existing communications background,” she said. “In class we review public speaking, persuasion, interpersonal communication, and everything in between, and it’s especially interesting to revisit these topics in greater depth now that I have real-world experience.”

High definition: Students in the new MA program put theory into practice by: • Producing oral and written communications for traditional and viral messaging • Mastering digital audio and visual technology • Communicating in cross cultural business contexts • Using effective media relations • Managing programs, processes and people in the media industries. Students have access to the Pace media center, which includes high definition cameras and Mac and PC-based Final Cut Pro and AVID editing systems. Courses frequently include case studies.

The 36-credit-hour Master’s includes 16 hours of required courses and 20 hours of electives. A comprehensive exam is required upon completion. Prospective applicants can get more information online at http://www.pace.edu/page.cfm?doc_id=22334 or by contacting Luskay at (914) 773-3790, mluskay@pace.edu.

About Pace University: For 103 years Pace University has produced thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Visit Pace on the web at www.pace.edu | Facebook | Twitter (@PaceUNews) | Flickr | YouTube ###