Why Study Journalism and Strategic Communication (at a STEM School)?

A message from the chair of Communication Programs at Florida Tech

Professional communicators are under fire. Whether journalists reporting the news of the day or public relations officers speaking on behalf of government groups, individuals, corporations, or non-profit organizations, the integrity and competence of these professionals are challenged daily – often for good reasons. 

So, why should anyone study journalism and strategic communication now? 

Because…

We need trained professionals who follow journalistic standards and uphold ethical communication practices.

We need confident communicators who think critically about how to best communicate essential information to the public.

We need individuals and organizations willing and able to seek and sift through mountains of information to find the facts.

We need communication leaders who will be accountable for the information they release and we need journalists who will hold leaders accountable for the decisions they make.

We need reporters who will ask the hard questions and their counterparts who will do their best to answer those questions truthfully and fully.  

And why study journalism and strategic communication at a STEM school?

Because skilled communicators are essential in a rapidly changing world in which crises and disasters are becoming more commonplace. We need people who are comfortable in transdisciplinary environments and who can accurately and effectively interpret and share complex scientific and technical information – people who will help us understand and cope with today’s challenges while planning for an uncertain future.

Too many recent examples illustrate the danger of miscommunicating critical health information. Hasty and inaccurate interpretations of research are life-threatening. Misleading messages have many of us scrambling – searching fact-checking sites and looking for evidence to support or discredit claims made through media channels.

We need professionals with the training and expertise to fulfill the promise of the fourth estate.

Join us. Learn from us and with us. Start here as a multiplatform journalism or strategic communication student at Florida Tech. You can make a difference.

Learn more about Florida Tech’s undergraduate programs in Multiplatform Journalism and Strategic Communication and the master’s program in Global Strategic Communication. 

Visit the 6-eleven Productions YouTube channel to see the latest projects produced by our students, including award-winning senior design documentaries.