comc will launch certificate programs for students interested in sports and entertainment media

Undergraduate students in the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication will be given the opportunity to set themselves apart in the professional world by earning certificates in entertainment media and sports media, starting in fall 2015.

Each certificate will require four courses, each for three hours of credit, from various departments in CoMC. Kevin Stoker, Ph.D., senior associate dean for the college, said that faculty members got together and made a list of possible certificates based on faculty expertise. They found that entertainment and sports media were the top two.

The entertainment media certificate is designed for students focusing on pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. It highlights the accomplishments of students who have taken the time to learn critical skills for jobs as directors, screenwriters and producers of popular media.

Rob Peaslee, Ph.D., associate professor and chairperson of the Department of Journalism and Electronic Media, is one of the architects of the entertainment media certificate. He said that while the college is not changing its existing courses, it is assembling them in a new way that will be beneficial to students.

“I was interested in finding ways to provide coursework for students who were interested in film and who might want to go into the film industry,” Peaslee said. “I have been agitating, along with others here in the college, for a greater emphasis on film and television production. We wanted to own the production aspect by clustering our existing courses in a way that allows students to benefit from it.”

Peaslee said that he and other faculty members who worked together to design the certificates want to help CoMC graduates stand out in the eyes of future employers. He explained, “Even though they might have taken the classes anyway, this gives them a way to put something tangible on their résumé.”

“We want to give students a sense of how the industry operates,” Peaslee said. “We also want to give them a sense of what is out there, not just with current jobs, but also in anticipating what’s next, and learning how to be entrepreneurial professionals in the entertainment industry.”

The sports media certificate is designed for students pursuing media careers in the sports industry. Sports media jobs are often interdisciplinary, and can involve several of the traditional media disciplines CoMC offers, from journalism to advertising to public relations.

Stoker is one of the creators of the sports media certificate. He said that in the same way teachers have teaching certificates, CoMC graduates should also have the opportunity to pursue certificates that would show they have a certain amount of expertise in a specific area.

“These days, all of the lines are blurring, and everyone has a college education,” Stoker said. “The idea behind the certificate is that it will set students apart by giving them knowledge on how sports and media work across various disciplines.”

Peaslee said, “These certificates give our graduates an advantage in the job market, which is ultimately the most important thing for us, because we’re invested in their success. We think this is a step in the right direction and that it also allows us to think in new and interesting ways about how we teach and stay current with the material.” mc

(Rachel Blevins is a sophomore journalism major from Mineral Wells, Texas.)