Center for Communication & Journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh

Center for Communication & Journalism

Preparing students for the Communication and Journalism Careers of the 21st Century

The Center for Communication and Journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh is the only center of its kind in the SUNY system.

With the borders between the Internet, print, and broadcast journalism fading, we prepare you for the new world of convergence media. The CCJ helps you develop expertise in multiple areas in both communication and journalism. This diverse training allows graduates to work in newsrooms, TV stations, radio, or Internet company and wear many different hats.

And if you're thinking beyond an undergraduate degree, we can help you there, too. Our programs prepare students for graduate or law school, or even to enter politics.

Located in Yokum Hall, the Center for Communication and Journalism is dedicated to preparing students for rewarding careers, a lifetime of learning, and productive membership in their communities.

Find a Major That Meets Your Career Goals

You can become qualified to work in:

• Audio-radio production.
• Broadcast journalism.
• Communication studies.
• Digital media production.
• Newspaper journalism.
• Magazine journalism. (We have the only magazine major in SUNY.)
• Multimedia journalism.
• Public relations.
• TV-video production.

Learn by Doing

Experience the opportunity of working at a television station, two radio stations, a newspaper, or an online magazine — all run by students. You will have access to our newsroom and magazine labs 24/7. Our other labs and cutting-edge editing equipment are available more than 100 hours each week. In many classes, you will complete real projects for media, businesses, and organizations in the community. And you will be encouraged to intern — the key to landing that first job — here, in your hometown, or in a metropolitan area. Many of our students even get a chance to do multiple internships.

Join the Best Student Media in SUNY

In fall 2006, 19 of the National Broadcasting Society awards in the Northeast were awarded to our students. In fall 2007, Cardinal Points, our student newspaper, was judged by editors and reporters at the Washington Post to be a Newspaper Pacemaker Finalist, placing it in a prestigious list of the top 55 college newspapers in North America during the 2006–2007 academic year. The Pacemaker, the highest award given to college media, is considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism; it is awarded by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). Since 1998, the ACP has presented the newspaper seven All American awards and the New York Press Association has twice chosen it as New York's best campus newspaper.

Learn in Small Classes from Faculty Who Care

Our production and writing classes average only 20–22 students. On a daily basis you can enjoy the CCJ's open-door policy to discuss with faculty topics ranging from assignments and career advice to sports and movies. And you will have the opportunity to work with faculty on research and production projects. Our teachers have traveled from the Baltic to the Sahara, from Arctic oil fields to South American rain forests to write on the environment, terrorists, aboriginal societies, desert nomads, and Nobel-winning scientists.

Develop Skills for Today's Job Market

All majors strike a balance between theory and practice, combining solid liberal arts education with professional training. You will become versatile, able to adjust to rapidly changing technology, and marketable in multiple fields. And you will develop the communication skills essential for excelling in the jobs of the future.

Benefit from Our Family of Alumni in Finding Internships and Jobs

Our alumni annually visit the campus to talk about their careers as journalists, videographers, business and community leaders, and company founders. Our graduates have succeeded as producers and reporters at news, entertainment, and sports networks like NBC, CNN, MTV, and ESPN; at newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post; and magazines like People and Harper's Bazaar.

See what's in your future. Come visit us today.

• Communication program.
• Journalism program.

Learn More

Find out what students think about the center's programs and the kind of projects students can get involved in.

Contact Information

For more information about the Center for Communication & Journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:

Shakuntala Rao
Co-director of the Center for Communication and Journalism
Professor, Chair of Communication Department
Office: Yokum Hall 202D
Phone: (518) 564-4291
Email: Shakuntala.Rao@plattsburgh.edu 

Shawn Murphy
Co-director of the Center for Communication and Journalism
Associate Professor, Chair of the Journalism Department
Office: Yokum Hall 103A
Phone: (518) 564-2422
Email: shawn.murphy@plattsburgh.edu