Government and Communication & the Arts Launch New Concentration

Beginning in Fall semester 2015, Regent University’s Robertson School of Government (RSG) and the School of Communication & the Arts (COM) will launch their new majors in their Master of Arts programs: Political Communication.

Students enrolled within this program in RSG or COM will learn from distinguished professors who are long-time professionals in the political communications sect, including U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Chief of Naval Operations Vernon Clark, and former USAID Assistant Administrator Dr. Paul Bonicelli.

These 30-hour on-campus, online or hybrid degree programs will inspire a generation of higher learners with the ability to balance a Christian worldview with the professional means to impact cultural and political change.

Those interested in this concentration partnership will have two avenues to select from. Students in Regent’s M.A. in Government program will focus on political theory and the foundations of government before stepping into the program’s elective courses in areas such as Media Law & Ethics, News Writing & Reporting, and Public Relations. M.A. in Communication students seeking this concentration will receive classic training in courses in Media Research & Analysis and Media & Social Influence before delving into the program’s political electives.

In the growing digital communication marketplace, communication, particularly in the political realm, has an even greater opportunity to be skewed. Students enrolled in this program will be primed for careers as media spokespeople, press secretaries, public relations professionals, broadcasters and reporters.

But the program is about more than mere training: It’s about instilling students as public servants, those willing to share in the victories and the trials that come with being a leader.

“Public servants need to have a depth of knowledge about political life as well as the technical skills to represent themselves and their organizations under public scrutiny,” said Dr. Eric Patterson, RSG dean. “The political communications concentration focuses on both traits.”

The educational mash-up of government and communication in this specialized Master of Arts degree will give students with those traits the means to effectively step into positions with integrity and courage to speak the truth. A prospect that Dr. Mitch Land, dean of Regent’s School of Communication & the Arts, is most excited about.

“We need leaders who will have the integrity and courage to speak truth to power and communicate ethically and effectively with constituents and other stakeholders,” said Land. “It makes sense for our two schools to work together to provide scholars and professionals opportunities to hone their skills for greater effectiveness in the workplace.”

Learn more about these programs in Regent University’s Robertson School of Government and the School of Communication & the Arts.