Department of Communication and Media’s new name reflects media focus

Loyola University Maryland renamed the university’s Department of Communication to Department of Communication and Media. Likewise, the names of the department’s undergraduate programs changed to Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media and Communication and Media Minor. The new names better reflect the department’s programs and curriculum.

“Our program is very much mass communication-oriented,” said Masudul Biswas, Ph.D., department chair. “We teach journalism, advertising, public relations, and digital media, which includes graphic design, web design, user interface design, animation, video production, and broadcasting. We have a television and multimedia studio, a campus radio station, and student newspaper. We have a very strong media focus.”

Loyola changed the names after analyzing enrollment data, market studies, and surveys and holding discussions with the university’s enrollment management office, department curriculum committee and faculty, students, and academic leaders at Loyola.

“As our new name immediately indicates we are a media-centric communication program, it will more quickly connect with prospective students, which is important to us,” Biswas said. “It better reflects what we are and what we teach and will attract students seeking a media-focused curriculum.”

The department offers the Communication and Media Major with four specializations: advertising and public relations; digital media; journalism; and media and society. In addition, the department’s Master of Arts in Emerging Media, an online graduate program, prepares students for careers working with new media technology.

The Department of Communication and Media also introduced an interdisciplinary Business Journalism Minor launching in the fall of 2024 in collaboration with Loyola’s Department of Economics. The new minor will provide students with a foundation in journalism, economics, finance, and other business areas and prepare them to report and write about business issues and how they affect society.