Academics at Hanover:
Communication students learn through hands-on experience at Hanover. Small class sizes mean you’ll put communication theory into action right from the start and acquire an impressive amount of real-world experience by the time you graduate.
In fact, communication majors at Hanover College have the kind of opportunities only given to graduate students at most other schools. Take a look:
Media
Students can begin work in the campus TV station their freshman year, both on-camera and behind the scenes. Students produce and anchor talk, sports, news and variety programs. They travel around the world producing documentaries that are seen on PBS stations and at conferences and film festivals.
Research
Every year several senior research papers are accepted to prestigious national conferences, with departmental grants providing funding for our students to travel and present. Recently, senior Rachel Helt presented her paper “Breaking Bad News: The experience of patient physician communication when diagnosed with cancer” at the Health Communication Conference in Washington, D.C.
Rhetoric
Communication scholars readily discuss the latest political campaign, messages of pop music lyrics and social movements throughout history. Recently John Dean, the former White House counsel for President Richard Nixon, visited the Communication Law and Public Policy class and answered student questions about Watergate and Vietnam.
With a strong foundation of theory, mass media and public speaking courses, your degree in communication can lead to many types of careers, including:
- Business
- Government
- Journalism
- Broadcasting
- Public relations
- Health communications
Hanover communication majors can join the National Millennial Group which puts top college students together with executives from corporations, foundations, nonprofits, and government for conversations on important issues. Recent majors and minors have taken trips with the group to Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
FOCUSING ON YOUR INTERESTS
Communication skills will help you improve your social and career relationships, no matter where your career takes you. At Hanover, you’ll concentrate your studies by selecting an area of focus:
- Mass media – the study of communicating to large populations, especially through print, broadcast and digital means
- Rhetoric – the study of using language effectively, especially in public speaking and persuasive media
- Business Communication – the study of how organizations communicate internally and to external audiences, especially through public relations and marketing
- Law and Leadership – the study of problem solving that seeks positive social and structural change, especially in pre-law, political communication and organization management
- Sports Communication – the practice of communication through the lens of sports management and media
WHAT DO COMMUNICATION MAJORS STUDY?
- Creative media
- Visual communication and mass media
- Organizational communication
- Interpersonal communication
- Gender and cross-cultural communication
- Political rhetoric and campaigns
- Communication research and methodology
- Other topics that interest you, from American journalism to film studies
Graduate professional placements have included:
- Creative Director, Oregon State University Football
- Senior Business Development Analyst, Kao Corporation
- Public Relations Officer, Owensboro Public Schools
- Corporate Marketing, Cummins Inc.
- News Reporter, WGPH Fox 8 (Chapel Hill, NC)
- Public Relations Executive, USA Networks (Weston, CT)
- Event Planner, Minor League Baseball Team
- Deputy Press Secretaries for several U.S. Senators
- Director, Monumental Productions
- Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
- Public Relations Manager, Louisville Zoo
- Claims Director, Humana, Inc.
Graduate school placements have included:
- Valparaiso University
- University of Louisville
- University of California
- University of Nevada
- Indiana University
- Ball State University
- Carmel University
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Connecticut
- University of Notre Dame
- Purdue University
- Ohio State University
- University of Kentucky
Sampling of internship placements:
- WRTV, WLKY and WDKY
- Muhammed Ali Center
- Chamber of Commerce, Madison Indiana
- Indiana State Fair
- Ohio Valley Electric Corporation
- Habitat for Humanity
- Kentucky Education Television
- Cleveland Marriott Society Center
- Walt Disney World College Program