Communication

Professor Erin Ryan, Head

UTC’s Department of Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).

Mission Statement

The principal mission of the Department of Communication at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is to provide a strong preparation in communication practice and research based on a firm grounding in the liberal arts and sciences. The department aims to provide its students hands-on opportunities to help them develop into thoughtful, caring, engaged, skilled communication professionals and global citizens. We offer our students a flexible curriculum that allows them to pursue their own interested and professional goals under faculty guidance. The faculty is committed to making contributions to the discipline of communication through scholarship and professional practice.

Learning outcomes

The Department of Communication adheres to the 10 values and competencies set forth by our accreditor, ACEJMC. We have grouped these values and competencies into five curricular aims that drive our curriculum, linking related values and competencies to each aim.

Tell different types of stories.

Present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and technologies.
Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

Use research to solve problems.

Apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.
Effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.

Explore culture through media.

Demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.
Demonstrate culturally proficient communication that empowers those traditionally disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and ability, domestically and globally, across communication and media contexts.

Make legal and ethical decisions.

Apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global context, and for the country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located.
Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.

Gain professional experience.

Present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and technologies.
Apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work,
Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

Diversity Statement

UTC’s Department of Communication is committed to achieving and maintaining diversity in its curriculum, educational environment, and faculty and student populations. This includes creating a supportive climate for the underrepresented and disadvantaged, encouraging the free expression of diverse intellectual and cultural perspectives, and regularly evaluating progress towards diversity goals.

Faculty believe that diversity advances social equality in the communication fields and in society as a whole, empowers individuals to explore and appreciate their unique attributes and life experiences, challenges stereotypes and promotes critical thinking skills, prepares our graduates to communicate effectively to increasingly multicultural audiences, and enriches the experiences of everyone in the academic community. The faculty work to create a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment for underrepresented faculty and students, including ethnic, religious, and racial minorities, people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals, the economically disadvantaged, and nontraditional and international students.