Introduction

Delaware State’s television production degree stands out for its emphasis on practical, hands-on education. Students gain hundreds of hours of experience (plus academic credit) at the student-run television station (Channel 14), and hundreds more via internships and work placements at real-world TV stations (including local stations WHYY and WBOC). As a result, our graduates enter the job market with well-developed skills, impressive resumes, and the confidence they need to go right to work.

Students also gain a theoretical understanding of how television shapes our culture, politics, and economy, while examining current issues and challenges in the profession such as

• changes in television technology
• regulatory and political factors
• competition from digital media such as You Tube
• the economic state of the television industry

Professional Prep

Delaware State students produce a weekly newsmagazine called “DSU Speaks,” which is broadcast on Channel 14. TV Production majors get direct experience in all aspects of the production cycle, developing specific career-building skills such as

• broadcast writing
• camera, sound, lighting, and floor management
• directing, editing, and producing
• news gathering and reporting
• management
• media law and ethics

The department sponsors networking programs such as the Mass Communications Symposium and Career Fair, in which alumni visit campus, interact with undergraduates, and share career advice and professional contacts.

Faculty

Delaware State’s Mass Communications instructors teach from experience. All have spent years in the communications industry and are able to convey both the theoretical and practical concepts that students need to build their careers. The faculty includes public relations entrepreneurs, documentary filmmakers, online journalists, and veterans of the newspaper, television, and radio industries.

Research and Experience

Students gain extensive television production experience by working for Channel 14 (the on-campus, student-run station) and via internships for Delaware stations such as WHYY and WBOC. Student interns draw exciting assignments, such as helping to cover the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

Some undergraduates from the department have participated in the McNair Program, winning research stipends and presenting their findings at national conferences. All Mass Communications students have the opportunity to present original research on campus every spring during Honors Day.