Brenau University to begin offering online communications degree this fall

An online undergraduate degree in Communication and Media Studies is coming to Brenau University in Gainesville later this year.
 
University officials said in a media release that Brenau has already begun the process of admitting applicants for online classes that will begin in August. This move came after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges recently approved the online degree.
 
The program was approved by the accreditation organization because Brenau already offers a communication major at its Gainesville campus, and the online component will utilize the same faculty and resources.
 
Christina White, who oversees online student recruitment for Brenau, said in the release that offering a communication degree online, rather than solely as a part of the university's Women's College, will open the field to a much larger audience.
 
“Our current program for mass communication is very much geared toward the technology we have available on campus," White said. "But Juli Clay, chair of Brenau’s Mass Communication Department, developed the online program, moved it to an adult audience and put it together in a way that will work for people working on their computers from home.”
 
While this is the first communications degree offered by the university online, White said Brenau has offered online degree programs longer than many higher education institutions in the Southeast.
 
“There is an almost tangible awareness of the need for online studies,” White explained. “This is not just a push to make sure we are moving in that direction, but that we are creating exceptional programs that work in that medium. Brenau understands how necessary it is to have these online options for adults, and we are really interested in giving that option to our students and to the community.”
 
Clay, the aforementioned chair of Brenau’s Mass Communication Department, said the university has a "strong" overall department, with graduates working everywhere from Coca-Cola to CNN to BET.
 
“However," Clay noted, "it has been limited to those students who could come to the historic campus here in Gainesville."
 
"Offering courses online means students anywhere can get the same skills and go after the same jobs."
 
Prospective students can apply now for enrollment in the Bachelor of Arts degree program here.