Business Communication
Graduates of the Business Communication Certificate have gone onto jobs at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters and other business media, as well as jobs in corporate communications. The certificate allows students to demonstrate a specific knowledge beyond the skills and concepts taught in the journalism area of study.
The certificate in business communication is offered for students interested in a career in business reporting or editing for the media as well as students interested in careers in corporate communication. Students must complete three of the following courses:
- MEJO 541: Economics Reporting
- MEJO 542: Business Reporting
- MEJO 550: Business and the Media
- MEJO 570: Data Driven Journalism
- MEJO 571: Social Media Analytics
- MEJO 630: Business News Wire
- MEJO 631: Business Journalism Management
- MEJO 652: Digital Media Economics and Behavior
The certificate is offered to undergraduate majors admitted to UNC Hussman. If space is available, other UNC students may take the classes and are eligible for the certificate.
Students interested in earning this certificate or who have questions about the program should email Hussman Professor of Business Journalism Michelle LaRoche at [email protected].
Fashion Communication
The Workroom FashionMash Program is home to the Fashion Communication Certificate. Program participants become part of a wide network of FashionMash alums working with major fashion and lifestyle brands across the globe. Building on the foundation of UNC Hussman’s curriculum, the certificate courses build a core understanding of the fashion industry and produce a robust portfolio of professional work ready for internship/post-grad networking. Although most students are advertising/public relations focused, the certificate is also open to journalism students who are interested in fashion storytelling.
The Fashion Communication Certificate supports students focused on fashion for:
- Content creation
- Brand development
- Marketing analytics and e-commerce
- Brand journalism
- Public relations and influencer marketing
- Editorial photography and video
- Art direction
- Styling
- Makeup artistry
- Product design
- Retail display
- Experiential marketing
Additionally, some students utilize the certificate courses as a part of a fashion design journey at UNC.
Students must complete three of the following four courses:
- MEJO 572: Art Direction in Advertising
- MEJO 591: Workroom FashionMash Experiential Design
- MEJO 592: Workroom FashionMash Product Design
- MEJO 490: Special Topics in Mass Communication (Workroom FashionMash Editorial)
The certificate is offered to undergraduate majors and minors admitted to UNC Hussman. If space is available, other UNC students may take the classes.
Examples of work, as well as student-run publications and clubs that are also part of the program can be found at workroomfashionmash.com.
Students interested in earning this certificate or who have questions about the program should email Professor of the Practice Dana McMahan at [email protected].
Health Communication and Marketing
The Health Communication and Marketing Certificate signifies a concentration of three or more courses in the health communication field of study and is noted on your transcript. The health communication certificate is offered to a limited number of UNC students (within and outside of UNC Hussman) who are interested in a career in the healthcare industry.
What does that mean for aspiring strategic communicators? It means their skill set is in demand by hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare advertising or PR agencies, insurance companies, non-profit organizations and more.
Certificate students will learn about the healthcare sector, explore the patient journey, map stakeholders and influencers, and get hands-on experience with marketing communications that can help people lead healthier lives.
Students accepted into the certificate program will have the opportunity to interview for a pool of internships before their senior year.
Students must complete three courses (nine credit hours) to receive the certificate, which include:
MEJO 469: Health Communication and Marketing
- Learn about the healthcare landscape and the sectors that make it up (e.g, producers, providers, payers, government, non-profit)
- Understand the trends that are re-shaping the landscape across all segments.
- Travel the landscape through the lens of the consumer/patient-consumer journey mapping, communication touchpoints and consumer-centric marketing models.
- Understand the critical mission for health equity that lives across the entire landscape.
MEJO 569: Behavioral Science of Health Communication
- Learn the science behind patient and provider motivations to change and to resist change.
- Analyze the difficulties and potential to leverage important differences versus common goals/needs across audience segments.
- Workshop communication strategies and solutions to help patients and providers overcome resistance, navigate complexities and make better decisions.
MEJO 669: Health Communication Capstone
- Experience working with a company or organization from the healthcare sector in a semester-long project.
- Apply concepts and practices to research, develop and implement a plan addressing a real-world healthcare concern (e.g., disease awareness, product promotion, hospital brand/services promotion, patient compliance).
- Receive helpful feedback from the client and a connection for future internships and employment.
Students interested in applying to the program should note that enrollment in either or both “MEJO 469: Health Communications and Marketing” and “MEJO 569: Behavioral Science in Health Communication” will be a core consideration in the approval process.
Sports Communication
Launched in 2002 with a $1 million anonymous donation, the Sports Communication Certificate provides courses about sports and the media, offers internships and scholarships for students and brings visiting lecturers to the school.
The best place to see the new world of communication may be the sports field. It encompasses some of the best in journalism, broadcasting, electronic communication, marketing, advertising, public relations, visual communication and new media.
Sports in America involve more than $200 billion in annual spending and touch every professional aspect of media. The leading sports in the United States are followed by 85 percent of the U.S. population, and the average individual follows five different leagues. Sports affect society in myriad ways, from tourism to retailing to equipment to medicine to media.
Sports also serve as a stage for society’s most important social issues. Racial integration in the United States made major advances through the popularity of track star Jesse Owens, boxer Joe Louis and baseball player Jackie Robinson. Today, the global celebrity of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods is a statement of progress and a testament to the power of sports to serve as a common ground for the most significant issues of our times. Similarly, the transformation of women’s rights was led by tennis player Billie Jean King. At the time of King’s famous match against Bobby Riggs in 1973, just one in 27 women (about four percent) participated in athletics. Today, the number is approaching 40 percent, and women’s events sell more Olympic tickets than those of men.
The school has long realized the growing importance of sports communication. With that in mind, the school in 2002 launched a Sports Communication Program, headed by Professor Emeritus John Sweeney. Funded by a $1 million anonymous grant, the program provides courses about sports and the media, offers internships and scholarships for students, and brings visiting lecturers to the school.
There is no such sports communication program in the United States, and UNC is the perfect site. Today, former Carolina athletes are on the courts of the National Basketball Association and the fields of the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Coaches and executives with Carolina connections are found in major professional sports leagues, as well as collegiate athletic departments and conference offices. And school graduates cover the careers of these sports professionals for newspapers, magazines, radio and television.
The Sports Communication Certificate brings the revolutionary commercial world of sports to students, while allowing them to confront the extraordinary changes occurring in sports. This knowledge will assist them in the pursuit of competitive jobs in the sports industry and give them a unique perspective on many of the fundamental dilemmas of our time.
The Sports Communication Certificate is designed to accommodate students across specializations and areas of study. It aims to lead the nation in educating young practitioners about important issues of sports in the United States and beyond.
Complete three of the following six courses:
- MEJO 129: Sports Xtra
- MEJO 352: Sports Production and Broadcasting
- MEJO 376: Sports Marketing and Advertising
- MEJO 377: Sports Communication
- MEJO 455: Creative Sportswriting
- MEJO 476: Ethical Issues and Sports Communication
Applications are not currently being accepted for this program. Please email [email protected] for additional information and assistance.