Communication Studies Associates, Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Oklahoma

The publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting, and telecommunications, and information industries fashioned the careers of 28,960 Oklahomans in 2008, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. Undoubtedly, the motivated men and women behind media vehicles throughout the state started out as bright-eyed college students. By hustling to produce television shows like “The Huddle” and “SoundCheck” on NewsCentral, investigating stories for the student newspaper The Vista, and transporting listeners to musical heights on radio station ed90.1 KCSC, communications majors are constantly at the switchboard of Oklahoma college society.

Undergraduate Degrees in Communications – Choosing to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree with a major in communications will give you the qualifications you need to start a career in mass media and digital communications. Whether you’re interested in journalism and independent filmmaking, or marketing and public relations, the know-how needed to reach people with a targeted message starts with a degree in communications.

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Master’s Degrees in Communications – No matter your professional background or undergraduate major, you could earn a master’s in communications to prepare for a career in any number of diverse areas that include journalism, public relations, marketing, digital media and more.

Publishing

Despite its modest population, Oklahoma is rife with publishing activity. In fact, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) reported that 491 printing and publishing outfits were operating throughout the state by 2001, rendering it the state with the second highest concentration of industry establishments. The OHS also proclaims that in 2005 the Oklahoma Publishing Company in Oklahoma City and the World Publishing Company in Tulsa were accredited with employing 1,900 workers. This impressive figure catapulted these publishers into the echelons of major employers in the Sooner State. Today, publishers and publishing house are as diverse as its residents, and communication majors that join this literary hotbed are apt to become scholarly pioneers.

Local Publishers:

  • Perry Publishing and Broadcasting
  • Ghost Town Press
  • Gregath Publishing Company
  • PennWell Publishing
  • Tate Publishing
  • New Forums Press

Resources for Publishing Majors

Journalism

Many wannabe journalists in Oklahoma start out as impressionable collegiates chasing leads, writing editorials, and scrambling to meet tight deadlines for university newspapers like The Oracle, The Oklahoma Daily, and The Daily O’Collegian. These roots can spring forth careers with the biggest newspapers in the state: The Oklahoman, Tulsa World, and The Oklahoma City Baptist Messenger. Journalists with an aversion to big city congestion can exercise their communicative ingenuity with positions at The Norman Transcript, The Daily Ardmoreite, The Shawnee News Star, or other small town periodicals. With one of the biggest populations of Native Americans in the United States, Oklahoma pays tribute to its original inhabitants with journals such as the Native American Times. Other minority circulars include The Black Chronicle and The Nuestra Comunidad Oklahoma.

Native American Newspapers:

  • The Chickasaw Times
  • The Cherokee Observer
  • The Absentee Shawnee News
  • HowNiKan
  • Osage Tribal News
  • Toni-We-Kee-Toh
  • Bah-Kho-Je Journal
  • Muscogee Nation News

Resource for Journalism Majors

Oklahoma Press Association

TV and Radio Broadcasting

The heartbeat of local TV and radio broadcasting in Oklahoma resonates from the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) and KOSU Public Radio, keeping listeners and viewers abreast on area events, state politics, weather conditions, music concerts, community issues, sports updates, and more. In 2011, the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters awarded KWTV the prestigious “Best of Show” award, yet residents also regularly tune into KRSC TV 35, KSWO TV 7, KUAT TV 43, KETA TV 13, and KOKI TV 23. In the world of radio, top honors for non-metropolitan stations went to KWON in Bartlesville, KOFM in Enid, KMGZ in Lawton, and KWEY in Weatherford. Not to be dismissed, metropolitan stations KJYO and KTST in Oklahoma City and KRMG in Tulsa took home “Radio Stations of the Year” tributes.

Broadcasting Companies:

  • Griffin Communications
  • Trinity Broadcasting Network
  • Tyler Media Group

Resource for Broadcasting Majors

Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters

Public Relations and Marketing Firms

Communications majors striving to break into the public relations and marketing industry in Oklahoma look to burgeoning firms in and around Oklahoma City and Tulsa, where 60% of residents live and work. In Oklahoma City, Anglin Public Relations services local non-profits like the Oklahoma Mineral & Gem Society, the Oklahoma Sustainability Network, and the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Saxum Strategic Communications, one of the leading integrated marketing communications agencies in the region, bulks up the public appeal of the Oklahoma Breast Care Center, the University of Oklahoma, and Kimray, Inc. For expertise in areas of biotechnology, energy, entertainment, law, and professional athletics, and government public relations and marketing, Oklahoma City’s businesses rely on the gifted minds at The Gooden Group.

Tulsa-Based PR Firms:

  • Schnake Turnbo Frank PR
  • 29e, Inc.
  • The Media Embassy

Resources for Public Relations and Marketing Majors