Approved by the faculty, integrated marketing communication will now be offered as a major for a Bachelor of Science degree at Bryan College, effective this coming spring semester.
This new major provides students with the opportunity to choose marketing communications as their field of study, preparing them to enter the workplace with an in-depth knowledge of business and communications. It was born out of a collaboration between Bryan’s communication studies and business departments in response to major shifts in the marketing and advertising disciplines toward targeted digital and interactive media. According to the proposal, this new B.S. in IMC “blends coursework in corporate communications and public relations from the communication studies department with coursework in marketing from the business department.”
Dr. Randall Hollingsworth, humanities division chair and professor, said, “The resulting synthesis of our two departments in the IMC major is a reminder of the old saying, ‘It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with what you have.’ We are excited about the unique and strategic integration of some of our best courses which, as stand-alone courses, are good, but in concert with the IMC package, make an attractive option for those students who enjoy both communication and business disciplines.”
Associate Professor of Business and Secretary of the Faculty Dr. Adina Scruggs ‘91 is also enthusiastic about the new major because of what students will learn. She commented, “IMC combines traditional communication expertise, such as public relations and organizational communication with marketing coursework such as advertising and digital marketing. IMC, by definition, is the application of consistent brand messages across both traditional and non-traditional marketing channels, both internally and externally. We are excited about this collaborative major that will prepare students to communicate consistent promotional messages in the dynamic marketplace environment.”
The college will still offer the communication studies’ corporate communication option (B.A.) and the marketing option in business administration in addition to the new B.S. major in integrated marketing communication.