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Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications

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Coordinates: 40°47′47″N 77°51′54″W / 40.79647°N 77.86487°W / 40.79647; -77.86487
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Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
TypePublic
Established1914
DeanMarie Hardin
Location
University Park
,
Pennsylvania
,
U.S.
CampusUniversity Park
WebsiteDonald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State

The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications is the undergraduate and graduate college dedicated to the study of journalism, mass communications and media at Pennsylvania State University. Re-established in 2017 under its new name after the producer, screenwriter and benefactor Donald P. Bellisario,[1][2] the Bellisario College is home to four departments: Advertising/Public Relations, Journalism, Film Production and Media Studies, and Telecommunications and Media Industries.[3] Offering five undergraduate majors, a master's degree in media studies, and a Ph.D. program in mass communications, the college is the largest accredited program of its kind in the United States.[4] The college's facilities are located on the University Park campus.

Undergraduate programs

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Undergraduate majors[5]

  • Advertising/Public Relations
    • Advertising option
    • Public relations option
    • Strategic communications option (World Campus only)
  • Film Production
  • Media Studies
  • Journalism
    • Broadcast journalism option
    • Digital and print journalism option
    • Photojournalism option
  • Telecommunications and Media Industries

Undergraduate minors[6]

  • Digital Media Trends and Analytics
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Film Studies
  • Information Sciences and Technology for Telecommunications
  • Media Studies
  • Sports Journalism Certificate

Graduate programs

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  • Ph.D. in mass communications
  • M.A. in media studies
    • Integrated undergraduate-graduate degree 5 year program for students to earn a B.A. and M.A in media studies
    • JD-MA Joint Degree—In collaboration with Penn State Law, students can earn a J.D. and M.A. in Media Studies
  • Master of Professional Studies in Strategic Communications — online only

History

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The college dates to 1911, when the first journalism course was offered at Penn State.[7][8] Though the Department of Journalism was first founded in the 1930s[9][10] under the School of Liberal Arts, initial course offerings eventually led to the establishment of the School of Journalism in 1955.[11] This new school brought together the advertising program, which dates back to 1936, and the journalism program to form what became the School of Communications in 1985.[7]

Joining the advertising/public relations and journalism programs to form a more comprehensive communications school were programs in film-video, media studies and telecommunications. The film-video program, originating in the College of Arts and Architecture, and the media studies program, previously a communications studies major housed in the College of Liberal Arts, were both introduced at Penn State in the 1960s. The telecommunications major was born in the College of Liberal Arts, dating back to the mid-1970s.

After its establishment in 1985, the School of Communications was upgraded to the College of Communications in 1995, followed by the departmentalization of the college in 2000. On April 21, 2017, the college was renamed the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, after the acclaimed writer, producer, director and alumnus Donald P. Bellisario gifted $30 million[1][12][13] to support students and faculty in the college, and to establish the Donald P. Bellisario Media Center, which opened in 2021.[14][15] The college is the largest accredited mass communications program in the United States.[4][16]

Research

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  • Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication
  • Newspaper Journalists Oral History Program
  • John Curley Center for Sports Journalism
  • Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D)
  • Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership
  • Institute for Information Policy
  • Media Effects Research Laboratory
  • Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment
  • Science Communication Program
  • Children, Media & Conflict Zones Laboratory
  • The Prison Journalism Program

Student organizations

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The college has more than forty media opportunities and student organizations, both on and off campus. These include CommAgency,[17] CommRadio,[18] and Centre County Report.[19]

Facilities

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The college has facilities located in several buildings on the University Park campus.

The Donald P. Bellisario Media Center (or Bellisario Media Center) opened in 2021.[20][15] The media center is located in the Willard Building,[14] and brings many of the college's facilities under one roof. The 63,000 square-foot (5,853 sq m) media center contains classrooms, offices, television studios, and spaces for film and video creation, and houses student-media operations.[20][21] Funding for its construction was supported by University funds and a $30 million dollar gift from Donald P. Bellisario.[1][22][12] Construction began in 2019.[23] Classes were first held in the media center in August 2021.[20]

Alumni

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There are some 30,000 alumni.[24] The program's more prominent graduates include:

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Television legend Donald P. Bellisario endows College of Communications | Penn State University". www.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  2. ^ "NCIS creator new namesake of Penn State College of Communications". Centre Daily Times. April 21, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-04-24.
  3. ^ "Academic Departments". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Penn State University. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  4. ^ a b "Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications". bulletins.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  5. ^ "Academic Departments". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  6. ^ "Academic Minors". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  7. ^ a b "Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State: College History". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  8. ^ Samuels, Helen Willa (1998-05-07). Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3498-9.
  9. ^ "Award-winning executive to discuss 'Personal Accountability in Advertising'". Penn State News. University Park, PA. February 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "College History - Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Penn State University. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  11. ^ "1950s, School Formation - Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  12. ^ a b "Hollywood Producer's $30 Million Dollar Donation Will Revamp Penn State Communications School". NBC 10 Philadelphia. April 21, 2017.
  13. ^ "Hollywood producer donates $30 million to Penn State". WTAE Pittsburgh. 2017-04-21. Archived from the original on 2017-04-24.
  14. ^ a b Calabria, Raygen (Sep 15, 2021). "Penn State students share their thoughts on newly renovated Willard Building". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  15. ^ a b Huberman, Dylan (2021-05-13). "A Look Inside PSU's Willard Building After an Extensive Multimillion-Dollar Renovation". WJAC. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  16. ^ Elsasser, John (May 2022). "Penn State Dean on Preparing Students for the Future". www.prsa.org. Public Relations Society of America. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  17. ^ "CommAgency". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  18. ^ "CommRadio". www.commmedia.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  19. ^ "Centre County Report". www.commmedia.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  20. ^ a b c "Bellisario Media Center". bellisario.psu.edu. 2022-06-16.
  21. ^ Hassel, Jeremiah (June 8, 2021). "Penn State's new Willard Building media center to foster collaboration, unity". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  22. ^ "The Gift: Resources to Support Future Media Pioneers". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  23. ^ Sneff, Michael (April 11, 2019). "Coming to town for Blue-White weekend? You might notice this PSU campus construction". Centre Daily Times. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12.
  24. ^ "Alumni - Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State". www.bellisario.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  25. ^ DiSanto, Matt (May 12, 2023). "Twitter's next CEO is a Penn State graduate. Check out her career highlights, background". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
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40°47′47″N 77°51′54″W / 40.79647°N 77.86487°W / 40.79647; -77.86487

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