College to offer five-year combined broadcasting and MBA degree

The college has a new combined degree program tailored for students who know as undergraduates that they have interest in the business realms of electronic media.

The five-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and mass communications and a master’s degree in business administration launched this fall.

Fritz Messere ’71, M ’76, dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts, said he sees many graduates of the college’s broadcasting program develop successful careers in the field outside the studio. The new degree option aims to give such students a quick start on that career path.

“Particularly the students we see graduate from the broadcast program who are not in a creative area, they tend to be focused in some area related to business: sales of broadcast time, programming, management of broadcast stations, advertising and marketing,” Messere said.

Richard Skolnik, dean of the School of Business, noted that the strength of the two programs at Oswego makes the combination especially attractive for students seeking thorough grounding for solid careers. The School of Business appears every year in Princeton Review’s guide to “Best Business Schools.” The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences lists Oswego’s broadcasting program among the nation’s outstanding television, film and digital media programs.