School of Communications & Theater

Founded 1967

Thomas Jacobson, Ph.D., Interim Dean
2020 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-8421
www.temple.edu/sct

Goals and Objectives
History
Special Facilities
Special Programs

Goals and Objectives

The mission of the School of Communications and Theater (SCT) is to provide leadership in advancing the role of communication in public life.  This mission is pursued through the training of students for leadership careers in communications, media, and theater, through advancing research and creative activity in these fields, and through serving the public need for free and open communication. The school is concerned not only with high standards of professional work but also with encouraging the next generation of artists, teachers, and media managers to develop an intellectual background and a sense of social responsibility. Toward this end, SCT students are encouraged to take coursework in disciplines outside the school. For some, history and political science are related areas of interest; others choose literature and the arts; still others choose business, economics, or the social sciences. In this way, the school participates in providing not only professional training but also a broad humanistic education for its students.

The faculty of the school come from diverse backgrounds. Some have extensive professional experience as filmmakers, journalists, television producers, theater directors, speech writers, advertising executives, and public relations practitioners. Others have come to Communications and Theater through academic study, doing graduate work and continuing the practice of research and scholarship while teaching at Temple.

Return to menu

History

The study of communication began formally at Temple University with the founding of the Department of Journalism in 1927. It was the first such department in the Commonwealth.

Theater was an extracurricular activity at Temple until 1931, when formal courses were developed.

Radio-Television became an instructional division in 1947, and extensive film offerings were added in 1967. That year, Journalism and Radio-Television-Film joined Theater to form the School of Communications and Theater. In 1987 the highly-respected Department of Speech moved to the school from the College of Arts and Sciences. A year later, Speech became two departments: Rhetoric and Communication, and Speech-Language-Hearing.

The school was restructured in 1995. Radio-Television-Film is now the Department of Film and Media Arts and the Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media; Journalism became Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising; Rhetoric and Communication became Speech Communication. In 1998, the Department of Communication Sciences (Speech-Language-Hearing) moved to the College of Health Professions.

The most recent change in the structure of the school involved the Departments of Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising, and Speech Communication.  Effective Fall 2004, Advertising became a separate department. The Department of Speech Communication changed its name to Strategic and Organizational Communication and includes Public Relations as one of three concentrations:  Public Communication (formerly Speech Communication), Public Relations, and Organizational Leadership. In 2010, the Department of Strategic and Organizational Communication changed its name to the Department of Strategic Communication.

Renowned for their professional experience, research, and teaching, our faculty prepare our graduates for a wide range of careers in communication industries, as well as lead graduate students towards Ph.D., M.F.A., M.A., and M.J. degrees.

Return to menu

Special Facilities

The School of Communications and Theater is housed in buildings designed for teaching, research, and production.

The primary location of the School is Annenberg Hall, which houses the Departments of Film and Media Arts; Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media; Journalism; and Advertising. Television and film production areas (studios and editing, graphics, and film labs) occupy the first floor. The building also includes extensive video and film editing areas, a 75-seat multimedia screening room, photographic labs, two news writing labs and smart classrooms.

The Theater Department, located in Tomlinson Hall, features two theaters, as well as rehearsal rooms, costume, and scene shops.  The Department of Strategic Communication is housed in Weiss Hall.

The Joe First Media Center, SCT's newest addition, is located on the first floor, linking Annenberg and Tomlinson Halls. The center is a communications and media hub for the school and includes a cyber-café, a multimedia information center, and a venue for displaying student work and film screenings. 

Return to menu

Special Programs

TUTV - Temple University Television

During Fall 2010, the university will launch TUTV, a new regional cable television channel with associated new media platforms, which will showcase the innovative work done by Temple students, faculty, and alumni.

TUTV offices and master control are located on the first floor of Annenberg Hall and is a part of the Kal & Lucille Rudman Media Production Center. The Rudman Center also features a broadcast studio and a computer-equipped classroom. The station will feature news, sports, music, comedy, and documentary programs. TUTV will present content from many of the university's other professional schools, plus programs produced in association with community cultural groups and professional broadcasters. Student volunteers will be accepted. For more information, contact the TUTV General Manager at paul.gluck@temple.edu.

Temple Update

Temple Update is a production course in which students can gain experience producing, reporting, and editing for a half-hour weekly news magazine format. The program airs on a cable outlet. The course gives students the opportunity to produce material for a résumé tape and provides students with valuable experience in field work, news writing, video editing, and the pressure of a live program.

Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD)

The Student Affairs Office within the School of Communications and Theater will launch a new Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD) during the Fall 2010 semester. Student Affairs will continue to offer professional development programming in the new space, which includes computers for job searching, résumé writing, cover letter writing, and job-related research; reference books; a space for small group professional development workshops; and a separate conference room for interviews, mock interviews, and student meetings with alumni in the field. The CSPD will partner with the Career Center to offer specialized programming for School of Communications and Theater students. Programming will include a variety of offerings related to job search preparation, the graduate school application process, and undergraduate research opportunities. For more information, please contact the Student Affairs Office at 215-204-5273.

Internship Program

Although the requirements may vary, internships are available to junior and senior students of every department in the school. Internships are for academic credit and must involve professional activity related to the student's course of study. The internships must be approved by the administrator or faculty member charged with supervising internships.

Los Angeles Internship & Study Program

Offered by the Film and Media Arts Department, the Los Angeles Internship & Study Program is open to all Temple University students on both the upper-level undergraduate (63 credit hours completed) and graduate levels who have an interest in working within the Hollywood entertainment industry. This program is offered as an 8-credit summer program that runs from May through the end of July. It includes an on-site internship and ten weeks of concurrent coursework. Additionally, the program will be offered in the spring semester as a full-time program of study combined with an internship component. For more information, please contact the SCT Director of Study Away, 215-204-6535.

Study Abroad/Study Away

The School of Communications and Theater offers several programs for students who are interested in studying abroad and strongly encourages students to participate in these programs.

The school offers a program in London for undergraduate students. Students spend either the fall or spring semester in London studying British theater and media as well as journalism and advertising with an international faculty.

Enrollment in the London program is also open to qualified students from other universities and colleges to foster an intellectual exchange among students of varied collegiate backgrounds. Courses are designed to make the best use of the uniqueness of London and the United Kingdom.

Summer Study Abroad programs are also an important feature of the school's special programs. Realizing the inestimable value of direct contact with professionals and other experts, the School of Communications and Theater offers an annual summer seminar in London on British Mass Media. These seminars are offered for graduate and undergraduate credit and can be an integral part of a student's coursework. 

Temple Dublin is a month-long program offered by the School of Communications and Theater which allows students to experience the old and the new Dublin within a challenging academic experience.  The two-course program includes a foundational course on Irish Identity taught by a Dublin professor and a course on Irish media and arts taught by the school's faculty director. 

Temple Montreal is a new 6-week program as of summer 2010. Students will study and learn from professionals and academics in the growing field of video game production and culture in one of the most vibrant and international cities in North America.

The summer programs, like the academic year program, are open to qualified students from other universities and colleges and to others who choose to continue their education in a less formal manner than in a prescribed program of study.

See International Programs for more information about Study Abroad options. Current information on the programs listed here is available from the SCT Study Abroad/Study Away advisor, 215-204-6535.

The school is also in the process of developing Study Away programs, which would be conducted within the United States.  Check with the Study Abroad/Study Away advisor for information on these developments.

Return to menu