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Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Entrepreneurial Leadership

Landmark College student interning at Vermont's Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV).
Landmark College student presenting at Poster Fair competition.
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Engage in project management, teamwork, problem solving, and effective communication practices within a professional context.

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership (B.A. COMEL) degree focuses on project management, entrepreneurship, team building, and message design and delivery to prepare our students for entry-level jobs in fields such as civic organizing, media production, public relations, management, and other positions that require organizational leadership and business development.

The B.A. COMEL prepares students to become leaders and entrepreneurs in today’s increasingly complex world.

Students in this major explore a wide variety of co-curricular opportunities as they find their focus, including producing content for the Landmark College TV and radio stations, contributing to the student-run magazine Voices, and participating in the Landmark College Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (LEAP).


Learn more about the B.A. COMEL Degree

  • The B.A. COMEL degree was intentionally designed to draw from communication and business to capitalize on the dynamic intersection of those disciplines.

    The B.A. COMEL integrates practical experience with interdisciplinary understanding through a model that emphasizes collaboration and innovation. The degree promotes exploration of the nature of human communication and utilizes creative and appropriate modalities and technologies to accomplish communicative goals.

    Over the course of this degree, students will strengthen qualities of creative and resilient leadership and learn how to effect collaborative, transformative change in an ethical and culturally sensitive manner.

  • Find Your Passion!

    Become a DJ on our campus radio station WLMC, write for Voices, our student-run publication, create a show for Voices TV, or follow up on a creative business idea guided by our Landmark Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (LEAP).

    These are a few examples of cocurricular activities drawn from the B.A. COMEL curriculum for students to expand upon for personal interest and growth. “After hours” participation is an opportunity to learn and apply skills and processes as well as practice teamwork development and project management.

    With an emphasis upon leadership and collaboration, our cocurricular opportunities build community and support campus life.

    • Check out the Idea Lab, our makerspace, to explore both high- and low-tech tools and techniques and engage in projects ranging from robotics to Legos to crafts.
    • Try out the Adobe Publishing Suite in the Mini Lab to generate polished videos and multimedia promotional materials.
    • Gain experience and build your resume by serving on the executive board of the TV Studio.
    • Earn elective credit with our one-credit courses such as Digital Storytelling, Launch a Business, and Editorial Leadership.
    • Participate in our Annual Pitch contest to gain start-up funds to test new business initiatives and enterprises.

  • The B.A. COMEL emphasis upon hands-on learning leads to many credit-bearing internship opportunities, both on campus and off.

    Recent internships include:

    • Grocery marketing & retail management
    • Real estate assistant
    • Small venue management
    • Sports broadcasting production
    • Social media specialist
    • TV production and archive assistant
    • Event planning and promotion
    • Brand writing and web design

    The college has partnerships with the following organizations that offer neurodiverse-friendly supportive workforce and internship programs:

    • Broad Futures
    • Dynamy
    • Disability IN
    • Neurodiversity Pathways
    • Hasbro

  • Where to Go From Here?

    The B.A. COMEL degree provides a foundation for the following career options (to advance in some areas, additional education and/or experience may be necessary).

    • Advertising/Marketing: Advertising or marketing specialist, copywriter, account executive, sales manager, media planner, media buyer, creative director, media sales representative, sales and marketing manager, media manager.
    • Electronic Media/Radio-Television/Broadcasting: Program director, community relations director, film editor, news director, reporter, sales associate/manager, web designer, audience/market researcher, media buyer, announcer/news anchor, public relations manager, comedy writer, casting director, producer, business manager, floor manager, talk show host.
    • Health Communication: Health educator, school health care administrator, medical grant writer, clinic public relations director, health communication analyst, medical training supervisor, communication manager for federal health agencies, medical center publications editor, hospice manager, health care counselor, health facility fundraiser.
    • Journalism (Print or Electronic): Reporter, editor, newscaster, copywriter, script writer, publisher, news service researcher, technical writer, acquisitions editor, media interviewer.
    • New Media and Technology: Digital graphic designer, web publisher, e-zine writer and editor, game designer, app developer, social media marketing specialist, website designer and administrator, new media researcher.
    • Organizational Communication: Human resources/training/internal communication specialist, meeting manager, labor negotiator, recruiter, industrial media producer/director, technical writer, community/government affairs coordinator, research/knowledge manager.
    • Political Communication: Press secretary, speech writer, political campaign consultant, elected official, political reporter, diplomat, lobbyist, lawyer, legislative assistant, communication director.
    • Public Relations: Publicity manager, press agent, lobbyist, public affairs specialist, development officer, fundraiser, membership recruiter, sales manager, media analyst, media planner, creative director, audience analyst, community relations specialist, internal communication director, public opinion researcher.
    • Risk and Crisis Communication: Public relations officer, corporate spokesperson, corporate trainer, communication consultant, spokesperson for government agencies.

    Source: Adapted from National Communication Association (2011). Pathways to communication careers in the 21st century. Washington DC: National Communication Association.

  • To earn the B.A. COMEL degree, students must complete 121 credits:

    • 42 credits of major required courses:
      • 36 major required credits
      • 6 major required credits that also count toward general education
    • 34 additional credits to complete the general education requirements
    • 45 credits of general electives (15 must be at the 3000/4000 level)

    Major Requirements (42 credits)

    • COM2041 Team Based Communication OR  BUS2011 Effective Business Communication
    • COM2065 Radio Production OR JRN2021 Multimedia Journalism 
    • COM3041 Leadership and Change
    • COM3061 Guided Leadership Practicum
    • COM4000 COMEL Capstone
    • MGT2011 Principles of Management OR MGT2021 Human Resource Management
    • MKT2011 Introduction to Marketing OR BUS2021 Entrepreneurship and Innovation 
    • Lower-level Communication Requirement: Choose two courses (one meets General Education Communication requirement)
      • COM1011 Introduction to Communications 
      • COM1021 Interpersonal Communication 
      • COM1071 Introduction to Public Speaking 
      • COM2051 Intercultural Communication  
    • Quantitative Reasoning Requirement: Choose one course from
      • ECN2021 Introduction to Microeconomics 
      • ECN2031 Introduction to Macroeconomics 
      • ACC2011 Managerial Accounting 
    • Upper Division Degree Requirement
      • Students take five upper-level courses on various topics that may include (but are not limited to): accounting, business, communication, journalism, management, marketing, and media.

    Additional General Education Requirements

    • WRT1011 Composition and Rhetoric OR WRT1008 Writing Process & Practice Part 2
    • WRT1012 Research and Analysis
    • EDU1011 Perspectives in Learning
    • Mathematics distribution elective (as indicated through placement exam)
    • Humanities distribution elective
    • Natural Science with lab distribution elective
    • Social Science distribution elective
    • Creativity distribution elective
    • Alternative Experience
    • Advanced Writing

    General Electives: 45 credits (15 at the 3000/4000 level)

    121 Total Credits

  • Upon completion of the B.A. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership degree, students will be able to:

    • Demonstrate context-appropriate communication.
    • Apply communication principles and theories to real world contexts.
    • Demonstrate ability to establish and reflect upon communication goals.
    • Demonstrate civility with and across diverse people and situations.
    • Identify the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social dimensions of leadership.
    • Evaluate ethical choices and outcomes personally and professionally.
    • Apply leadership skills in decision-making.
    • Demonstrate leadership through strategic development and implementation of a team project.
    • Analyze the quality of information received through different types of media, channels, and sources.
    • Create and deliver messages appropriate to the audience, purpose, and context.
    • Present ideas using credible sources.
    • Demonstrate proficiency in use of multimedia technologies.

Questions?

 

 

Photo of Professor Eric Matte

Eric Matte
Chair, Professional Studies Department
802-387-1675
[email protected]

 

Photo of Dean Solvegi Shmulsky

Solvegi Shmulsky
Dean, School of Liberal Studies and the Arts; Interim Dean, Professional Studies
802-387-6754
[email protected]

 

Interested in applying?

Whether you are new to Landmark College or are a former student interested in returning for a baccalaureate degree, you can apply here (the reenrollment process for Landmark College alumni can be found under the "Returning" tab).

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