Sports Media, Spanish Media Degree Programs Unite University of Saint Joseph, Connecticut Public

An innovative undergraduate program in Digital Media and Communication will launch in January 2020 at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) in West Hartford, part of a pioneering collaboration with Connecticut Public. The undergraduate degree program offers students two distinct concentrations: Spanish Media and Communication or Sport Media and Communication. 

The program will be the third in the nation—and only in New England—to offer a concentration in Spanish Media and Communication, according to officials. Students in the program will take courses at both USJ and Connecticut Public, located just a short drive from each other on Asylum Avenue - on either side of the Hartford-West Hartford line.

“In addition to having access to our notable faculty for language and communication courses, USJ students will greatly benefit from access to Connecticut Public resources. Through this program, the students’ media courses will be taught in newly modernized production studios led by working professionals in the industry ranging in disciplines from graphic design to video production,” said USJ Provost Michelle Kalis, Ph.D. 

The combination of academic rigor and hands-on experience will prepare undergraduate students in the Digital Media and Communication Program to enter into the media and communication industries ready to serve bilingual, bicultural and growing audience interest in a variety of sports. USJ currently offers a Sport Management and Promotion Program that prepares students to succeed as professionals in the world of sports and business.

“A key differentiator for our program is the application of educational theory to real-world projects led by instructors, including Emmy award-winning documentarians and producers,” said Donna Sodipo, Senior Vice President of Education at Connecticut Public.

“Our team works closely with students to produce professional work in a way that focuses on critical thinking and creative problem-solving as an integral part of the media landscape. Students’ access to the producers who, on an everyday basis, work to create content for the trusted and celebrated PBS and NPR brands makes this program an innovative and trailblazing step toward a comprehensive media education.”  

This is far from the first foray into education for Connecticut Public, which has long been known by the initials CPTV on television and WNPR on radio. The broadcaster provides hands-on education in media skills that strives to develop students into the next generation of media professionals. They have also offered programs specifically for veterans.

The Connecticut Public instructors are working professionals who, on a day-to-day basis, employ the skills they teach in their courses. As a result, their curricula are current and refreshed on a regular basis to reflect the constantly changing and evolving media and technology landscape, officials point out.