Political Communication - UC

About This Certificate

The field of Political Communication has employment merit in its own right. Political communication jobs vary in specifics, from government affairs at Coca-Cola to a communication specialist at the Environmental Defense Fund to a position at CNN in criminal justice reporting. For students interested in pursuing careers in politics, adding communication/public relations skills improves their marketability because they receive extra training in forming compelling messages and the dissemination of those messages through traditional communication methods (like print and broadcast media) and newer methods (like social media, podcasts, and other electronic media). For students interested in pursuing communication careers (like journalism and public relations) it improves their marketability by providing a strong knowledge base in politics and public policy—key subjects journalists and other communication professionals are often asked to address.

The certificate will incorporate classes from the Journalism & Communication Department, the Political Science Department, and the Communications Studies & Philosophy Department.

From these three areas, students will be required to complete 18 credits, including 9 credits from a list of core classes, with one core class from each area: Journalism & Communication (JCOM), Political Science (POLS), and Communication Studies (CMST). The core is meant to ensure that students are participating in all three areas brought together in the certificate. The core classes will begin to give students some common terminology as well as shared experiences that they can then take into the second half of their certificate.