B.S. Professional Communication & Emerging Media

Are you a writer, editor or social media enthusiast?
Degree Type Bachelor of Science
Careers & Salaries Career Outcomes
Delivery On Campus

Are you a writer, editor or social media junkie? A UW-Stout Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Professional Communication & Emerging Media (PCEM) offers a variety of career paths for people who are interested in creating and delivering content that is tailored to specific audiences.

Learn skills in digital storytelling, usability design and testing, social media, multimedia, website development, global communication, writing, editing and creating content. / UW-Stout
Graduation cap

100% of Graduates Employed or Continuing Education

Concentrations:

  • Applied Journalism: prepares you for the new age in journalism by exploring multimedia, interactivity and content repurposing.
  • Digital Humanities: skills you need to recognize trends in technology and understand how technology affects the way people communicate, interact and comprehend the world.

The core of our program includes courses in:

  • Document Design
  • Convergent Communication
  • Usability Design and Testing
  • Digital Storytelling
  • Writing for the Internet
  • Transnational Professional Communication
  • Foreign Language/Global Experience

Professional communication and emerging media is a rapidly growing profession. Development of new technologies has increased the demand for professionals who can clearly explain policies, products and services to clients and customers. UW-Stout’s program integrates communication theory with coursework in a chosen applied field.

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Program Overview

View program plans, credit requirements and course descriptions.

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Examples of applied fields include biomedical engineering, packaging, international studies, quality management, telecommunications, tourism, training and development, art and design, and business and management. As a PCEM graduate, you will have the skills to research, visualize, design, develop and oversee publication of both print and electronic documents.

"I met some of the most important people in my life during my time on campus. UW-Stout has given me the opportunity to gain fantastic experience that I can put towards my career after graduation."

-- Kylie Frank
B.S. Professional Communications & Emerging Media

Copy editing and preparation, multimedia or hypertext writing, and critical, technical and freelance writing courses prepare you to write clearly for specific audiences. In addition, courses in an applied field of your choice supply the strong technical background crucial to communicating complex ideas to different audiences. Elective courses give you the chance to explore other areas, such as photography or creative writing. All students will participate in a co-op, internship or practicum during their career.

Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Communication and Emerging Media.

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Communication is everywhere. Whether you’re reading a website, texting your friends, speaking with your boss, sending an e-mail or writing a paper, you are engaged in communication. It is one of the most important skills you can develop in the Information Age – and it can be a great career track. Do you want to be on the cutting edge?

Program Objectives

Core Curriculum Objectives

  1. Correctly gauge audience concerns and attitudes
  2. Apply appropriate rhetorical principles
  3. Understand and apply concepts and strategies of global communication
  4. Understand interpersonal, organizational, and intercultural communication within discourse communities
  5. Understand and apply ethical concepts
  6. Apply visual communication strategies
  7. Apply information design strategies
  8. Apply research techniques
  9. Demonstrate use of audience-appropriate styles
  10. Use genres effectively
  11. Apply usability strategies
  12. Design and conduct usability tests, applying appropriate user research methodology
  13. Understand concepts of content management and use content management systems
  14. Gain experience with project management and collaborative work environments

Applied Journalism Concentration Objectives

  1. Write effectively for a variety of audiences within chosen industry fields
  2. Produce relevant, timely content in a production environment
  3. Understand mass communication concepts

Digital Humanities Concentration Objectives

  1. Plan, research, and write a major project in a humanities field using appropriate technology
  2. Articulate the social, cultural, and/or developmental impacts of technologically mediated communication
  3. Appreciate the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the study of technology, and adapt to unique methodologies
  4. Deploy both theoretical reflections on and technical uses of digital media in interpretive inquiry
Program Advisory Committee

Advisory Committee Members

PaulAnheierUser Experience (UX) ResearcherAmazon.com, Inc.
DaveBeckAssociate Dean, CAHSUW-Stout
TeenaCarnegieDirector, Technical CommunicationEastern Washington University
BrianCroxallAssistant Research Professor of DHBrigham Young University
KevinDrzakowskiAssociate Dean, CAHSUW-Stout
JayEdenborgMarketing DirectorMcGough Construction Co., Inc.
KateEdenborgAssociate Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
AaronFultzTechnical Communication ManagerSRK Consulting
MattGundrumFreelance Writing Consultant 
MelissaHaeskaDirector of Operations and Grants ManagementNational Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota
RussHallDigital CoordinatorAbbott
RachelHallgrimsonSocial Media & Video Coordinator, Marketing CommunicationsUW–Stout
JoleenHansonAssociate Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
MariaJahnTechnical Communications ManagerKohler Co.
Elizabeth KafkaLecturer, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
JerryKapusDepartment Chair, English and PhilosophyUW-Stout
Lee-AnnKastman BreuchProfessor and Chair, Writing StudiesUniversity of Minnesota
DavidMaddenDigital Content SupervisorHealthPartners
ColinMarklowitzDigital Media ProducerKohler Co.
AmyMittlestadtPublic Affairs ManagerMayo Clinic Health System
MitchOgdenProgram Director, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
DaisyPignettiAssociate Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
Alyssa QuillingProgram Associate, English and PhilosophyUW-Stout
PatrickRanfranzDirector of MarketingRice Lake Weighing Systems
CodyReimerAssistant Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
AlisonSaxtonTechnical Writer 
GregorySchneider-BatemanAssociate Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
JohnSpartzAssociate Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
EmiStuemkeAssistant Professor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
JulieWattsProfessor, PCEM Program FacultyUW-Stout
MaryaWilsonAssistant Professor, Operations and ManagementUW-Stout
Bob ZeidelDean, CAHSUW-Stout

Professional Communication & Emerging Media

All Professional Communication & Emerging Media News
UW-Stout Spring Showcase: Experience what the Polytechnic Advantage is all about Featured Image

UW-Stout Spring Showcase: Experience what the Polytechnic Advantage is all about

Multiple research and design events in April, May open to the public
UW-Stout’s Fostering Success Program, leaders recognized by Gov. Evers Featured Image

UW-Stout’s Fostering Success Program, leaders recognized by Gov. Evers

First-of-its-kind program, Provost Rodríguez, Professor Lukowski recognized Oct. 27 at capitol
Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by UW-Stout Featured Image

Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by UW-Stout

Historical fiction talk on Oct. 16 will address war, feminism, ethnicity