Program Highlights
Degree Options
Communications, Associate in Science (AS)
Communication in Technology, Bachelor of Science (BS)
SUNY Cobleskill's Communication Department, with its interdisciplinary curriculum, knowledgeable faculty, and personal class sizes, gives our students the individual attention they need to become proficient professional and personal communicators.
Whether you choose to pursue an Associate in Communication or a Bachelor of Communication in Technology degree, you'll be exposed to multi-media platforms and to course work that ranges from hands-on learning to the exploration of important theoretical concepts.
And every step of the way, you'll be guided by key Communications faculty members Erik Hage and Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr., whose years of scholarship and experience make them outstanding guides to the virtually limitless impact that words, music and images have in today's world.
The curricula include courses that range from basic interviewing, newswriting and reporting to television video production, typography, and graphic design. It also features extensive opportunities for practical experiences and internships that provide students with the confidence and experience to become effective communications professionals. This combination gives graduates the extensive background and solid experience required for a variety of job opportunities in the communications field. All communications courses emphasize critical thinking, writing, research and presentation.
Mass communication is an exciting and growing area of formal study in today's fast-paced society, with companies and organizations in most fields now having communication professionals on staff. SUNY Cobleskill fully prepares Communications students to apply their coursework successfully to situations and challenges they will encounter in the real world, and in a diverse range of careers including:
Assistant Professor Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr., who earned a Doctorate of Arts in the Humanities from SUNY Albany in 2008, worked as an instructor and tutor at various institutions prior to coming to SUNY Cobleskill in 2013. He teaches intercultural communication, script writing, visual media, cinema, mass media, and composition and literature courses. An inter-disciplinarian, Dr. MacLeod stresses to his students the importance of both having a specialty and being well-rounded. He has presented on various subjects at conferences, including The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, Marathon Man, empathy in the Digital Age, stand-up comedy as a tool for composition writers, and Oliver Stone. He is also widely published, having produced book chapters (on such topics as religion and cinema and Bonnie and Clyde); encyclopedia entries; and book reviews for various print and online academic journals, including Film and History, Scope, Warscapes, and The Journal of American Studies of Turkey (among many others). Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he lives in Cobleskill with his wife of 14 years, Patricia, and his two beautiful furry children, Daisy and Layla. His outside interests include reading, watching movies and television programs, reading, long car rides with his wife, reading, going to concerts and comedy shows, and reading.
Professor Erik Hage has taught journalism, mass media, English, and technical communication at the college since arriving in 2001. Currently a book critic for Harvard Review, he has also been a columnist, feature writer, and critic for Metroland newspaper (Albany, NY) and a news editor at Premiere Networks (New York City). He earned a New York Press Association Award for business and economic journalism in 2006. In addition, he is the author of the books The Melville-Hawthorne Connection (2014), Cormac McCarthy: A Literary Companion (2010), and The Words and Music of Van Morrison (2009) -- and has contributed to seven other books. Having written for several newspapers, magazines, and journals, his most cherished experience as a journalist came when he interviewed the late blues legend B.B. King. Professor Hage’s research interests include biography, cultural criticism, wilderness writing, and sports journalism, and he and his family live in the Capital Region. Educated at Binghamton University (SUNY) and New York University, Professor Hage was raised in Upstate New York and Boston. When he is not writing, his main pastimes are trail running and training for marathons.
Douglas Flanagan has been involved with the media industry since the late 1980s. He began his career at WUTR in Utica, New York, working his way up through the ranks over 11 years. He eventually held the position of Program/Operations Manager and was responsible for hiring and training all production personnel at the station. He was involved in several award-winning productions, from thirty-second promotional TV spots to live semi-scripted coverage of news and community events such as the Boilermaker road race. Doug took his love for media production into the classroom in 2001, transitioning to a faculty position at Herkimer College. He has taught introductory audio and video classes, intermediate video classes, advanced video, mass communication, and sales/promotion classes. He also served as the Executive Producer of HCTV News, a student-produced newscast that won two Associated Press awards in the college category. At SUNY Cobleskill, he can often be found in the TV studio on the second floor of the library, working on modifications and updates and getting ready for the next student production.
