Department of Communication and Theater


Hello! Welcome to our site!


Who we are

We are an energetic and enthusiastic department of some 16 faculty and staff, and about 250 undergraduate majors. Together, we're involved in making sense. That's right, making sense of and making sense in the Information Age. Today, and even more so in the coming years, we are bombarded by messages of all sorts -- through advertising, television and film, news, the internet, magazines, friends, family and more.

We use theories and techniques to help understand what happens when people try to communicate, whether in a job interview, a family discussion, or a television program. Too, we learn the skills and methods for becoming more effective communicators ourselves. After all, to communicate well is one vital ability for building good careers and living good lives.

You'll find that our student-faculty ratio of 20-to-1 (lower in theater) allows you to have close personal contact with professors. In fact, because YSU isn't a humongous mega-university with kazillions of people everywhere, you'll experience the "small college" intimacy and personalized treatment at a school which draws on the vast resources of Ohio's state university system. That means you'll take courses taught by fully-qualified faculty, not graduate students, and you'll use facilities that are among the best anywhere. And in theater, unlike mega-universities where prized roles are restricted to graduate students or where undergraduate students are confined to menial duties and bit parts, at YSU you'll be able to audition for major roles in main season productions. And, you can try your hand in BlackBox Productions, our own all-student production company!

You can count on getting help when you need it, too. Each of our professors serves as an academic advisor, so you will have access to good academic and career-oriented counseling in the planning of your program. And, faculty are among the most knowledgable of how you can build a bridge from your college years to your career or graduate school.

Degree Programs

We group our studies into programs, with each program leading to an academic degree. Programs in Speech Communication and Telecommunication Studies lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Within Speech Communication are three "concentrations": general speech, organizational communication, and theater. Students who study toward the Bachelor of Arts degree choose a program and, if Speech Communication, a concentration. The Bachelor of Arts is the traditional liberal arts college degree: it focuses on helping you build a foundation of knowledge and skill that makes you a well-educated person. The liberal arts degree "liberates" in the sense that graduates aren't constrained to a particular line of work; instead, they have developed "transferable skills" that are useful and meaningful in a wide range of future life paths.

We also feature a program in Theater Studies that leads to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The BFA is referred to as "professional" because it specifically prepares graduates for work in the theater or entertainment arts. Within the theater major are two concentrations: production/performance and musical theater. If you choose production/performance, you'll get a broad introduction to the design/construction elements of theater (such as stagecraft, scenic/costume design, and lighting) as well as to the "performance" specialties of acting, dance, combat, and directing. Students in Musical Theater receive training not only in theater production and performance but also in music theory and voice.

Facilities

We're housed in Bliss Hall, a four-story center built in 1976 and regularly enlarged and updated. In addition to faculty offices and conference rooms, we have a complete production and performance facility for theater including Ford Theater (proscenium) and Spotlight Experimental Theater, scene and costume shops, makeup and dressing rooms, green room, and front-of-house facilities such as a computerized box office. We also use other on-campus locations from time to time, such as Kilcawley Center's Chestnut Room (seating for 800).

Our Speech Communication Video Lab includes five remotely-controlled color cameras and a complete production center which allows videotaping and study of student performances and projects.

The Telecommunication Studies Lab features three audio production centers, including digital audio workstations, for student use. One of these is the origination studio for YSU-NOW!, the weekly 30-minute YSU showcase broadcast on area radio stations and produced by YSU TCom students. The Lab also includes a multi-terminal LAN which provides direct access to the Internet and Web. We collaborate with Media Services in Cushwa Hall to use their full-color TV studio; our Hi-8/U-matic video field systems and editors are housed in the Media Services complex.

Special Opportunities

University Theater is our resident production company. Through it we stage five main productions each academic year, including a musical and an opera. Participation is open to all, with casting priority given to students in Theater Studies.

ShadeTree Productions is our summer production company. Each year we collaborate with one or two community theater organizations to stage light summer theater entertainment.

BlackBox Productions is a student production company which stages three plays each year, some written by YSU students.

University Forensics is our speech team, regularly a top contender in national competition. You can try your hand regardless of whether you've already competed in high school or not (there's a special category for beginners!). Forensics is a particularly good way to sharpen your thinking, to strengthen your communication skills, to build self-confidence, and to meet neat people!

Internship in Telecommunication is a nationally-recognized opportunity for you to spend 6 months in an electronic media-related company or organization, and to receive pay and academic credit! Students are selected for this program based on their application and interview, and they start/end each December 1 and June 1. While not required for graduation, the Internship represents both an important capstone experience and a bridge to post-graduation employment. Internship credit may be applied for in other departmental programs, too.

Accreditation

Youngstown State University is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and, as such, is fully accredited in all academic programs. Also, the BA and BFA degree programs in Theater Studies are fully accredited by NAST, the National Association of Schools of Theater.

Admission Requirements

For the University

ACT or SAT scores are necessary if you have been out of high school for less than two years or if required for admission into a restricted program. Ohio residents must have graduated from high school with a state-approved diploma effective with the June 1994 graduating class, or passet the test of General Education Development (GED). Non-residents must have graduated in the upper two-thirds of their high school class; or have an ACT composite score of at least 17; or have a combined SAT total score of at least 700; or passed the test of General Education Development. Transfer students who are Ohio residents must have an accumulated GPA of 2.0 or more and be in good standing at the last institution attended. Conditional admission is available.

For Communication and Theater

You can directly enter any departmental Bachelor of Arts program. Standards might be higer if you intend to transfer either from another college or university or from another YSU department. For Theater, all beginning students are admitted to the Bachelor of Arts program (major in Speech Communication, Theater emphasis). If you prefer the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (major in Theater), you will be switched to that program after you have completed basic courses and an audition.

Speech Communication

In the Speech Communication area of the department, you'll learn to work closely with other people to solve problems, make decisions, and express your ideas, in many situations, to achieve tasks and goals in a professional or personal setting.

Opportunities and facilities

Faculty

Telecommunication Studies

In the Telecommunication Studies program you'll learn to use sound, visuals and data effectively to create messages to be sent over distances by predominantly electronic systems. Too, you'll have an understanding of how such systems are managed and operated.

Opportunities and Facilities

Faculty

Special information