Designed to meet the growing need for communication professionals skilled in a variety of writing styles, the English-Communication Arts major (EA) is a unique interdisciplinary degree plan which has been the choice for many successful alumni. The program offers students the opportunity to hone their critical thinking and writing abilities, integrating these with media-production skills, in preparation for rewarding careers and enriched lives in a rapidly changing world. Because the degree is rooted in the Humanities, students explore various areas in literature and theory to develop their metaphorical thinking and creative abilities.

The EA degree examines how the power of language and of image is used to promote the common good as students wrestle with how their own communication practices enhance not only their personal and professional pursuits, but also their engagement in the civic realm. Recent research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org) and the National Commission on Writing (www.writingcommission.org) indicates that communication skills, particularly written ones, are the most valued qualities or skills employers are looking for in college graduates. Aware of this demand, EA majors graduate having trained in several writing styles in areas such as the following: journalism, public relations, technical writing, publication writing, and corporate communications. In their junior or senior years, students have the opportunity to apply their growing knowledge base in a professionally based internship. Recent students have interned in settings such as the White House, Bromley Communications, the San Antonio Express-News, the Dallas Cowboys, the San Antonio Spurs, WOAI-TV, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and the San Antonio Youth Organization, as well as many others.