What Is A Multiplatform Journalism Degree?

Graduates with a degree from Florida Tech in multiplatform journalism enter the workforce with the skills needed to prepare story content for the diverse range of media available today. Combining journalism and communications technology, graduates understand how to merge text, images, and video to create engaging content to publish across any number of digital platforms. Whether working in news, marketing, social media, public relations, multimedia development, broadcasting, or website communications, graduates with a bachelor’s in multiplatform journalism are also trained in media law and ethics. Plus, as a science and technology-focused university, Florida Tech graduates gain focused experience in creating and publishing for the sciences.

Gain Real-Life Journalistic Experience with the Media Practicum Course

Students in the multiplatform journalism degree program build their skills with hands-on exposure in the media practicum course. Students work for the campus newspaper or WFIT, the on-campus public radio station, or get internship experience with a local newspaper, radio station, television station, or social media, public relations, or marketing organization. Classroom and internship experience give students exposure to the many career options available in the industry.

A top multiplatform journalism school like Florida Tech prepares students for the workplace by using an integrated curriculum and hands-on experiences to build advanced expertise. Multimedia journalism is one of the most diverse careers available today, with job opportunities in public relations, marketing and media, corporate social responsibility, broadcast media, video production, political communication, crisis communication planning, and Web and social media, among others. Such diverse employment options demand students have a breadth of skills essential for today’s global communication environment. Florida Tech provides all that and more.

Superior Credentials

US News & World Report ranks Florida Tech a Tier One Best National University (2013), and the Times of London Higher Education ranks Florida Tech among the top 20 small universities in the world. In addition, Florida Tech ranked in the top 10 percent for return on investment 20 years after graduation in the 2016 PayScale College ROI Report. Florida Tech has also been ranked a Barron’s Guide “Best Buy,” and is the top private university in Florida according to Washington Monthly.

Experienced Multiplatform Journalism Faculty

Florida Tech’s curriculum reflects the demanding, fast-paced, and diversified multimedia journalism environment. Working closely with students, our faculty is regularly available for advising and one-on-one mentoring, establishing relationships that continue long after graduation. Students have an opportunity to work side-by-side with faculty on important communications research projects, including corporate social responsibility, reputation management, or political communications.

The rapidly changing communications industry demands professionals with relevant experience who can guide students to master professional excellence, ethics, and leadership. Students earning a multiplatform journalism degree at Florida Tech are part of a small, collegial community where professors mentor students in a collaborative learning environment. The faculty boasts expertise in fields including public relations, corporate social responsibility, healthcare, communication and social issues, crisis management and politics.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BS in Multiplatform Journalism. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Faculty-led research and journalism internships offer students a chance to see the type of work they’ll likely do on the job. These workplace-style learning experiences give communication students a chance to put their skills to work and see first-hand the diverse range of career options multiplatform journalism provides.

Media Practicum Course Offers Peerless Study and Internship Opportunities

Students earning a bachelor’s in multiplatform journalism immediately begin working in media through the media practicum course, often writing for the student newspaper or working with WFIT. Communication students at Florida Tech have access to a variety of on-campus internship opportunities dedicated to the career field

Journalism and social media internships are also available with local firms providing newspaper, radio, television, social media, public relations, or marketing organization experience. Public relations internships offer opportunities for writing and reporting in the private or public sector. Multiplatform Journalism students at Florida Tech have access to a variety of on-campus internship opportunities dedicated to the career field.

Research Opportunities in Mass Communication and Journalism

Professors have a variety of research interests in which students may participate, including corporate communication strategies and reputation management, the role of popular culture artifacts on collective memory, intercultural communication, and communication and social issues.

Cutting-Edge Senior Design Project

The senior year design project gives students a chance to create their own media-related project. The experience they’ve gained while working on campus, or in journalism or public relations internships, provides students with specific knowledge for working on a project such as a marketing campaign for a class “client” or the production of a documentary. Florida Tech’s computer labs include video, audio, and visual editing software to assist in this project.

This project showcases a student’s ability to plan, execute and analyze a communication issue, and could include a project such as developing a crisis communication plan.

A multiplatform journalism career provides a wide range of opportunities in the fields of marketing, advertising, corporate communications, radio and television, print and electronic media, and digital media. As media has become more diverse, so have the job skills, and the unique job opportunities it offers.

Conducting research, writing content, distributing the communication, working with the media, managing online platforms, and handling social media are all critical parts of the duties demanded by communication careers.

With a degree in multiplatform journalism from Florida Tech, students have excellent training to begin a journalism career, choosing to work in the field as a multimedia journalist or in a more traditional role as an investigative reporter.

Get Recruited Upon Graduation

Florida Tech multiplatform journalism graduates find employment as a broadcast producer, digital graphics director, social media coordinator, video editor, marketing communication specialist, Web content developer, or science reporter, not to mention social media content development, writing or editing for newspapers and magazines, blogging, public relations, and digital design. Because the diverse media environment continues to grow, and there are more specialties in digital communications developing every day, Florida Tech prepare graduates to be ready to work with little need for on-the-job training.

Career Outlook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides detailed information about hundreds of careers, including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things.

According to the Bureau, employment in communication careers is expected to grow 6% through 2024, as organizations continue to emphasize the production of media content and customer relations to enhance their reputation and visibility. Writers and content developers also find work in public relations, blogging and reputation management initiatives. A multimedia journalist works to produce video for broadcast and online platforms, and creates compelling stories for branding, fundraising, and documentaries.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that communications jobs in the professional, scientific, and technical service industries have the highest wages.

Other Career Options

A multiplatform journalism career includes position such as:

• Broadcast anchor
• Video writer and editor
• Television producer
• Broadcast engineers
• Print writer and publisher
• Script writer
• Web and social media writer
• Digital producer
• Print and digital editor
• Public relations specialist
• Advertising copywriter
• Market researcher
• Digital graphics designer
• Photographer
• Web designer/editor

FastTrack Global Strategic Communication Master's Program

Students can also choose to continue their education in graduate school, pursuing mass communication and journalism, corporate communications, publishing, instructional design, multimedia development, teaching, or law.

Eligible multiplatform journalism students can take graduate level course work while still an undergraduate with the FastTrack Global Strategic Communication Program, which allows students to take graduate coursework while still an undergraduate, allowing them to finish a graduate degree in less time than they could in a traditional program.