Why would I choose a small college program?

Classes average less than 15 people and professors know you as a person, not just a number. All surveys of Piedmont students indicate that the close relationship with the professors is the number one reason they are happy with their experience at Piedmont. Freshmen and sophomores get to utilize the equipment and participate in the activities of the department right away, unlike larger programs. Every fall, eight of our freshmen work as interns for WNEG, filming high school football games throughout the region that are then shown on the network, WNEG's highest rated programming of the year.

Why is mass comm at Piedmont a good choice?

Unlike most other programs, students rotate through all areas of mass comm including television, radio, writing for newspapers and magazines, telecommunications, advertising and public relations. Students can also take courses in web design, layout and design, digital photography, animation basics and broadcast graphics. Students also have the option to major or minor in graphic design.

Do you have great facilities?

We are in a new 14 million dollar building that has a newsroom designed by the same people who designed the international studios at CNN. We had a lot of help from CNN professionals when we designed the building and they remain a close partner of ours. We have radio stations, screening room, Mac Lab, TV studio, control room and super classroom space. Take a virtual tour.

Do you have awesome technology?

The mass comm department at Piedmont has state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment. We are fortunate to receive a grant from the Jim Cox Jr. Foundation that allows us to maintain state-of-the-art status. For example, we just installed super MACs in a new Mac lab that has 18 stations, four printers, light boxes and scanners. We have the latest versions of Final Cut Pro editing software suites and Adobe Creative Suites ruining on those computers. Before students graduate they can learn more than 20 different software programs on both PCs and MACs.

When will I be able to use the equipment?

Larger programs make you wait until junior year, but we throw freshmen and transfers into production immediately. Our freshmen work on television and radio programs, on the newspaper, yearbook and magazine, and produce their own radio shows.

Will I feel welcomed by upper classmen?

At Piedmont there is little differentiation between class levels, in other words, freshmen hang out with seniors and people at all class levels work together. Students in the department love to help others figure things out. They want and need you on their projects. If you work hard you can do anything. If you don’t work hard you’ll have a problem getting along with the other students. You don’t have to know what you’re doing at first. You just need to be enthusiastic.

Isn’t a private college expensive?

Piedmont has an aggressive scholarship program and there are department scholarships you can be eligible for as early as the second semester of freshman year. Most of our students come from families with moderate incomes and we are committed to making it work out financially for you. You can contact the financial aid office for more information.

What internships and trips are available to students?

In the past 2 years we sent students on many trips including: a United Nations conference in Washington, D.C.; an international conference of delegates at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; the National Association of Television Program Executives conference in Las Vegas; the New York Times student editors conference in New York City; to chase tornados with consultants to the Weather Channel; and to film a pro football game for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In addition, students participate in many different internship opportunites including CNN, Star 94 and newspapers throughout the region. Check out our internships.

Do graduates of your program get jobs?

We have a high success rate with our graduates working in the field. Employers love the fact that students know a lot about different areas. We keep in close contact with our alumni and they come back regularly to talk to students about their experiences. Their employers visit us as well. Our alumni have jobs at places as varied as The Food Network in New York City and the Swedish Broadcasting System in Stockholm.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a tour.

-- Back to Top --