Vision of Department
Department’s Environment
The importance of effective communication is emphasized further and industries applying new media and multimedia are emerging across all sectors of society in the 21st century.
New media is incorporated into the existing media, and the development of applied media industry is not only providing greater opportunities to the Department of Media but is also bringing crisis at the same time.
New media is incorporated into the existing media, and the development of applied media industry is not only providing greater opportunities to the Department of Media but is also bringing crisis at the same time.
Universities in advanced countries have elevated communication education into a single college from department, and many universities in South Korea’s metropolitan areas have also been converting communication studies into a single college or a larger department since 10 years ago.
Although a prestigious private university, we are facing realistic limitations in switching communication studies into a single college or a larger department due to the decrease in the number of local students, less employment opportunities for graduates due to the centralization of economy in the metropolitan areas as well as intensifying competition, and the school’s financial difficulties.
The Departments of Media Communication developed later in Busan area have adopted practical curriculum rather than theory-based education and expensive production facilities and equipment to differentiate themselves from our school. However, they have not drawn positive feedback from media industry in Busan due to lack of theory-based education and poor school traditions.
The current problems of education in Department of Media Communication as pointed out by current CEOs is that it produces graduates who only know theories (to-be scholars: high-ranked universities) or only production skills (technical specialists: other universities), but it fails to produce graduates who have the ability to work in private companies (and understand basic contents production skills based on theories with creativity and imagination)
As a result, we need to turn the crisis into opportunity with a department development plan that fits our situation.
Development Strategy
Development strategy that analyzed the <Opportunities and Crises> and <Strengths and Weaknesses> of the Department of Media Communication
Dong-A University Department of Media & Communication
Opportunities
- Increased importance of communication in the 21st century information society
- Development of new media and media industry (mobile media, etc.)
- Maintaining and expansion of the existing media (establishing 4 new cable channels, etc.)
- Increased demand for global communication professionals due to the overseas expansion of firms
Crises
- Requires a few creative and talented individuals (The national media exam * Advertising exam = More intense competition in the job market)
- Increased recruitment of experienced professionals
- Polarization of employment (professionals and technicians)
- Many professors teach in various curriculums at metropolitan universities because they’ve switched to a single college or larger department
Strengths
- Superior ranking in the society’s assessment and alumni loyalty as a prestigious private university
- Recruitment of excellent incoming students and high retention rate of current students
- Close relationship between professors and students
- Equipped with basic production facilities such as studio
- Expansion of English lectures
- Strengthening of global mindset
- Improves problem-solving skills through stronger theory education (creative individuals)
- Maintains and improves incoming students’ departmental preference
- Stronger employment training for large media agencies (advertising firms)
- Stronger employment training for small-medium media agencies (advertising firms) and regular firms
- Nurture highly-skilled production specialists
- Expands department PR and job opportunities using local community programs
Weaknesses
- Lack of curriculum applying theories into practice
- Absolute lack of the number of professors compared to a wide range of education
- Lack of Ph.D. degree holders from English-speaking countries
- Recruit Ph.D. degree holders who can deliver English lectures and have experience in the media advertising industry
- Recruit full-time foreign professors
- Strengthen practical education using studio
Department’s Vision
Become a top 5 Department of Media Communication throughout the nation preferred by the graduates of media industry within the next 10 years, by nurturing media professionals with problem-finding/solving skills through the integration of communication theories and contents production practice as well as fluency in foreign languages to meet the demand of global multimedia era.
Position itself as the number 1 university and department that nurture prospective media professionals with imagination and creativity to discover and solve problems (opportunities) through theories and practices, and become a top 5 department preferred among graduates in the media industry.