Abstract
This article reports a national survey of undergraduate programs emphasizing radio and television, describing curricular organization, resource levels, and facilities across institutions in the mid nineteen eighties. Based on responses from one hundred ninety four departments, the study finds that most programs are housed within integrated communication units rather than autonomous media departments, with larger campuses more likely to maintain separate media structures. Undergraduate majors total more than forty thousand nationwide, with higher concentrations at large public institutions. Introductory offerings vary widely in title and scope, reflecting production, writing, history, theory, and survey orientations. Nearly half of departments offer graduate study, though doctoral provision remains limited. Operating and capital budgets display substantial dispersion, with median operating support concentrated in the low to mid five figure range and capital spending clustered in the lower five figures. Departments commonly report television and audio laboratories, field video systems, and selective ownership of broadcast outlets. Estimated equipment investment across respondents exceeds seventy six million dollars. Comparison with data from the late nineteen seventies suggests continued growth in enrollments and facilities alongside stabilization of majors per department and possible declines in departmental control of broadcast stations.
Recommended Citation
Elmore, Garland C.
(1986)
"Curricula, Budgets, and Facilities in Education for Radio and Television,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 56, Article 8.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol56/iss1/8
