Students should choose courses from a number of academic areas including business, economics, literature, political science, history, mathematics, sociology and psychology. The media communications department offers two majors, public relations and electronic publishing. It also offers minors in public relations and media communications. Public relations is a management function that plans an organization's communication objectives and programs. Students learn that public relations professionals transmit information to a variety of audiences as well as promote acceptance of their organization.
Electronic publishing is an interdisciplinary program combining coursework from several disciplines.
Its purpose is to prepare students for contemporary careers in communications, particularly in electronic publishing, desktop publishing, and related fields. The electronic publishing major capitalizes upon new technologies while grounding students in the liberal arts tradition. The distinguished faculty of Media Communications at Saint Mary's University regards teaching as their primary priority and responsibility. They also engage in significant research and writing, which enhances their effectiveness as teachers. Steven Schild has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Saint Thomas.