By Hala Nasar
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – The majority of Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communication students say they chose their concentration based on “personal interest” in a survey conducted by the American University of Sharjah’s Mass Communication Department on Feb. 22.
Mass Communication professors distributed the anonymous survey to their students. Sixteen Journalism students and 81 IMC students responded.
Fifteen Journalism students and 66 IMC students chose “personal interest” as their top answer. Respondents could choose more than one answer.
Following that, Journalism students’ second most popular answer was “advice from parents” and IMC students, “advice from peers/other students.”
Students could also comment about factors that affected their concentration choice.
A Journalism student wrote, “Journalism is a powerful tool in informing the public, while also giving a voice to those who don’t have it and have a story to tell. I believe many stories have yet to be told.”
Others noted that they chose Journalism because of strong personal interest in the field, a general liking of news, and because the concentration goes well with other majors. Some said they chose it despite a perceived lack of representation or promotion in the university.
One student noted humorously that they chose Journalism over IMC because they were “not a fan of capitalism.”
On the other hand, an IMC student wrote, “I believe that the job market for IMC is more varied and forgiving than that of Journalism.”
Other students echoed that comment and added that they liked advertising, were advised by family and friends and that they picked the concentration over Journalism or other, marketing-type programs, as it seemed “more interesting.”
