College of Communication and information

Students applying for admission for one of the college's graduate programs must also apply through the Office of Admissions. For more information, please visit http://www.fsu.edu/students/prospective/admissions/contacts.html.

The School of Communication

The School of Communication prepares students for careers in communication professions, in research and academic professions, and for active participation and leadership in organizations and community life. The school faculty conducts research on communication policies, industries, and processes and disseminates the results of this work in a variety of publications.

The graduate programs in communication offer several specialized majors leading to the Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. For more information, please visit http://www.comm.cci.fsu.edu/ and/or consult the "School of Communication" listing in this Graduate Bulletin.

The School of Communication Science and Disorders

The mission of the School of Communication Science and Disorders is to prepare students to demonstrate broad-based knowledge in communication processes and disorders and to integrate theoretical knowledge and research findings with clinical practicum experiences. The program prepares speech-language pathologists to provide effective diagnostic and treatment services to individuals with a wide variety of speech, language, and hearing impairments. It prepares clinical scientists to generate new knowledge pertaining to communication processes and innovative strategies for evaluating and managing communication disorders. The mission is realized through clinical and traditional instructional programs, professional and clinical service, as well as clinical research.

The School of Communication Science and Disorders offers programs of study leading to the Master of Science, Master of Arts, Advanced Master's, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. For more information, please visit http://comm.fsu.edu/commdis/ and/or consult the "School of Communication Science and Disorders" listing in this Graduate Bulletin.

The School of Library and Information Studies

The School of Library and Information Studies offers a myriad of opportunities to blend concerns for people's need for information with complex and highly sophisticated technology. A critical function of the information profession is to serve as a bridge between people, information, and technology, ensuring that information systems are designed to foster and empower users, and that the information technology used is reliable, robust, affordable, and flexible. Information professionals ensure that people can access the information they want and need within the context and concerns of security and privacy, intellectual property, and information policy.

Established in 1947 as a professional school, the School of Library and Information Studies offers undergraduate education in Information Technology and graduate education in Information Studies. The degree program leading to the Master's in Library and Information Studies is accredited by the American Library Association, and the College is a member of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). The school was authorized to offer the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1968 and the Specialist degree in January 1997. For more information, please visit http://slis.cci.fsu.edu/and/or consult the "School of Library and Information" listing in this Graduate Bulletin.

The College of Communication and Information offers graduate students the opportunity for enriched learning experiences through participation in a variety of research and service facilities.

The School of Communication offers several research facilities for use by graduate students, including computer labs for survey and experimental research, a focus group observation room, and individual computer workstation rooms for interactive computer use and gaming research. Ongoing projects and initiatives in the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication and the Project Management Center also provide research opportunities for graduate students.

The school's Production Center is a state-of-the-art media production complex that supports the video and audio production activities of the School of Communication. The Production Center houses a variety of equipment and facilities, as follows: a fully equipped television studio; video-editing suites in several formats with field production cameras and recorders in each of those formats; computerized on and offline editing, digital video effects, and computer animation capabilities; nonlinear editing; and on-site engineering and management support.

The communication program has lab facilities that are used for instruction and for the creation of multimedia products. The mission of the program is to provide training and real-world experience to School of Communication students. In fulfillment of its mission, the graduate program actively seeks partnerships with corporations, government agencies, and other organizations interested in developing products and services that use technology in innovative ways to meet specific information, communication, and educational needs. The graduate curriculum provides instruction in the integration of new communication technologies, e-commerce, social, organizational, and educational arenas. Building on a solid base of research in communication and interactivity, students learn how to analyze problems and present practical solutions. To this end, the program pursues projects linking people through technology and assisting students with design projects in various areas, including Web site, CD-ROM, and groupware development. Expertise in these areas will be among the most important skills of new communication professionals.

The College of Communication maintains multiple fully-equipped computer laboratories. While some labs serve specific program areas, others are available for general instruction and research. The labs are equipped with personal computers and laser printers, all of which are connected to the college's network. Connectivity to the network allows faculty and students to share data and collaborate on projects.

The labs' personal computers include a full array of commercial software for word processing, spreadsheet development, database management and academic applications for statistical and content analysis. Some of the labs serving the School of Communication include hardware and software for fully integrated desktop publishing and video applications. The School of Communication Disorders offers labs equipped with hardware and software for language sample analysis, instructional material development, and desktop publishing. Certain labs also include hardware and software for nonlinear video editing.

Communication-science laboratories provide facilities for the study of physical and psychological aspects of sound, speech, voice, and language.

The School of Communication Disorders operates the L. L. Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic. The clinic has a dual mission: (a) to provide effective community service that improves the communication abilities of clients and (b) to provide a teaching and clinical research laboratory that develops exemplary assessment and treatment procedures for use by students and professionals in speech-language pathology and audiology. Innovative and relevant theory development, research, and services are viewed as unitary—the academic effort, the research effort, and the clinical effort all strive for one goal: the enhancement of the communicative well being of the clients served.

The Speech and Voice Science Laboratory has specialized equipment enabling analyses of duration, intensity, spectral, and fundamental frequency aspects of speech. Instrumentation and procedures for the forensic study of speech enable the detection of signals of noise and speaker identification from recorded speech samples. Computer-interfaced instrumentation is available for measuring vocal intensity and pitch, aeromechanical aspects of voice and resonance, and physiological functioning of respiration and the vocal apparatus.

The Emerging Language Laboratory includes equipment for recording, editing, and analyzing audio and video samples of speech and language discourse and social interactions. On-site recording facilities accommodate small groups of children and children with their parents. Portable equipment is available for field recordings. Software programs for analyzing language samples and summarizing results are available.

The Adult Language Laboratory provides facilities for the study of social and communication problems associated with acquired brain injury and illness in adults. These facilities are equipped with evaluation instruments and materials, audio/video equipment, and computers to facilitate data analysis.

The Augmentative and Alternative Communication Laboratory provides student clinicians with opportunities to learn about the evaluation and treatment of children and adults with severe communication disorders. The facility includes dedicated electronic communication devices with voice output, switches, keyboards, software programs, and other computer-based systems. Computer laboratories available to students and faculty are equipped with a full array of software and peripherals necessary for word processing, spreadsheet applications, database management, statistical and graphic analysis, language-sample analysis, instructional -material development, desktop publishing, and nonlinear video editing.

The Language and Literacy Lab has tests and materials available for assessing language and literacy development. Audio-video equipment, computers, and software are available for the development and evaluation of curriculum materials in the lab and in the field. Wireless headphone systems allow multiple instructional lessons to be delivered simultaneously in classrooms in investigations of vocabulary, phonological awareness, and phonics instruction.

 The Neurolinguistic-Neurocognitive Research Center is an interdisciplinary laboratory located in the Rehabilitation Center of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. A wide array of equipment and software is available to measure cognition and language. A GaitRite system assesses 30 parameters of gait in studies of the effects of cognitive load on posture, gait, and balance. A Biopac system is used to measure a variety of physiological parameters including EEG, EMG, EKG, respiratory, and cardiac function.

The School of Library and Information Studies resides in the Louis Shores Building, which houses classrooms, computer laboratories, administrative offices, and the Goldstein Library. The New Technology (NT) Laboratory houses small-scale Local Area Networks in order to provide students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in network and security administration. The Media Production Studio provides students, faculty, and staff with the resources needed to create and edit high-quality audio and video recordings for instruction or to document their work. The iSpace computer cluster and learning lab provides students with access to a modern Web development environment with scripting language and database access, media production facilities, and a flexible, Web accessible, virtual computer environment for experimenting with and using modern information technology tools.

The Goldstein Library houses high-end computer systems with dual-monitor high performance graphics systems located within the college's Help Desk and public computer lab. This facility provides students with access to the computing and software resources needed for individual and class projects. The college provides wireless connections to the University's communication system.

The schools of the college offer research and teaching assistantships to both master's and doctoral students. Such assistantships vary in amount and are competitive. Assistantships typically provide assistance with matriculation fees.

Applications and criteria for selection may be obtained by writing the College of Communication and Information at PO Box 3062651, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2651; calling (850) 644-9698; or visiting the college's Web site at http://cci.fsu.edu/.

Graduate Assistantships

The college administers graduate research, service, and teaching assistantships that require work in the school assisting faculty in teaching and research, staffing the school's library and laboratories, or assisting in the school's teaching information technology infrastructure. Stipends for these awards vary depending upon the specific assignment. To be considered for such awards, students should complete the college's application for graduate assistantships available on the college's Web site, at http://cci.fsu.edu/.

Scholarships and Fellowships

The college administers a program of scholarships resulting from the generosity of alumni and other friends. To be considered for a scholarship, students must submit the college's application for scholarships. The application and information about specific scholarships and fellowships is provided on the college's Web site, at http://cci.fsu.edu/. In addition to these sources, prospective students should consult the Web site of communication and information professional associations' Web sites.