Communication Studies
Welcome to the Communication Studies Program at Centralia College.
Bloomberg Media surveyed 1,320 job recruiters at more than 600 companies to find out which skills employers want but can’t find, and communication skills were in the top three (Levy and Rodkin, 2015).
Creative problem-solving and strategic thinking were the other two hard to find skills
in college graduates. With this in mind, we believe that a degree in Communication
Studies – complemented with some of our business courses - can be your key to success.
Centralia College has a long history of successful Communication Studies students,
including several debate teams that were tops in the Northwest, and state champion
public speakers. And every summer the college hosts the Statewide Inspirational Speech
Championship, where students from all 34 community colleges come here to compete for
the state championship.
Here are just a few examples of fun careers for Communication Studies majors:
- TV or radio
- Sports team
- Crisis communication (putting out fires for big companies)
- Journalist for an online newspaper or magazine
- Social media manager
- Marketing or public relations for a company whose interests parallel yours
- Oprah Winfrey (TV Host)
- Mathew McConaughey (Actor)
- John Gruden (Head Coach, NFL)
- Stephen Colbert (TV Host)
- Howard Stern (TV and Radio personality)
- J. Cole (American rapper)
Degree: Associate in Arts
Emphasis: Communication Studies
Notes for Students
- Students are required to complete 3-5 credits in a Diversity course (D). A list of courses that satisfy the Diversity Requirement can be found in the college catalog.
- It is strongly recommended that students confer with an advisor at their potential transfer institution to determine the Communication Studies courses that best support or may be prerequisites for their program. This Educational Plan can possibly be modified to meet their requests.
First Year | |
Fall Quarter |
|
Winter Quarter |
|
Spring Quarter |
|
Notes |
* Fall Quarter, First Year choose a Humanities course: ART 110 2D Design, ART& 100 Art Appreciation, ART 130 Computer Graphics, ENGL& 111 Intro to Literature, or ENGL 208 Intro to Creative Writing |
Second Year | |
Fall Quarter |
|
Winter Quarter |
|
Spring Quarter |
|
Centralia College has direct AA-degree transfer agreements with the following colleges:
- Bastyr University
- Central Washington University
- City University
- Cornish College of the Arts
- Eastern Washington University
- Gonzaga University
- Heritage University
- Northwest University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Saint Martin’s University
- Seattle Pacific University
- Seattle University
- The Evergreen State College
- Trinity Lutheran College
- University of Washington
- Washington State University
- Western Washington University
- Whitworth College
Jeff McQuarrie - Program Lead
“The great thing about getting a degree in Communication Studies is that you can do almost anything with it. I know lawyers, news anchors, social media managers and politicians who majored in Communication Studies, just to name a few. It’s a degree that doesn’t pigeon hole you into a career that you may end up not liking.”
Professor McQuarrie heads up the Communication Studies program. He teaches beginning and advanced public speaking courses, Debate, and Mass Media and was the first professor in the state system to teach Public Speaking fully online. At the bachelor's level, he teaches Marketing and Communication courses.
Prior to teaching, Professor McQuarrie was president and marketing director of a popular world-class fishing resort in Alaska for 14 years, followed by eight years as principal of a marketing firm. During that time, he produced a highly-acclaimed six-hour documentary film about legendary football players.
Professor McQuarrie holds a Master of Science degree in Corporate Communication from Northeastern University in Boston. He serves on the leadership team at his church and is the director of the Statewide Inspirational Speech Championship (Washington state championship for public speaking). In 2017, he earned the Exceptional Faculty Award.
Margaret Smallwood - Professor
“Being a good communicator is a huge advantage, professionally and personally, no matter what you do in life.”
Professor Smallwood grew up in Chehalis and lived in California, Oregon, and Texas before returning to Washington. She visited Washington every year and was finally able to move back recently. Margaret worked in journalism, public relations, and corporate communications before becoming a teacher. Before coming to Centralia, she taught communications at the University of Texas at Dallas and Sam Houston State in Texas. She earned her bachelor’s in communications at the University of California. She completed an MBA in international business and marketing from the University of Texas, and a Master’s in Communication Studies from Sam Houston State University.
Austin Majors - Professor
Professor Majors spent his childhood in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, where he learned to love swimming, biking, and even cliff jumping. After moving and then graduating from Onalaska, he attended Centralia College, where he earned his A.A. degree. Transferring to obtain his B.S. in Psychology with minors in both Sociology and Communications brought him to the beautiful Palouse and Washington State University. At WSU, he helped plan entertainment for the college and got to book and meet popular musicians and artists. After graduating, he began his career in higher education as a Student Success Specialist for the TRiO programs. Austin then earned his Master’s Degree from Gonzaga University in Communications and Leadership.
CONTACT
Jeff McQuarrie
Program Lead
Office: WAH 221
360-623-8494
Email Jeff McQuarrie