In the 1990s, any student wishing to become a communications and new media professional would study journalism, public relations, or advertising at a school or department of journalism and communications. During that time, the study of the Internet and interactive media design were the domain of computer scientists. The development and fast adoption of digital media brought us “convergence”, or the blending of communication networks, computing, and digital content into a common platform. This has resulted in changes in the way content is created, packaged, and disseminated for public consumption.

Today’s media companies are seeking communication and media professionals who not only can perform the duties of a journalist or public relations or advertising practitioner, but who are also comfortable with visual design and content production for digital media — e.g., online publications, blogs, podcasts virtual communities, interactive advertising.

The study of communications and new media (CNM) educates future media professionals using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that reflects today’s converged media environment. Students majoring in CNM can take courses in journalism and public relations (traditionally offered in communication programmes); visual design (traditionally offered in arts programmes); game design and human computer interaction (traditionally offered in computer sciences) — all within one academic department. Students can also take courses in new media regulation and policy, social psychology, and the culture industries as well as sociology, political science, history, philosophy, computer sciences, and business.

In this regard, CNM at the National University of Singapore is the only department in Southeast Asia that offers media studies, interactive media design, cultural studies, and communication management with a focus on new media. Our multidisciplinary approach offers students opportunities in experiential learning through international and local competitions, exhibitions, service-based projects collaborating with external clients, internships, student exchanges, and interactions with industry practitioners. Guided by faculty members hailing from top communications schools from around the world, bringing with them innovative methods of teaching, students benefit from an understanding of trends coupled with an eye on the evolving industry.

With this multifaceted understanding of new media and communications, CNM graduates will be able to work in a wide spectrum of private corporations, public agencies, non-profit organisations, and media-related industries in policy formulation, public relations, corporate communication, media relations, media design, games design, journalism, research, and information management positions, among others.