Business Communication

This track seeks to assist students with the important transition from school to work through the development of written, visual, oral, and collaborative skills for the workplace (business, government, non-profit organizations), focusing on design, development, and re-purposing of hardcopy and new media documents. We build on the academic skills gained throughout students’ undergraduate studies and the applied, professional skills gained through our client work, internships, and other work experiences.

By using case studies, we expand students’ understanding of workplace issues, especially in the areas of business ethics and crisis management. By working collaboratively on service-learning projects for community clients, students will refine their skills and contribute to our local community before graduation.

Visit the Business Communication Website

Which students might want to enroll in this track?

• Those interested in refining workplace communication, especially in business, governmental, and non-profit organizations. Students will work collaboratively with community organizations on client projects.
• Those interested in entrepreneurial and managerial work, who need to enhance leadership and communication skills, and students who plan for graduate MBA or law school degrees.

RECOMMENDED PREPARATION COURSES FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TRACK: 

These are the recommended courses for the Business Communication track to fulfill the three required prerequisites from the Writing 105AA-ZZ, Writing 107AA-ZZ, or Writing 109AA-ZZ series:

• WRIT 107B: Business & Administrative Writing
• WRIT 107A: Writing for Accounting

WRIT 157A: BUS COMM CLIENTS (Winter)

Development of written, visual, and oral skills for the workplace. Students begin with a unit on personal branding, then move on to experiential learn learning through a client-based project. Working directly with clients in teams, students develop collaborative writing and project management skills in various professional genres, including Gantt charts, style sheets, status reports, promotional plans, news releases, and formal reports. The course culminates in an oral presentation to the class and client on each team’s project.

WRIT 157B: STRAT BUS COMM (Spring)

Through course readings and case study analysis, students will explore business communication strategy in reputation management, corporate social responsibility, crisis communication, and external/internal communication. Students also prepare a variety of professional documents for their final digital portfolio by creating a personal website. The final portfolio will include examples of a variety of professional genres―such as letters, e-mails, status reports, proposals, news releases, feasibility reports, policies and procedures, and brochures―presented in both print and digital form.

WRIT 150: INTERNSHIP (Spring) and/or WRIT 162: ADVANCED PUBLIC SPEAKING or WRIT 161: DIGITAL STORY (Spring - depending on which course is offered that year) 

Where will students get internships?

• Local businesses, including public relations firms, publishing, and accounting organizations such as Yardi Systems, DAVIES Communication, The Independent, UCSB Accounting Controls, Citrix Online
• Local environmental businesses and organizations, including Green Business Program for Santa Barbara County, Tetra Tech, Allen Associates, Kids in Nature, The Center for Urban Agriculture
• Local government and non-profit organizations, including the City of Santa Barbara, United Way, Direct Relief, UCSB Sustainability, Creative Wealth International

We recommend expressing your interest to the director(s) of the track or tracks you are interested in. They will know more in depth details regarding their specific track.

Co-Directors

• Brian C. Ernst,  bcernst@writing.ucsb.edu
• Gina L. Genova,  genova@writing.ucsb.edu