As of Fall 2026, the Ithaca College Roy H. Park School of Communications will no longer be offering the communication strategy and design major or minor. In an Oct. 20 email sent to students in the CSD program, Scott Hamula, professor and chair of the Department of Strategic Communication, sent a note that said the students in the CSD major or minor will still be able to complete their program through the Spring 2028 semester. The note was on behalf of Amy Falkner, Dean of the Park School of Communications.
In place of the CSD major, Falkner said in the email that the college will instead offer a revised bachelor’s of science in Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Communications which will include CSD courses. She said the revised APRMC program will be available for students to switch into for the 2026-27 academic year.
The CSD program also included a CSD minor which is also not accepting new students and will be phased out. However, the school has proposed adding a new minor in Social Impact Communications which will be available Fall 2026, if approved. The minor in APRMC and the minor in live event design and management will continue to be offered as usual.
Falkner said in the email that the key benefits of this change are a more comprehensive and cohesive major, enhanced skill development and increased career readiness.
“This decision was made after a thorough review of our academic programs and those at peer institutions to ensure that our offerings are aligned with the evolving demands of the strategic communication industry,” Falkner said in the email. “Our goal is to provide students with the most robust, relevant, and marketable education possible.”
Going forward, an individualized “teach-out” plan will be created for each CSD major to ensure those students will still complete their degree on schedule. Falkner said students in the CSD major are encouraged to attend an info session with faculty at 4 p.m. Oct. 22 in Roy H. Park Hall room 279 and to talk to their adviser for more information.
“We are confident that this restructuring will lead to a stronger, more dynamic curriculum program that will serve our students well into the future,” Falkner said.
