The department offers the following degrees in Drama and Communications: BA, MA, and MFA.

The Bachelor of Arts is offered to students in two options - drama or communications.

At the graduate level, the department offers Master of Arts in Communication, the Master of Arts in Arts Administration, and the Master of Fine Arts.

• The MA in Communication offers tracts in mass communication theory and research.
  
  
• The MA in Arts Administration prepares students for administrative careers in all types of arts organizations including museums, galleries, performing arts organizations, festivals and community arts centers. The Department of Drama and Communictions participates with the departments of Music, Fine Arts, Management and Economics & Finance in offering this interdisciplinary degree.
  
  
• The MFA is a terminal degree for students interested in pursuing careers in the performing and production arts and in creative writing, with specialization in acting, directing, design, technical direction, filmmaking, and television production and in creative writing, including fiction writing, playwriting, poetry writing, and screenwriting. The MFA degree in Creative Writing has courses taught by both the Drama and Communications department and the English department, depending on the specialization.

In addition to the support for the specific degree programs of the Drama and Communications department the collection, especially in view of its broad interdisciplinary nature, also serves as a resource for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members in other disciplines. Related colleges, departments and programs of interest to Drama and Communications include: Anthropology, Arts Administration, College of Business, College of Education, College of Urban and Public Affairs, English, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, History, Music, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

Language
The primary language of acquisition is English. Materials in other languages are not normally acquired.

Chronological Guidelines
Primary emphasis is on the twentieth century, although secondary focus is on ancient to modern forms of drama and communication.

Geographical Guidelines
Primary emphasis is on Western Europe and North America. Secondary emphasis is on Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Third World coverage in mass media is also a secondary emphasis.

Treatment of Subject
A wide variety of material is collected in Drama and Communications dealing with mass communication and the creative areas taught.

Practice and methods of, equipment used in, and teaching of the various creative areas taught by the department are collected. Textbooks at the elementary level are not usually acquired for the practical aspects of these creative areas, but textbooks at the advanced level are acquired on a selective basis.

Material collected in mass communication, theater and film making include history of, political aspects, teaching of, religious aspects of, role of government in, biographical treatment, legal aspects, social aspects, and psychological aspects.

Materials collected for Arts Administration courses taught in the Drama and Communications Department include the economic, business, legal, and governmental aspects of the drama and communications profession.

Types of material
Monographs and serial publications form the basis for drama and communications acquisitions. Unpublished screenplays are collected on a selective basis. Reference materials, including bibliographies, dictionaries, handbooks, and encyclopedias are acquired. Abstracts and indexes covering drama and communications are also acquired.

Electronic resources to support drama and communications are also collected, based on the appropriateness of media to subject, need, and cost. Some of the electronic formats collected are: compact discs, videos, DVDs, and electronic databases.

Date of Publication
Current and retrospective materials are collected. Current materials are most important. Retrospective materials may be selectively acquired and may be purchased in microform or reprint formats, such as back files of newly acquired serial titles or electronic back files.

Other Resources
Within the library the listening room houses recordings, videos, and electronic media of plays, musicals and sound effects useful to the department. Campus Media Resources Office, as well as the Department of Drama and Communications, houses other media resources useful to the study of drama and communications. The New Orleans Public Library is a Foundation Center depository, and a good resource for arts administration classes taught in the department.

Related Policy Statements

• English: The English department participates in the master of Fine Arts degree in Drama and Communications. Fiction writers, playwrights, poets, and screenwriters take course work in English as well as Drama and Communications. Drama and Communications collects material related to the craft of play writing and screen writing, as well as contemporary plays and screenplays. English collects material related to the craft of fiction and poetry, as well as contemporary novels, short stories, essays, and poetry.