The Internet has unquestionably changed the way many companies do business. Online sales have grown exponentially since the mid to late 1990's and many businesses have long ago realized that the greatest shopping mall ever constructed has a doorway in almost every home. In fact, even the act of doing business on the Internet has spawned its own industries, each sharing in the success of online wholesalers and retailers.



When it comes to education, however, few colleges and universities have taken advantage of the shift. While online educational providers, perhaps because of their very nature, are relatively adept at providing Internet centered educational opportunities, few campus based colleges have recognized the glaring need for degrees centered on the unique hurdles faced by online entrepreneurs as well as established business entities already successful in the non-virtual world. Whether online or on campus, however, one failsafe academic path for those interested in the fastest growing business sector is, and always has been, well suited to the task.

Communications has always seemed to suffer from vagueness when it comes to a description palatable for those choosing a major, but the reality of the field quite clear. Communications as a degree program offers insight into the many ways in which people, products, services and business entities are able to be linked. From one medium to another, communications covers all the bases, especially those unique to the last decade.

Communications programs are only as relevant as their curriculum is timely. Because of this, far more people working in an Internet related capacity come from a communications background than any other, including network administration, computer science or any of the more technically oriented fields of study. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of labor, over 60% of communications majors end up working in a field directly related to online commerce.

In truth, the direction of even the largest businesses is conceptualized and brought to life through the actions of individuals. As more and more of our communications, and consequently our lives, are centered around the virtual world, it only makes sense that our commerce would follow. Communications degree programs offer more than just an introduction into the mechanics that govern the online marketplace, they offer an education that will open the door to the future of business.