Communication Studies Major

Communication Studies will prepare you for a career in a wide variety of professions. In fact, Job Outlook 2000, an annual hiring forecast conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, surveyed employers to determine the skills they most desired in employees. IN RANK ORDER they are:

  1. Oral Communication Skills

  2. Interpersonal Communication Skills

  3. Teamwork Skills

It should come as no surprise that Communication Studies graduates are prepared to excel in the workplace. A Communication Studies degree will help you develop skills in oral communication, interpersonal communication, teamwork (i.e., effective small group communication), analysis (through the criticism of public communication), flexibility (through adapting messages to a variety of diverse audiences), and written communication (through both descriptive and critical writing assignments).

The Communication Studies major offers a program of study grounded in the tradition of the liberal arts, yet at the same time offers students a wide variety of practical, job related experiences, primarily through internships and practicum classes. When you major in Communication Studies, you will have the opportunity to explore and gain a general understanding of human communication, as well as focus particularly on Communication Studies.

In your general study of human communication, you will  take courses in journalism, mass communication and theater during your freshman and sophomore years. In addition, you will be able to choose  three or four junior/senior level courses in some combination from the disciplines of Theater, Journalism, Public Relations and/or Broadcasting. By studying in related communication disciplines, you will be well prepared for the variety of challenges you will face in the competitive, task-diverse communication workplace.

In your study of Communication Studies in particular, you will take courses on Interpersonal Communication, Semantics, Performance Studies, Group Discussion, Communication Theory, and Rhetorical Criticism. In addition, you will get to select six or seven classes from Argumentation, Communication in the Workplace, Persuasion, Communication and Gender, Communication and Conflict, Political Communication, Rhetoric of Social Movements, Organizational Communication, Philosophy of Communication, or Linguistic Analysis.