About the Department

What is Communication Studies?

Communication is a learned skill. Most people are born with the physical abilities to acquire necessary communication tools, but such abilities do not guarantee that they will learn to be effective communicators. Language, rhetorical strategies, listening skills, a vocabulary of verbal and nonverbal meanings, and writing, design, and professional media proficiencies are developed in various ways.

It is thought that people acquire their communication skills by modeling them after people in their environment, by being taught specific techniques through the educational process, and by practicing their abilities and having them evaluated by others.

Excellent communication skills are important in both social and career settings. Communication is the basis for relations development and maintenance, family cohesion and work success.

The department faculty consists of 29 full-time faculty, plus adjuncts and graduate teaching assistants, serving over 700 undergraduate major and minor students, and about 40 graduate students.

Undergraduate academic programs specialize in the following areas:

Co-curricular programs are available in all major areas.

Graduate academic programs specialize in the following areas:

• General Communication
• Communication Education
• Mass Communication
• Organizational Communication
• Performance Studies
• Public Relations

If you have any questions or need additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us.