Why Communication Studies?

Communication studies helps students develop important transferable skills, such as public speaking, critical thinking, and research expertise, that will serve them in any future endeavor. From learning about argumentation, to public discourse, to media criticism, to rhetoric and persuasion, graduates are prepared to succeed in a wide range of careers.

Our students gain the following marketable proficiencies:

Communicating Effectively

Courses in public speaking, business communication, and persuasion emphasize skills such as audience analysis and content creation to help students excel in their public, personal, and professional lives.

Managing Difference

Courses in argumentation, advocacy, and debate focus on civil discourse practices such as dialogue and active listening to assist students in navigating disagreements that arise in everyday life.

Enriching Critical Thinking

Courses in rhetorical and media criticism promote independent thinking skills that stress the analysis of evidence, textual interpretation, and reasoned judgment to enhance problem solving abilities, foster confidence, and refine individual creativity.

Cultural Literacy

Courses that engage the intersection of media and public advocacy stimulate self-awareness about attitudes, beliefs, and values to cultivate identification and collaboration with others, produce a more inclusive society, and scrutinize messaging across diverse situations and platforms.

Fostering Research

Advanced courses in communication studies focusing on social media, the environment, art, medicine, or the legal system (among others) centralize student research endeavors that spotlight inventiveness, writing proficiency, and investigative excellence to support uniquely immersive projects.