Welcome to Communication Studies at Marshall University
What is Communication Studies?
Communication Studies is a perfect major for students who have a variety of interests and talents, because it provides, theory, techniques, and tools for analyzing, managing and improving communication in every arena of professional and personal interaction.
Communication studies is a field of academia that examines the process of human communication, including the creation, delivery, and receiving of both verbal and non-verbal messages. At its core, communication studies cuts across socioeconomic, political, and cultural contexts, dealing with how meaning is generated in interpersonal, private, public, and mass communication settings. It is a multi-disciplinary area of practice that blends a number of interrelated disciplines, such as mass communication, health communication, intercultural communication, political communication, communication and rhetorical theory, scientific communication, gender studies, and interpersonal communication.
What can I do with a Major in Communication Studies?
A communication degree is all about learning to communicate information effectively. Communication Studies helps you develop practical communication skills for engagement around campus, in the workplace, at home, in society, and in the world. Students who earn a degree in Communication Studies successfully find employment opportunities in a variety of areas where effective interpersonal, organizational, intercultural, ethical, and, or media savvy communication expertise is required.
A major in communication students can prepare you for a wide range of careers, including: teaching, sales, human relations, customer service, social services, management, public relations, advertising, media, fund-raising, law, politics, consulting, and publishing.
Communication skills frequently top the list of skills that employers desire in employees. These include writing, speaking, presenting, listening, negotiating, and teamwork. Additionally, employers are looking for leadership, critical thinking, social media, and problem solving skills.
With 4 communication tracks – health, interpersonal, organizational, and public communication, as well as classes ranging from public speaking, interpersonal, intercultural health, social media, conflict, persuasion and more, the department of communication gets our students well prepared for their future careers. In addition, we offer a communication minor and a minor in business communication.
The Department of Communication Studies is home to the nationally successful Marshall University Speech and Debate Team, the Thundering Word.
