Communication Studies refers to both a practice and an intellectual inquiry. As a practice, people study communication to become more competent in oral, written, and mediated forms. People study communication as an intellectual inquiry to critically evaluate communication processes and messages. As a student of communication, you will learn to describe, explain, analyze, interpret, and criticize communication. A degree in Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota will help improve both your skills in communicating and your understanding of communication.
The program examines human communication using both humanistic and social scientific methods. Fields of study include speechmaking, rhetorical criticism, ethics, interpersonal, small group, organizational, intercultural, and electronic (broadcasting, cable, satellite, Internet) forms of communication.
Communication, both as practice and as inquiry, permeates every element of our lives. It shapes how we see, engage, and describe the world. From this viewpoint, Communication Studies is one window through which we understand ourselves, our interactions with others, and our life experiences.
Undergraduate Concentrations
Careers and Internship Opportunities in Communication
The study of human communication has been valuable to our students, and they have gone on to a variety of career opportunities after graduation. The ability to communicate clearly and persuasively is highly valued by employers in many fields. Many B.A. graduates in Communication Studies have found work in the business world (sales, management, human resources), in social services, education, and government (information specialists, speechwriters, training and development), along with many of the newer information sector careers, including public information specialists, electronic media writing and production, marketing, advertising and public relations. Our graduates have found communication studies a useful foundation for professional studies in law, medicine, journalism, and business. Local business and social service organizations offer a variety of internship opportunities for students to apply course concepts to issues in actual communication situations.
The Career and Community Learning Center (135 Johnston Hall) coordinates a variety of internships that Communication Studies students may be interested in (612-624-7577).
The Undergraduate Advising Office (278 Ford Hall) also receives internship announcements that are posted on the bulletin boards outside the office. Students are encouraged to begin studying career options and making job search plans early in their junior year.
The CLA Communications and Media Student Advising Community also has pages with relevant event information, scholarship, job and internship information that you might find useful.
Areas of Concentration
Communication Theory
We offer courses focusing on social scientific approaches to communication that deal with human interaction in a variety of contexts, spanning interpersonal, group, and intercultural settings. Our faculty members have interests in such topics as communication in personal relationships, message formation and processing in group decision making, language usage, conflict situations, persuasive campaigns, and intercultural communication settings.
Rhetorical Studies
Our courses in rhetoric and public address treat speech and communication as a humanistic/critical study. As such, rhetoric conceives discourse as a process of establishing, maintaining, negotiating, and opposing social truths. Courses in this area emphasize argumentation and persuasion, rhetorical theory and criticism, American public address, the rhetoric of diverse groups and cultures, and the study of ethics in public communication.
Electronic Media
Our studies in electronic media focus on historical, structural, cultural, and critical aspects of domestic, foreign, and international electronic media. Interest areas of our media faculty include historical development of media, media programming and audience impacts, critical/ethical evaluation of radio, TV, and a variety of new electronic media.
Student Organizations
The Communication Studies Association is an undergraduate organization dedicated to helping students discover jobs/careers available to people with a love for communication.
Lambda Pi Eta is the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA).