Welcome to the School of Communication Studies

As a community of scholars we value a blend of theoretical and applied learning and our scholarship strives to understand and improve how humans communicate to meet needs and goals. We value working collaboratively with students and inspiring students to find and explore their interests. The way we talk is influenced by the way we think, and the ways we think are influenced by the ways that we talk – so we encourage being curious, reflective, and intentional about communication.  

By the numbers, the School of Communication Studies connects with more students than any other academic department on campus. Every student at the university engages with one of our amazing team of 45 full-time faculty and 12 part-time faculty when they take their Introduction to Communication course which offers an understanding of the complex process of human communication and exposure to the skills that will be useful in building and maintaining relationships, articulating and advocating for ideas, and working with others in their personal and professional lives.

Our majors explore how communication shapes our world in contexts including advocacy, health communication, organizational communication, public relations, interpersonal communication, and cultural communication. We also have five minors that allow students in other disciplines to broaden their interests.  We also boast a master’s degree program in Communication and Advocacy which allows both those seeking to advance in professional practice or seek a Ph.D. an opportunity to engage in advanced study of the role of advocacy in the contexts of health communication, environmental communication or strategic communication.

We believe that communication is foundational to shaping meaningful and purposeful lives and we hope you will explore what we offer and connect with us if you would like more information.

Lori Britt

Professor and SCOM Director