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Undergraduate Information


Communication Studies Major

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Why Coms Studies?
What can I do with a Communication Studies Major?

When you graduate with a B.A. or B.G.S. in COMS, you should emerge with many of the skills described below, and they should help you find a position in one of the career areas listed. The major provides a general liberal arts education of the type that is valued by many employers: the list below is not exhaustive of the areas that are available to you.

Skills and Abilities:
Communication Studies majors develop skills in the following areas:

Research/Analysis
Communication Organization
Writing clearly
Speaking effectively
Influencing/persuading
Synthesizing and interpreting information
Reporting and editing
Building relationships

Defining hypotheses
Evaluating evidence and sources
Data gathering and analysis
Understanding theory
Understanding messages

Interviewing
Working in teams or groups
Understanding values (institutional/cultural)
Explaining processes, plans, and concepts

Careers:
The major provides preparation for careers in areas such as the following (a number of these require additional training or education):

  • Public address (e.g., announcer, spokesperson, minister)
  • Business (e.g., account manager, advertising coordinator, corporate trainer, customer representative, manager)
  • Consulting (e.g., management, legal, public relations consultant )
  • Education (teacher, administrator)
  • Government (e.g., foreign service officer, legislative assistant, speech writer, campaign director, fund raiser, elected official, lobbyist)
  • Industrial and labor relations
  • Interviewing / negotiating / counseling / sales
  • Research (e.g., market researcher, academic researcher)
  • Writing / editing