Choosing Communication

Orientation Hub for the Department of Communication (COMM)

Communication Major - Career at the United Nations
Communication Major Interns at Mercedes-Benz

Why Study Communication? Advisory Council member meets with Communication student.

Communication, at its core, is the study of messages and meanings – to put the vast discipline simply. You’ll learn to understand different types of target audiences and to design effective messages for reaching those audiences.

College graduates with Communication degrees have the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for in a future employee: effective verbal communication, eloquent writing, organizational communication, understanding of nonverbal communication, etc. As we live in an age where digital media continues to evolve, the communication basics lie at the foundation of understanding trends and making effective, efficient, and ethical changes moving forward.

Spring Break Trip 2019 Group PictureCOMM at the College of Charleston

Once a communication major or minor is declared, each student is paired with an academic advisor in the Department of Communication to help navigate your path to graduation and provide career guidance. In the master’s program, the same goes! Master’s degree candidates have their first semester to select their advisor from the COMM graduate faculty.

Our students become experts who write clearly, speak eloquently, think critically and research effectively. These skills will serve them well as professionals no matter what new technologies evolve.

Twice a year, the department’s Communication National Advisory Council visits campus to hold their bi-annual meetings and to mingle and advise our students. The Advisory Council is made up of 50+ members, who are all communication executives from major organizations, companies, and corporations across the nation.

Meet your Department of Communication Faculty and Staff.

What You Gain with a Major, Minor, or Master's in Communication

Communication Major
Communication Minor
Master's in Communication
  • Communication skills play a vital role in just about ANY job you take after graduation. Today, many companies and organizations have teams devoted to communication work.
  • Our communication majors often look for jobs in areas like journalism, public relations, social media, event coordination, marketing, communication, media, political campaigning, digital content, advertising, and more!
  • Communication pairs well with ANY major. Students across campus will choose this minor to diversify their resume.
  • Course work in communication is often desired by employers because of the skills that are learned: professional writing skills, audience/message analysis, increased public speaking ability, nonverbal and verbal communication awareness, and more!
  • The Master of Arts in Communication (MCOM) is a rigorous, fully online graduate experience in communication. Designed to deliver an understanding of communication theories, strategic marketing, leadership, and media, this streamlined 30-hour MCOM program gives students conceptual knowledge and marketable skills.
  • MCOM students hone their ability to research and analyze communication problems related to message production, media dissemination, audience interpretation, and data analysis.
  • Students are provided the cognitive, research, and professional skills required of leaders in a fast-paced, information-rich era. The program offers a number of successful learning initiatives, including creative independent-study projects, community-based research teams, communication pedagogy experiences, and professional immersion internships.
















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Potential Career Fields

A communication major, minor, or master's offers learned skills that are need in almost every job field imaginable! Our alumni have gone on to have jobs in journalism, social media, public relations, strategic communication, news media, television production, emerging media, public health, politics, marketing, sales, advertising, management, information technology, and MORE! Many of our current students will also choose to pair their COMM major or minor with another discipline on campus. Students from our communication undergraduate programs, and others across campus, have also choosen to get their master's in communication through our program to cap off their academic career and make themselves that much more marketable in their job search. With a degree in communication, your options are endless! Our department will be there every step of the way during your communication studies, guiding you through your academic career and preparing your post-college plans.


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