About the major: The major in Communication Studies offers students an opportunity to develop excellent communication skills and a thorough knowledge of the theory of human communication. As a Communication Studies major, you will take a variety of courses in which you will develop skills in public speaking, interpersonal communication and group communication. Good communication skills are highly desirable and help anyone attain better personal, academic and professional success.
Mission Statement: The Communication Studies major prepares students for careers in communication-related and other fields and to be active participants in civic culture by teaching them to analyze, interpret, and critique communication; to communicate clearly and persuasively; and, to understand and evaluate messages in a variety of media and multicultural contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to apply the appropriate research methods to answer questions about communication or communication-related issues.
- Students will be able to think critically about messages to reach an effective conclusion or outcome.
- Students will develop competency in written communication skills.
- Students will develop competency in oral communication skills.
- Students will be able to utilize communication theory as a tool to understand how messages function across multiple contexts.
Career Opportunities: Employers in business, government and education identify excellent communication skills as the most important quality they desire in hiring employees. The Communication Studies major is designed to help you develop exceptional skills in all aspects of communication, with particular emphasis on oral performance. Our majors find careers in many different fields, including business, government, education, law and religion. Our alumni include lawyers, members of the clergy, communication consultants, managers and government officials.
Student Experience: Students interested in public speaking can join our nationally ranked debate and individual events forensics program. The debate team was created over 75 years ago and is one of the most storied programs in the nation. No experience is necessary. Students interested in competitive and creative speaking should visit with coaches from the individual events team. Both teams travel to local, regional and national tournaments. Scholarships are available to members of both forensics teams.
Night Program: Many students hold full-time day jobs and are unable to take classes during the day. For these students, we have designed a special Night Program for the Communication Studies major. This program allows Communication Studies students to take all of their major classes in the evening (after 5PM) at Wayne State's main campus.
With this program, full-time transfer students who enter Wayne State University with an Associate's degree or MTA stamp can potentially complete their Bachelor's degree in 2.5 years (including Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer terms).
The Night Program is designed to start every Fall semester. Students are expected to work closely with their advisor to create a Plan of Work. If students need Gen Ed courses or additional elective classes, then they will work with their advisor to select evening/online courses.
A sample plan of work can be found here: Plan of Work for Night Program
Minor in Communication Studies