Become a more effective and confident communicator by studying oral and written communication. Cultivate a broad range of rhetorical and analytical skills to help advance in your future career.
Why Study Communication Studies?
A Communication Studies degree prepares you to engage in important conversations at home, at work and in the larger world! By gaining strong verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills, you'll be able to navigate our global world. You'll explore how meaning is created in interpersonal, private, and public communication settings. You'll also learn how to adapt messages to a range of audiences. This field can lead to a wide number of career paths, such as business, teaching and law.
Why Study Communication Studies at CSUN?
Career Coaching
With a Communication Studies degree, you can advance in a variety of fields—from politics to media to law school. To help achieve your goals, you will be matched with an academic career coach. Our coaches are professors from the Department of Communication Studies. They will help you select the appropriate courses and provide valuable career advice.
Communication and Competition
Gain confidence in your public speaking and analytical abilities. Join the award-winning CSUN Speech and Debate team to learn research skills, persuasive skills and more. Our team competes nationwide and receives specialty coaching from faculty. Find a new passion and close community on our team.
Meaningful Expressions
Communicate powerful messages to the world by staging performances through our Performance Ensemble. You'll collaborate with peers and faculty to perform original scripts, poetry, oral histories and more. You'll cultivate social justice awareness and be a part of a safe and inclusive space for developing your talents.
Support for Transfer Students
Get the support you need with our COMMunity & Academic Pathways for Student Success (CAPSS) program. We help first-time transfer students complete degree requirements in two academic years. You'll learn with a group of peers and receive hands-on advising to find both community and success.
What You'll Learn
As a Communication Studies major, you will learn communication in different contexts. You'll engage in dynamic activities to study the complexities of language and how it can be used to influence others. You will learn the skills you need to communicate effectively in oral and written forms so you can succeed in public and business settings.
In your core classes, you will learn:
- Rhetoric
- Cultural Studies
- Performance Studies
- Communication Science
You will also choose courses for divisional requirements, such as:
- Narrative or poetry in performance
- Performance and social change
- Political rhetoric
- Rhetoric of women
- Nonverbal communication
- Persuasion
You will also select a course to fulfill the community involvement requirement. In this class, you will participate in a community performance. You may also choose to lead a youth program, provide training or intern in a communication position.
You will choose electives to complete your major requirements.
Careers & Outcomes
Upon graduating, you will be qualified to find a career in a variety of fields that rely on communication. You will be ready to enter the workforce or use your skills to attain advanced degrees.
Employers of recent alumni include:
- iHeartRadio
- CBS at Paramount
- Boys and Girls Club Oxnard
- LA Care Health Plan
- LA CityYear
- IGN Entertainment
- Warner Brothers
Common career paths for graduates include:
- Marketing
- Public relations
- Education policy analyst
- Human resources
- Nonprofit volunteer coordinator or program director
- Event planning
- Communication design and branding
- Law school
Communicate across cultures.
Learn communication concepts while studying abroad. Join our COMS Abroad program to learn while touring a city or country. You'll also take part in the COMS Department Summer Study Abroad Symposium to share and discuss your discoveries and experiences.