Programs
The number one skill employers are looking for is the ability to communicate effectively. Communication is a social process by which human beings are linked through the creation, transmission, and reception of messages from which meanings are generated. The focus of this program is the scholarly analysis of that linkage, with an emphasis on the characteristics of the messages and channels through which linkage occurs.
The Department of Communication at California State University is committed to teaching theory, and the skills necessary to expand and deepen students’ understanding of the role communication plays in a globalized world through Performance, Rhetoric, Cultural Studies and Communication Science.
Graduates of the program are positioned to pursue a wide variety of career paths in areas such as: Public service, non-profit sector, public relations, consulting, training and development, public administration, media campaigns, human resources, law, politics, among many others.
Students will:
- Explain key concepts in Communication Studies.
- Use communication theory to explain communication phenomena.
- Apply key methods in Communication Studies.
- Analyze the relationship between communication and culture.
- Develop communication strategies for civic engagement.
Learn More About the Communication Studies Undegraduate Degree
Students receiving a Master's degree from the Communication Studies Department will be able to:
- Critically examine how communication affects the social construction of reality.
- Define and discuss some basic tenets or theories of human communication from the perspective of one or more specific areas of the field (Rhetoric, Communication Theory, and Performance, Language and Cultural Studies).
- Critically assess and analyze scholarly writing in the field.
- Analyze and critically interpret/evaluate communication practices and research.
- Analyze and critically evaluate the relationship between communication and culture.
The ability to construct, receive and analyze communication is critical for all aspects of human interaction; thus, a minor in Communication Studies provides students with theoretical, analytical and practical approaches to participate effectively in the workplace, in relationships, and in society.