Communication Studies
Build a strong foundation in communication studies
DePaul’s Communication Studies program encourages you to think, speak and write clearly. Because communication involves interacting with others, the courses you’ll take as a Communication Studies major will teach you to communicate in a variety of public, small group and performance-style settings.
As a Communication Studies major, you’ll be encouraged to become an ethical communicator, to view events from multiple perspectives, to understand the multicultural influences of communication in today’s world and to question the basic problems of human communication in order to understand self, others and events.
Because communication is involved in the majority of professions, Communication Studies majors find that this is a valuable degree, whether you’re interested in working in politics, non-profit organizations, education or research.
In addition to a variety of combined degree programs, we offer a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program, allowing you to complete a bachelor’s and a graduate degree in as few as five years. You may choose to combine your bachelor’s in Communication Studies degree with a Health Communication, Journalism, or Media and Cinema Studies master’s degree program.
We also offer the 3+3 BA/JD Program, which allows high-achieving first-year undergraduate students to be admitted simultaneously to the College of Communication (CMN) and the College of Law (LAW). You’ll complete your first three years in CMN and your final three years in LAW.
Classes
Coursework
- Business and Professional Communication
- Conflict Management
- Cultural and Symbolic Criticism
- Interpersonal Communication
- Health Communication
- Intercultural Communication
- Public Speaking
- Research Methods
- Topics in Performance
Resources
Concentrations/Tracks
- Latino Media & Communication
Career Options
Common Career Areas
- Advertising
- Campaigning
- Creative directing
- Editing
- Fundraising
- Marketing
- Public relations
- Publishing
- Writing
93%
of Communication Studies graduates were employed, continuing their education or not seeking employment after graduation.
Major Requirements
Course Requirements
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Communication Methods | ||
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
CMNS 282 |
STATISTICS IN HUMAN COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 291 |
RESEARCH METHODS | |
CMNS 301/MCS 373 |
AUDIO DOCUMENTARY | |
CMNS 321 |
CULTURAL AND SYMBOLIC CRITICISM | |
CMNS 327 |
RESEARCHING RELATIONSHIPS | |
CMNS 331 |
COMMUNICATION FIELDWORK | |
CMNS 333 |
CULTURES IN CONVERSATION | |
CMNS 346 |
SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH METHODS | |
CMNS 362/JOUR 316 |
SOUND AND VISION | |
or MCS 316 |
SOUND AND VISION | |
CMNS 382 |
APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES | |
Presentation Skills | ||
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
CMNS 230 |
PERFORMANCE: COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY AND THE BODY | |
CMNS 330 |
TOPICS IN PERFORMANCE | |
CMNS 336 |
STORYTELLING: COMMUNICATION AS NARRATIVE | |
CMNS 339 |
PERFORMANCE OF GENDER & SEXUALITY | |
CMNS 365 |
ARGUMENTATION, ADVOCACY, AND DELIBERATION | |
CMNS 367 |
PERFORMANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE | |
CMNS 369 |
PERFORMANCE OF HUMOR | |
CMNS 371 |
PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL | |
ORGC 201 |
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 354 |
EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWING | |
Communication Studies Electives | ||
Select five of the following: | 20 | |
CMN 292 |
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD WORKSHOP (2.0 quarter hours) 2 | |
CMN 394 |
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP | |
CMN 395 |
COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP SPECIAL TOPICS | |
CMN 397 |
RESEARCH PRACTICUM 1 | |
CMN 399 |
INDEPENDENT STUDY 1 | |
CMNS 205 |
COMMUNICATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY | |
CMNS 211 |
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 221 |
HOW LANGUAGE WORKS: INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS | |
CMNS 230 |
PERFORMANCE: COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY AND THE BODY | |
CMNS 280 |
INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS | |
CMNS 282 |
STATISTICS IN HUMAN COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 290 |
COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS) (2.0 quarter hours) | |
CMNS 291 |
RESEARCH METHODS | |
CMNS 300 |
MUSIC INDUSTRIES AND CULTURE | |
CMNS 301 |
AUDIO DOCUMENTARY | |
CMNS 304 |
COMMUNICATION, CODING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP | |
CMNS 307 |
TOPICS IN POLITICAL AND SOCIAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 308 |
TOPICS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 309 |
INTERNATIONAL/GLOBAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 311 |
TOPICS IN RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 312 |
EVOLUTION AND COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 313 |
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 314 |
FAMILY COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 315 |
HEALTH COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 318 |
CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS | |
CMNS 319 |
THE DARK SIDE OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS | |
CMNS 320 |
DECEPTIVE COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 321 |
CULTURAL AND SYMBOLIC CRITICISM | |
CMNS 323 |
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS | |
CMNS 324 |
CULTURE OF CONSUMPTION | |
CMNS 325 |
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES | |
CMNS 326 |
ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND RHETORIC | |
CMNS 327 |
RESEARCHING RELATIONSHIPS | |
CMNS 328 |
HISTORY OF RHETORIC AND COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 329 |
PERSUASION | |
CMNS 330 |
TOPICS IN PERFORMANCE | |
CMNS 331 |
COMMUNICATION FIELDWORK | |
CMNS 333 |
CULTURES IN CONVERSATION | |
CMNS 334 |
URBAN COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 335 |
LATINX COMMUNICATION, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING | |
CMNS 336 |
STORYTELLING: COMMUNICATION AS NARRATIVE | |
CMNS 337 |
ASIAN-AMERICAN MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS | |
CMNS 338 |
ASIAN CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 339 |
PERFORMANCE OF GENDER & SEXUALITY | |
CMNS 340 |
COMMUNICATING & DATING | |
CMNS 341 |
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS IN A DIGITAL AGE | |
CMNS 342 |
LIVING ONLINE | |
CMNS 343 |
WORK/FAMILY COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 344 |
MINDFULNESS | |
CMNS 345 |
THE DARK WEB | |
CMNS 346 |
SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH METHODS | |
CMNS 347 |
THE POLITICS OF HIP HOP CULTURE | |
CMNS 348 |
COMMUNICATING HEALTH, RACE AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | |
CMNS 349 |
DIGITAL MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS | |
CMNS 355 |
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT | |
CMNS 360 |
RELATIONAL, GROUP, AND ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY | |
CMNS 361 |
GENDER AND COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 362 |
SOUND AND VISION | |
CMNS 363 |
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION | |
CMNS 365 |
ARGUMENTATION, ADVOCACY, AND DELIBERATION | |
CMNS 366 |
COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY | |
CMNS 367 |
PERFORMANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE | |
CMNS 369 |
PERFORMANCE OF HUMOR | |
CMNS 371 |
PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL | |
CMNS 373 |
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, POWER, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | |
CMNS 382 |
APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES | |
CMNS 393 |
COMMUNICATION STUDIES PRACTICUM (2.0 quarter hours) | |
ORGC 201 |
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 212 |
SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 251 |
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 290 |
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS) (2.0 quarter hours) | |
ORGC 316 |
COMMUNICATION AND GROUP DECISION-MAKING | |
ORGC 352 |
COMMUNICATION AND THE CORPORATE CULTURE | |
ORGC 353 |
COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE | |
ORGC 354 |
EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWING | |
ORGC 355 |
DARK SIDE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 356 |
COMMUNICATION CONSULTING | |
ORGC 357 |
TOPICS IN GROUP AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 358 |
DIVERSITY, LEADERSHIP, & TEAM BUILDING | |
ORGC 359 |
VIRTUAL TEAMS | |
ORGC 360 |
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 363 |
WORK/FAMILY COMMUNICATION | |
ORGC 393 |
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION PRACTICUM (2.0 quarter hours) | |
Electives | ||
Select three electives (12 credits) from any College of Communication offering | 12 |
1 |
Students may take up to 4 hours of credit in this course toward graduation requirements. |
2 |
A maximum of 8 credits from two credit College of Communication courses may be applied to major requirements. |
?Internship Credit
Students in the major may take CMN 394 and/or CMN 395 (when work relates to the major). In order to take CMN 394 or CMN 395, students must have completed two of the four communication core classes (CMN 101, CMN 102, CMN 103, CMN 104), two courses in the chosen major and have fulfilled internship program eligibility requirements.
Open Electives
Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.
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