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

• Major Requirements
• Schedule of Classes
• Department Website

Concentrations/Tracks

• Latino Media & Communication

• Minor offered
• Combined bachelor's + master's degree offered

Career Options

Common Career Areas

• Advertising
• Campaigning
• Creative directing
• Editing
• Fundraising
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Publishing
• Writing

More career info

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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