The major is designed around two central goals: increasing knowledge about communication processes and their impact on society and developing communication skills and competencies. In pursuing these goals, the Department of Communication has adopted a social and behavioral science orientation toward the study of human communication. 

All majors study communication in a wide variety of contexts, including interpersonal and mass communication in both mediated and face-to-face settings. A broad spectrum of classes enables students to analyze communication critically as well as recognize their own ethical responsibility to self and community. 

The communication faculty is also committed to turning theory into effective skills in speaking, critical thinking, and writing so that academic knowledge and experience extend beyond the classroom into future opportunities for students.