The Department of Communication at Wake Forest pursues the theoretical, critical, and scientific study of human communication in all its forms. In pursuit of that overall goal we advance three areas of concentration: communication science, rhetorical studies, and media studies.

We encourage our undergraduate majors to explore a broad course of study in human communication, encompassing all our concentrations. The Department houses one of the finest Masters' programs in the country.

We seek to provide our M. A. students with the individual attention and preparation they need to be highly sought after by, and successful in the nation's best Ph.D. programs in communication.

Communication Science Concentration

Communication science seeks to understand the production, processing, and effects of verbal and nonverbal code systems on myriad facets of human communication, within a multiplicity of interaction contexts, by developing testable theories, containing lawful generalizations that facilitate an increased knowledge and understanding about the dynamics of human communication.

The Media Studies concentration considers the production, interpretation, and theoretical analysis of communication that is (1) disseminated to a broad and largely anonymous audience and (2) mediated by the various technological devices that make such broad dissemination of the message possible.

Rhetorical Studies Concentration

Students interested in a concentration in Rhetorical Studies in the Department of Communication will explore in coursework the critical, historical and theoretical study of public discourse.

A concentration in Rhetorical Studies involves cultivating an appreciation of how speakers locate and use modes of persuasion in the interests of their communities, constituents, organizations, and institutions. “Rhetoric” is understood as the art of public speech in both theory and practice. Accordingly, the Rhetorical Studies concentration will link theory to practice throughout the curriculum