Communications is a popular degree with a major that exists pervasively at schools across the country. Comms majors often go on to pursue careers in Public Relations, Marketing, Social Media, and Journalism. But it’s also worth noting that there are tons of Comms opportunities within almost any large, medium-sized, or even small corporation or nonprofit. There are comms reps. at almost every major company, healthcare system, university, etc. So, if you’re interested in pursuing a Communications major, we recommend reaching for one of the best programs. Our list below:
STANFORD
Stanford’s Communications Department houses a Communications major and a minor. There are also many cross-departmental labs within Comms. There are several pathways within the major: Digital Media Studies, Media Psychology, Journalism, and Political Communications. Courses include Journalism Law, Media Economics, Communication Policy and Regulation, Politics of Algorithms, Censorship and Propaganda, Media Psychology, and many more.
PENN
Penn’s renowned Annenberg School for Communication offers a major. Concentrations include Advocacy & Activism, Culture & Society, Audiences & Persuasion, Data & Network Science, and Politics & Policy. Courses include Social Media and Social Life, Children and Media, Advertising and Society, Communications and Persuasion, Public Health Communication in the Digital Age, Media and Politics, and more. There is also a Communication and Public Service Program which combines both research and real-world experience.
NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern’s School of Communications offers a major in Communications Studies. Coursework includes the Sociology of Online News, Classic Rhetoric and Its Afterlives, Media, Movements & Social Change, Voice, Violence, and Democracy, Theories of Persuasion, Nonprofit Communication Management, Media & Publics Across Cultures, Political Communication, Social Network Analysis, and more.
CORNELL
Cornell’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offers a Communication Major. There are various focus areas, including Communication, Environment, Science and Health, Communication Media Studies, Communication and Information Technologies, and Communication and Social Influence. Courses include Communication and Technology, Persuasion and Social Influence, Media Communication, and more.
UC BERKELY
UC Berkeley doesn’t offer a traditional Communications major. But it does have a Media Studies program with three areas of concentration: Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, and Media Law and Policy. Courses include Media and Democracy, Media and Globalization, History of Information, Visual Culture, History and Theory of New Media, Special Topics in Film, Media Ethics, and American Politics: Campaign Strategy-Media. The program focuses on the broader landscape of media practices and theories. Students can also fulfill requirements with electives in other departments such as Journalism, Anthropology, and History.
VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt’s Department of Communication Studies offers a major and a minor. There is a very wide variety of courses. They include Persuasion, Communication and the First Amendment, Rhetoric of U.S. Religion, Law, Media, and Society, Political Communications, Communicating Gender, Queer Rhetorics, Media and Visual Culture, Communicating Gender, Rhetoric of the Body, Cultural Rhetorics of Film, Soccer: Media, Art, and Society, and more.
UCLA
UCLA’s College of Social Sciences has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Core Courses include Interpersonal Communication, Communication Technology and Digital Systems, and Political and Legal Communication. There is also a Computing specialization within the Communications major. Students must complete additional coursework in data and coding to meet eligibility requirements.
MICHIGAN
U Michigan offers a major in Communications and Media. Required courses include the Media Past and Present, Media Processes and Effects, and courses that focus on public sphere Comms. Other course offerings include Communication Strategies in the Fashion, Beauty and Design Industry, Designing Persuasive Communication, Communicating Science Health and Environment, Election Campaigns in the USA, Marketing for Social Change, and more.
UNC CHAPEL HILL
UNC Chapel Hill offers a Communication Studies major. Courses topics range from Interpersonal and Organizational Communications, to Media and Technology Studies and Production, and Rhetorical Studies. Other specific classes include Small Group Communication, Organizational Ethics, Documentary Production, Sexuality and Visual Culture, Media and Activism, Experimental Video, Contemporary Film Theory, Presidential Rhetoric, Rhetorical Criticism, and many many more. This program also has a number of internship opportunities associated with it, including with local publications and institutions.
UVA
UVA’s Department of Communication Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, in addition to a minor. Course offerings include Introduction to Public Relations, Cultural Diversity, Dialects of the Appalachian Region, Dark Side of Media, Media Literacy, Principles of Advertising, Persuasion, Family Communication, Organizational Communication, Cooperative Education Project, Newsreal, Communication Theory, Voice & Oral Interpretation, and more.
The best thing to do if you know you want to do Communications in college is to position yourself as an expert in the subject throughout high school. That way, admissions counselors will see your matriculation to their school as a natural extension of what you’ve already been doing. Take classes and build extra-curriculars around Communications. Internships should also match with your area of expertise.
Need help with an essay? Call us. We’re experts at helping students craft standout writing.