Degrees Offered:

Department Website

Minor Requirements 

The Department of Communication is now part of the College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI).   Students wishing to pursue a degree in Communication should review the information available on the CMCI website. Continuing students who declared a major in Communication prior to Spring 2015 are completing their degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Communication is a discipline that bridges the humanities and social sciences. It fosters critical thinking about the ways that symbols and interactions contribute to social problems and solutions to them, identities and differences, organizations and work, and personal and group relationships.

At the same time, the major provides instruction and practice in the skills of effective communication and collaborative problem solving that employers are looking for - speaking, writing, reading, listening, asking good questions, utilizing media, and working in groups. The mix of theory and practice gives students the tools to improve communication performance and critical awareness of it across a wide range of contexts.

The major in communication leads to the bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree. Courses offered within the major include group interaction skills; public speaking, interpersonal communication; organizational communication; argumentation; rhetorical theory; communication theory; intercultural communication; discourse, culture and identities; and many others.

Since communication is a significant part of any job requiring coordinated human activity, skill in and understanding of communication enhances employability and advancement potential in a variety of occupations. Communication graduates have gone into positions in business and industry, government and social services, education, media and the performing arts, law, ministry, public administration, public relations, health services, and international relations, among many others.

Career Services helps students discover who they are, what they want to do, and how to get there. They are the bridge between academics and the world of work.

Career Services offers free services for all CU Boulder degree-seeking students, and alumni up to one year after graduation. Meet individually the staff to discuss major and career exploration, internship or job searching, and graduate school preparation.

There are opportunities for internships if you wish to earn academic credit while working under faculty supervision in various public and private settings.

Majors may also seek honors in communication, which results in the designation of cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude at graduation. Honors work usually involves special coursework and a senior honors thesis. Look into this program early because it involves securing a faculty sponsor and developing an individual research project.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) offers students a chance to work alongside a faculty sponsor on original research. Learn to write proposals, conduct research, pursue creative work, analyze data, and present the results. For more information, call UROP at 303-492-2596.

The experience of studying abroad can prove invaluable for you as a communication major. Your firsthand experience abroad can provide insights into interpersonal communication and human interaction with a cross-cultural dimension. The university offers more than 100 programs throughout the world that offer credit that counts as if you had taken the credit here, in some cases fulfilling core and major requirements. You may spend a few weeks to a full academic year abroad, depending on the program you select.

Because prior language study or other prerequisites are necessary for some programs, early planning for study abroad is essential. Further information about study abroad is available from the Office of International Education in the Center for Community, 303 492-7741, or visit the study abroad website.