Communication matters. From interactions with communities and cultures to work presentations to participation in democracy, communication plays a crucial role in shaping the world around us. By pursuing a BA in communication studies, you'll hone your practical communication skills as you lay the foundation for ethical and effective communication.
Our courses explore the role of communication in fostering high-quality human relations in interpersonal, organizational, cultural and public contexts. With flexible requirements, you are able to customize your experience to align with your interests and career goals.
Employers actively seek the career skills our students develop, including integrity, leadership, teamwork and the ability to analyze information and articulate ideas. Graduates pursue careers in fields as wide ranging as education, law, business, public relations, advertising, social work and human resources.
What Sets Us Apart
DU's communication studies program provides you with the opportunity to:
Become a more reflexive, ethical and effective communicator.
Explore community-engaged and arts-based methods.
Collaborate closely with a faculty of teacher-scholars.
Apply what you're learning outside the classroom through internships, study abroad or participation in activities such as the DU Debate Team.
Prepare for your career as a passionate educator or practitioner.
Degree Requirements
- To major in communication studies you will need to complete 40 credits. These include foundations, a performative course, two communication inquiry courses, and breadth and depth electives.
- For distinction in the major you will need to maintain a GPA of 3.75 in the major, 3.5 cumulative, complete three 3000-level courses in communication studies and complete a culminating project.
- For the secondary major you will complete 40 credit hours.
- For the minor you will complete 20 credit hours.
See the DU Undergraduate Bulletin for full course requirements.
Featured Courses
COMN 2300
Fundamentals of Argumentation
About this Course
This class offers a survey of approaches to the study of argumentation. We are going to examine and evaluate how argument is understood from various perspectives within the discipline of communication studies. We will engage theoretical concerns related to argumentation with a commitment to test their applicability to current events and issues. We will also explore how arguments are practiced in areas such as the arts and the media, legal contexts, interpersonal communication, public deliberation, and the sciences. The course will focus on expanding your contextual knowledge of how arguments operate within our culture and on cultivating your ability to read critically and creatively, make cogent arguments, assess opposing arguments charitably, and communicate your judgments effectively. This course counts toward the Applied Communication in Personal & Public Contexts requirement. This course counts toward the Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.
COMN 1001
Practicing Communication
About this Course
Practicing Communication introduces students to evidence-based communicative practices that aid them in enacting skillful and ethical responses to ongoing communicative dilemmas. The course introduces students to techniques for increasing their awareness of the consequences of their communicative acts and for using mindful communication practices to create and sustain meaningful relationships in interpersonal, organizational, and public settings. The course also helps students develop skills in audience analysis–with a particular focus on crafting messages that are culturally responsive to audiences composed of multiple cultural identities and positionalities. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.
COMN 3280
Family Communication
About this Course
The purpose of this course is to enhance understanding about communication patterns within families. In this course, we will examine theory/research on the role of communication in creating and maintaining healthy marriages and families. Specifically, we will study communication and the family life cycle, different family forms, family race/ethnicity, power in families, conflict in families, communication and stress in families, and communication in the aging family. The course format includes lectures, discussions, analysis of case studies, and in class applications.
DU's Communication Studies program asks how communication shapes our world and ourselves.
Are you ready to learn more about Communication Studies at DU?
