Program Learning Outcomes

Objectives: Students completing a BA degree in Communication Studies should be able to:

Describe the differences between the goals, theories, and methods of rhetorical and social scientific inquiry
Deliver effective messages based on the analysis of topic, audience, and context
Demonstrate research skills including the ability to formulate research questions, express original arguments using theory, and interpret various types of evidence
Engage in critical thinking with regard to message analysis
Explain the role of communication in the formation of individual and cultural identities and how those identities influence communication

Objectives: The MA in Communication Studies is designed to:

Explain and apply major rhetorical and social scientific theories at the foundation of the communication discipline.
Read and evaluate rhetorical and social scientific scholarship on communication.
Apply theoretical perspectives and methods to communicative texts in order to produce advanced rhetorical criticism.
Guided by deductive reasoning and using social scientific methods, collect, analyze, present, and interpret quantitative data on communication phenomena.