Communication Studies
Program Details
Knowing how to reach the right audience with the right message is crucial in today’s highly connected world. As a communications studies major, you’ll explore how to bring people and organizations together through effective writing, public speaking, interpersonal communication and more.
Courses in the communications studies major range from social media strategy to conflict management and are meant to prepare students for a variety of meaningful careers in sales, event planning, human resources, corporate communications, promotions, marketing communications, industrial relations, training or management.
Xavier University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is nationally recognized as a top university by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes. 99 percent of our students, including those in the communication studies major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2022).
Degree Awarded
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
Curriculum
The sample course sequence below illustrates class offerings for the Communication Studies major. Consult the official Xavier University course catalog for detailed registration and advising information.
Fall
- Core 101: GOA............ 0cr.
- Comm 101 (OC Flag) or Comm 123............ 3cr.
- English Composition or Rhetoric............ 3cr.
- Second Language Elective............ 3cr.
- Core 100: First-Year Seminar or Theo 111 Theological Fundations............ 3cr.
- Math 105 (Math at placement level) or Math 116 (Math Perspectives)............ 3cr.
Spring
- Core 102: GOA............ 0cr.
- Comm 101(OC Flag) or Comm 123............ 3cr.
- Historical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Second Language Elective............ 3cr.
- Core 100: First-Year Seminar of Theo 111 Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- Philosophy 100: Ethics as Introduction to Philosophy............ 3cr.
Fall
- Communications Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Creative Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Philosophy 200: Philosophical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Social Science Elective............ 3cr.
- Quantitative Reasoning Flag............ 3cr.
Spring
- Communication 206: Writing Flag............ 3cr.
- English 205: Literature & the Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
- Theology Perspective (Theo 200+)............ 3cr.
- Scientific Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Natural Science Elective............ 3cr.
Fall
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Diversity Flag (Comm 323, 324 or other)............ 3cr.
- E/R & Focus Flag (Comm 477)............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Fall
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Communication Arts Course............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Sample Courses
Xavier is known for providing an education that's both challenging and personal. Here are some courses that are part of the communication studies major at Xavier:
Organizational Communication (COMM 260) - Organization theories and key concepts provide the framework for addressing contemporary communication issues and how these issues affect individual, group, and organization performance and effectiveness.
Persuasion (COMM 264) - Teaches consumers of information how to analyze, respond to, and generate persuasive messages. A variety of organizational contexts are examined, including politics, business, religion, and advertising.
Interpersonal Conflict Management (COMM 327) - Learn processes related to the nature of conflict, and how to evaluate various conflict styles. Explore how to resolve conflict by examining and applying conflict management styles in organizational contexts and evaluate the success of those methods.
Senior Seminar (COMM 469) - Integrate concepts and experiences throughout the Communication Studies major and liberal arts core to develop an original project for a real-world client with deliverables that are suitable for student portfolios.
Career Outcomes
99% of Xavier students, including those in the communication studies major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2022).
Top Jobs: Communications Specialist, Content Coordinator, Freelance Graphic Designer, Marketing Coordinator, Public Relations Manager, Recruiter, Social Media Marketing Assistant
Top Companies: American Airlines, Edelman, Maxim Healthcare Services, GE Aviation, News America Marketing
More: Xavier's Career Development Office assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, conducting workshop series on interviewing and resume writing techniques and maintaining an educational, vocational and employer information resource center. More than 100 nationally known companies visit the campus annually to interview graduating seniors for positions in business and industry.
Student Clubs
The following clubs are popular choices for students in the communication studies major.
Film & Television Club
Members in this club produce a weekly news broadcast including a sports segment, with the entire show being produced by students.
Public Relations Student Society of America
This club focuses on career building skills such as networking, personal branding, campaign planning, fundraising, event planning, mentoring, and strategic community outreach.
Take the Next Step
Cincinnati: No. 1 City for Recent College Grads
Cincinnati, Ohio features some of the largest companies in the world, which means students in the communications major have countless opportunities for careers, internships and mentorships at places like Kroger, Procter & Gamble and Fifth Third Bancorp. The city is ranked the #1 Best City for College Graduates (smartasset.com) and the #15 Best Place to Start a Career (WalletHub).
International Study Abroad Programs
You can learn a lot on campus, but not everything. There’s a world out there, and we’ll help you to explore it. Xavier offers study abroad opportunities of all types: short-term, long-term, direct exchanges and programs sponsored by other providers. You’ll see and do things that will change your life. And you’ll have a lot of fun, too.
What is Jesuit Education?
A Xavier education is more than your typical college experience. Drawing on a Jesuit Catholic educational model 400 years in the making, students in the communications major get the personal attention and support they need to succeed and make a difference in the world. The result is an education that’s as encouraging as it is challenging, and as enriching as it is demanding.
'Dream of the Details': Theology and Communications Grad Kellie Goff is Making a Difference in Ecuador
Kellie Goff (Communications, Theology, '18) is following her dreams of being a foreign missionary in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador.
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The University Scholars Honors Program offers incoming students a more challenging curriculum and close support from professors while completing their undergraduate degree. Acceptance into the program is highly selective and includes a $2000 travel grant.
Communication Studies Major at Xavier University
Communications Studies is an academic major with a long and proud tradition at Xavier University. The program, along with all programs within the Department of Communications, helps students understand many aspects of the human communication process. Basic skills in written and spoken communication receive emphasis in all four communication majors: advertising, communication studies, electronic media, and public relations. In order to complete all requirements for the degree, students should formally declare one of the four departmental majors by the end of their freshmen year
Xavier University’s College of Arts and Sciences challenges students to develop an integrated understanding of humanity, the world, and God by pursuing the questions raised in Xavier's core and departmental curricula. The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college at Xavier University. The college provides an excellent liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition that prepares students for careers, professional or graduate school, and life in a global society.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."