Chair's Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Communication Studies website. As student in our program, you will learn the value of communication as a tool, both in interpersonal relationships and public persuasion, as you:

• Acquire proficiency in critical analysis, argumentation, oral and written presentation, and research methods.
• Work closely with faculty members in independent study and research projects. Our faculty members are recognized nationally for their scholarly contributions in interpersonal, family, health, and political communication, and in rhetorical studies.
• Gain valuable experience in the private sector, in nonprofit organizations, and in government through our undergraduate internship program.
• Compete against the finest undergraduate debaters from other colleges and universities throughout the nation as a member of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum, a nationally recognized, fully endowed intercollegiate policy debate program affiliated with both the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA).
• Have the opportunity as a graduate student to participate in the department's research and to travel to regional and national conferences to present your findings.

We are rapidly emerging as one of the premier undergraduate and master's-level communication studies programs in the West. We are located in the beautiful, new, state-of-the-art Greenspun Hall complex. Please stop by to meet our faculty, talk with our students, and explore the possibilities. Your future starts here.

Thomas Burkholder, Ph.D.
Chair and Associate Professor

Thomas Burkholder, Ph.D.
Chair and Associate Professor