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The Department of Communication is one of the largest academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, with nearly 400 undergraduate majors and a moderately-sized master's degree program. The department offers a bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees with a focus of study in Communication and Culture, Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations. The department's M.A. program offers advanced studies in these areas. With eight tenured or tenure-track faculty members and nearly twice as many lecturers and adjunct faculty, the department boasts a broad range of training, talent, and teaching experience.

About Us

The Department of Communication takes a leading role in sustaining the strongly student-centered, broadly accessible educational mission and vision of Indiana State University. We do so through engaging students in experiential learning, fostering their development of skills, and promoting competencies such as a complex understanding of the communication process as the foundation of the ongoing human process of meaning-making and community-building; profound respect for the diverse range of identities and ideologies within our local and global communities; a sophisticated grasp, as creator and user, of the wide range of information technologies that shape communication today and of those which will evolve to shape it differently in the future; and a lifelong commitment to presenting and interpreting communication in an ethical, responsible manner. Listed below are the essential dimensions of the study of communication:

KNOWLEDGE

• Explain the complexity of human communication processes. Demonstrate an understanding of the classical, critical/interpretative, and social scientific theories and research methods used by communication scholars.
• Demonstrate an understanding of theories and research as they apply to the design and evaluation of original research proposals and projects. 
• Understand appropriate research methods as these are relevant to both the analysis of texts and the creation of communication research projects. 
• Explain the situatedness and discipline of the field of human communication.

SKILLS

• Practice and demonstrate competence in the ability to speak in a variety of communication contexts. 
• Practice and demonstrate competence in the ability to work effectively in groups. 
• Demonstrate the ability to write effectively in a variety of communication contexts. 
• Demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing and evaluating communication products and processes using relevant communication frameworks. 
• Demonstrate and employ the skills necessary for conflict management and resolution.
• Demonstrate and employ the skills necessary for effective decision-making. 
• Design texts for diverse audiences, campaigns, and organizational environments. 
• Demonstrate creative and analytical abilities in communication projects. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of the variety of communication practices found in a multicultural and globalized society.

VALUES

• Apply an ethical framework to various communication interactions and dilemmas. 
• Evaluate and analyze the ethical dimensions of communication situations.