About Communication Studies
Letter from the Chair
Today, more than any other time in collective memory, we are a nation polarized by different perspectives — and most significantly, in need of the ability to communicate with one another about the issues that divide us.
The Department of Communication Studies offers coursework that focuses upon why and how we communicate as individuals with one another, within groups, within organizations, within and between cultures — and in ways both political and social. Here you will find a faculty devoted to teaching excellence, scholarly contributions and engagement with students.
Our department offers a Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and minor in Communication Studies. We also support an interdisciplinary Conflict Resolution Certificate Program. We offer upper-division courses that address social contexts and interaction, rhetoric and performance, communication inquiry and a host of electives for study.
We are also proud to house and sponsor a nationally ranked speech and debate team — one, I should add, which welcomes student involvement from across the campus. We are equally proud of our department’s internship program, helping students connect what is taught in class to work skills in the real world. As one of our longest standing programs (in excess of 30 years), the internship program teaches students how to network, gain work experience and learn invaluable skill sets for the workplace. In addition, it is worth noting that many of our students have later received permanent job offers from internships.
Come in to our department office, in Humanities 289, and meet our amazing office staff. Katie Murphy is our department's administrative analyst, Stacie Guan is our administrative support coordinator and graduate program assistant, and Douglas Slayton is our administrative support assistant. Please feel free to visit the office and say hello or bring any of your questions to us!
Christina Sabee
Chair, Department of Communication Studies
Telephone: (415) 338-1597
Email: comm@sfsu.edu
What Can I Do With a Communication Studies Major?
Communication Studies is an ideal major to hone many skills and qualities. The ability to work successfully in multicultural groups, resolve interpersonal differences, listen well and express yourself clearly, are not only the most valued job skills for the next century, but they may also be key to satisfying community and family relationships.
Your potential career fields include: teaching, community outreach, sales, people operations, human resources, recruiting, customer service, social services, management, public relations, advertising, social media, business development, fundraising, law, politics and publishing. Of these many career paths, the U.S. Department of Labor claims that at least nine will be the biggest generators of new jobs over the next ten years.
The U.S. Department of Labor states that among the most important qualities for high job performance are listening, speaking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, reasoning, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, integrity and honesty.
A survey of 44 supervisors published in The Bulletin of Business Communication identified six of the most important skills in business success:
- Paying attention to what others are saying
- Understanding what others are saying
- Establishing credibility with others
- Dealing with others in an objective and fair manner
- Giving directions clearly
- Motivating others to action
A study of California-based Fortune 500 companies shows that formal training in communication is essential for management success, with oral communication skills considered even more important than written communication skills because they are used more frequently.
Still another study identifies interviewing, listening, planning and conducting meetings, resolving conflicts, and public speaking as the most essential skills for competent employees.
For more information about careers, we encourage you to visit Career Services and Leadership Development, the career center here at SFSU, in Student Services 301. You can also contact Paloma Mathern, the internship director in the Department of Communication Studies, by email at amolap@sfsu.edu or by calling (415) 338-7310.