A Message from the Chair

“The Right Degree, Right Now!”

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University! We're excited that you are considering or already earning a degree in Communication Studies. You will find that we're committed to the success of each of our students and to delivering a first-rate educational experience.

There has never been a better time to earn a degree in Communication Studies. It is one of the largest, most popular, and fastest growing majors on campuses around the country. According to The Princeton Review, Communications ranks as the second best major on college campuses, placing it ahead of majors such as Business, Economics, Psychology, and Chemical Engineering. Rankings are based on three criteria: “job prospects, alumni salaries, and popularity” (http://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/top-ten-college-majors).

Why is Communication Studies such a valuable and sought after degree today?

First, Communication Studies offers a highly flexible degree. It is uniquely suited to foster career success in a diverse, global, rapidly changing, information-based society. Our economic landscape is undergoing fundamental change as we shift to the new global economy. This shift has important implications for graduates. Recent research shows that you will hold multiple careers (not just jobs!) in your lifetime. So, it is essential that you possess transferable job skills. Communication Studies focuses on the development of highly sought-after and transferrable skills that include:

• Communication (oral and written)
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Negotiation

Second, Communication Studies produces well-rounded individuals. It is concerned not just with your career success (though it is committed to that as well), but with success in all aspects of your life: personal, professional, and public. At the personal level, Communication Studies seeks to improve your personal relationships through classes in interpersonal, family, relational, and nonverbal communication. At the professional level, Communication Studies enhances your effectiveness in the workplace through classes in organizational, small group, and intercultural communication. And at the public level, Communication Studies promotes strong civic engagement through classes in rhetoric, public speaking, and argumentation and debate.

We are thrilled to have you as a member of our community. My door is always open. So, please feel free to stop by my office to chat or to just say “hi.”