A major in communication studies provides students with coursework and experiences to better understand and improve human communication in a variety of contexts.
A degree in communication is not just about mastering the art of speaking and writing; it is about understanding how to effectively connect, engage, and influence others across various contexts and mediums. Our program is rooted in the belief that strong communication skills are essential in every profession and are key to fostering positive change in society.
Students completing the SCOM major gain knowledge and skills that will help shape healthy relationships at home and in the workplace, pursue a graduate degree, and be successful in a variety of careers. Our graduates go on to have successful careers in business, education, government, health, public relations, entertainment, personnel management, politics, sales, conference and event planning, hospitality industries and more.
Communication Studies is a restricted major. This means that students must apply for a limited number of seats in the major.
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Emma Wiltz ('23) is the founder of Maverick Vintage and executive assistant at Odyseek, and AI career platform. Read more >
Students must declare SCOM as their major or minor in MyMadison by March 30 prior to registration for fall and summer registration, and by September 30 for spring registration.
Declaring the major/minor by this date does not guarantee availability of courses.
Major Requirements
Students may choose to pursue the major in Communication Studies as either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree. View full major requirements in the course catalog:
All students with an SCOM major are also required to complete a minor, a second major, OR 12 hours of cognate credit (classes outside of SCOM at the 300/400 level.) A minor is strongly recommended.
Communication Studies Major Concentrations
There are seven distinct concentrations which students choose from to focus their communication studies degree:
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Advocacy Studies: This concentration prepares students to understand, evaluate and shape the processes, institutions and communication technologies that citizens, political leaders, government officials, and groups use to campaign, deliberate, govern and advocate for social change. Click here for the Advocacy Studies concentration course checklist.
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Cultural Studies: This concentration prepares students to analyze, engage and manage communication situations where cultural identity becomes relevant to the persons involved in the interaction. Click here for the Cultural Studies concentration course checklist.
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Generalist Studies: This option enables students to study communication across several contexts and tailor a program of study to meet their interests. Click here for the Generalist Studies concentration course checklist.
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Health Communication: This concentration prepares students for careers in patient advocacy, health promotion and education, social marketing, health-related public relations, health-related writing, pharmacy sales and health-related advertising. Click here for the Health Communication concentration couse checklist.
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Interpersonal Communication: Students analyze how messages are used to manage personal relationships in social and professional contexts, and how to achieve goals and strengthen relationships through intentional communication. Click here for the Interpersonal Communication course checklist.
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Organizational Communication: This concentration involves the study of the ways people interact and achieve collective goals within organizations, such as business, government, education and nonprofit groups. Click here for the Organizational Communication course checklist.
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Public Relations: This concentration focuses on the management of communication between organizations and their internal and external publics with the goal of mutual understanding and influence. Click here for the Public Relations course checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our greatest strength is, unquestionably, the quality of the faculty in the department. With over 40 faculty teaching classes in many different areas and with different strengths, students will have a tremendous variety of educational experiences. SCOM faculty are highly credentialed, experienced, dedicated, creative, and thoughtful, with a superb depth of knowledge in many different aspects of communication. The program is designed with as much flexibility as possible, to allow students to take courses from multiple faculty members and even across multiple concentrations, if a student chooses the generalist option.
For more information, feel free to contact us at SCOM@JMU.edu.
Though you can declare the major right away, and you certainly should if you’re interested, students must complete the Human Communication General Education requirement and be of at least sophomore standing to be able to enroll in SCOM 240 and SCOM 240L. Many of our students can graduate on time with no difficulty if they declare the major as late as their sophomore year.
The School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD) is much more media-focused. If you’re interested in broadcast journalism, graphic design, or video production, SMAD should definitely be your choice – it’s also an excellent major. The School of Communication Studies (SCOM) does overlap with SMAD just a little bit, but our areas of concentration are very different from SMAD and I think that’s where you could most easily tell the difference between the two. SCOM tends to focus more on face-to-face communication and strategic message design.
Absolutely – in fact, SCOM requires a second major, minor, or other area of specialization, and SMAD is a very common second major choice. Students who major in both can graduate on time, and appreciate the more mediated and technical aspects of SMAD when combined with the more face-to-face and strategic communication aspects of SCOM. Both majors emphasize writing and working in teams, which are critical workplace skills.
