Bachelor of Arts
Communication
Our communication degree prepares you for the media careers of today and tomorrow.
Communication technologies change constantly, but a communication degree will never go obsolete. Communication majors gain expertise that can be adapted for any medium, using creativity and professional craft to educate, entertain, and motivate audiences. Our communication degree covers print, broadcast, and digital media, with flexible course requirements that let you adjust the communication major to fit your interests. You’ll learn to pair creativity with professional craft, while gaining studio experience on campus and in professional settings. In the age of 24/7 communication, career options for communication majors are more abundant than ever. Oakland University’s communication degree equips you to explore the full range of opportunities and acquire skills that have value in nearly every industry.
Communication technologies change constantly, but a communication degree will never go obsolete. Communication majors gain expertise that can be adapted for any medium, using creativity and professional craft to educate, entertain, and motivate audiences. Our communication degree covers print, broadcast, and digital media, with flexible course requirements that let you adjust the communication major to fit your interests. You’ll learn to pair creativity with professional craft, while gaining studio experience on campus and in professional settings. In the age of 24/7 communication, career options for communication majors are more abundant than ever. Oakland University’s communication degree equips you to explore the full range of opportunities and acquire skills that have value in nearly every industry.
Communication Degree: The Oakland University Advantage
Our location in one of the nation’s largest media markets adds tremendous value to our communication degree. So do Oakland University’s many partnerships with media firms, government agencies, nonprofits, and global corporations. This rich environment gives you exceptional opportunities to gain real-world experience, make professional connections, and develop a portfolio of work that showcases your talent.
Our communication degree provides you with:
- Hands-on training. With a student-run radio station (WXOU), TV station (OUTV), and newspaper (The Oakland Post), communication majors can explore the full media spectrum right on campus. You’ll have the chance to produce broadcasts, podcasts, news reports, digital videos, ads, multimedia content, and more. Our communication degree also equips you with first-rate writing skills in a variety of forms, including speeches, press releases, advertising copy, web content, and public service messages.
- Professional experience. All communication majors complete a senior-year capstone project of some kind. Many students opt for professional internships with media companies, PR firms, or corporate communications departments. You can also choose an independent research project, or a community field experience in collaboration with a nonprofit or government agency.
- Flexibility. No two communication majors are exactly alike. Our communication degree offers an exceptionally broad menu of courses, giving you the freedom to focus on whatever fits your academic interests and career goals.
- Connections with outstanding faculty. As a group, the instructors in Oakland University’s communication degree program have worked in every corner of the industry, from marketing and PR to broadcast, print, digital, and film. They’re accessible and highly engaged, offering mentorship and career guidance that goes far beyond textbook education.
- Cultural sensitivity. Our communication degree prepares you to craft messages for all kinds of audiences, in many different social contexts. You’ll gain the skill to connect with diverse populations within the United States, and to reach out to international audiences that are more accessible than ever in today’s interconnected world. The communications department is exceptionally diverse, with faculty members from numerous countries and a highly diverse student body.
What can you do with a communication degree?
Communication Careers
Communication majors have skills that are in almost universal demand. Organizations of every size, in every sector, employ communicators as consultants or full-time employees. Communication degrees are especially marketable to employers such as publishers and broadcasters, PR firms, digital media outlets, advertising agencies, and in-house communications departments.
Graduates of our communication degree program have an excellent hiring record, with careers in fields such as:
- Public relations
- Government
- Social media
- Advertising
- Sales
- Event planning
- Broadcasting
- Broadcast production
- Publishing
- Grant writing
- Digital media
- Online content development
Communication Degree: What You’ll Study
The communication major offers a high degree of flexibility, enabling you to choose courses that fit your career interests. Regardless of your particular focus, the communication degree has required courses in the following areas:
- Public address
- Communication theory
- Interpersonal communication
- Media
- Rhetoric or cultural criticism
- Writing
- Foreign language or American Sign Language