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Communication Arts and Sciences
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Communication Arts and Sciences is the study of how people understand and use symbols to influence people and the world around them. Because communication is central to both our personal and professional lives, opportunities for understanding its many facets are key elements to one’s success. As informational and economic globalization increasingly sets the agenda in all areas of life, verbal and nonverbal skills necessary for competent communication are critical. We must understand how to adapt and apply the rules of communication to the constantly changing social, political, and business climates at every level—from local to international. For these reasons, communication is essential to an undergraduate education.
Courses in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences teach students to think critically, analyze and solve problems, work in organizations, understand and manage conflict, argue persuasively, influence people, form and keep relationships, give effective presentations, and participate in the civic and political life of a community. Students choosing the Communication Arts and Sciences major will obtain training in how to effectively communicate in both speech and writing in a variety of settings. Pathways to success include interpersonal, organizational, health, political, rhetorical, intercultural, legal, presentational, and technological communication.
The Gourman Report ranks the Communication Arts and Sciences undergraduate program at Penn State sixth out of over 300 universities worldwide!
RELATED EXPERIENCES
In addition to courses, the department offers students extracurricular and individualized instruction to encourage professional development, civic participation, and personal growth. Internships, as well as teaching and research apprenticeships, provide students with opportunities to apply their skills in business, teaching, and research settings.
CAREER DIRECTIONS
Communication Arts and Sciences is not a license to do any one thing, but a passport to do almost anything. Students who major in Communication Arts and Sciences compete effectively in the marketplace because they are creative and critical thinkers who can express themselves in a variety of situations. A survey recently reported in the Wall Street Journal identified communication as the number one skill that employers look for in new employees, and why more employees rate communication as very important to their success than any other skill. Communication Arts and Sciences is a flexible major, so career paths vary widely.
Graduates include successful entrepreneurs, attorneys, consultants as well as the counsel for public affairs at a U.S. embassy, vice presidents for AOL/Time Warner, MBNA Marketing Systems, and Mellon Bank, the director of U.S. markets for Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the publisher of Golf Digest, the manager of human relations at Universal Studios, and a corporate communications specialist for Sony Corporation.
With a degree in Communication Arts and Sciences, the world is wide open.