The primary objectives of the Communication Department are: to understand and teach the functions, processes, and effects of communication; to attempt to influence communication environments in which we live in a contributory way; and to provide professional preparation for communication-oriented careers, including communication technology, journalism, public relations, organizational communication, and the mass media.

Given these goals, the Department attempts to meet individual performance and career needs with a flexible curriculum. Thus, while a "core" of courses is required of all Communication majors, students select one of the six tracks offered and confer with their advisors to plan their courses of study. These focused areas of study are not a vocational education, but they will help to prepare students for several employment possibilities.

The six tracks, or concentrated areas of study, offered in Communication are: Communication Technology, Interpersonal Communication and Rhetoric, Journalism (Print Journalism and Broadcast Journalism), Organizational Communication, Public Relations (Public Relations and Advertising), and Radio-Television. In brief, the Department's commitment to a broad-based study of communication activities permits a more intelligent choice of career fields. In addition, it provides a more meaningful classroom experience during the junior and senior years.