The degree programs are designed to ensure that students are educated in substantive studies that constitute the discipline of communication and provide a basis for competing effectively on the job market. All students seeking the degree in communcation management take a range of courses that prepare them for successful professional management careers in communication-related businesses, organizations and fields. All students pursuing the research-oriented degrees are required to take two theory courses that introduce them to inquiry in human communication and two research methods courses that acquaint them with the historical/critical and social scientific techniques available to conduct scholarly research. These requirements strengthen the student's appreciation of the intellectual bases of human communication study and further the concept of a community of scholars and practitioners in the profession. Students specialize in one of four available tracks: rhetorical and critical studies; interpersonal and social dynamics; organizational communication; or mass communication, technology and public policy. In addition, students are encouraged to sample courses in the remaining tracks, thus obtaining an education of unparalleled breadth and depth.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995