
EXPLORE ACADEMICS
Our alumni are employed in K-12 education, media communication outlets, marketing, hospitality, tourism, business and finance.
Explore Our Programs
Why Study Communication?
Communication is central to human behavior and social interaction. Our faculty are dedicated to teaching students about the crucial role communication processes play in the quality of human life. At the undergraduate level, students learn about the relationship between journalism and democratic citizenship, the ethical problems associated with the practice of public relations or communication with the young and elderly. Master’s-level students explore the importance of community-based media, political speech writing or gender and violence. At the doctoral level, students focus on identity construction, media effects, international journalism or rhetorical studies.
Students can obtain undergraduate majors in journalism, with specialties in multiplatform journalism and public relations, or speech, with specialties in public and political communication and communication. Students in all areas of study can take advantage of the outstanding internship opportunities only a world media capital can offer.
Graduate students can take their master’s degrees in mass communication, digital media strategies or human communication and social influence. Our doctoral programs build upon these specialties, allowing students to pursue Ph.D.s in media and society or rhetoric and politics.
Focus on Student Success
Georgia State is among the most diverse universities in the nation. It has a university-wide commitment to student advising with a keen focus on students’ progress to graduation.
The university has cultivated the ability to detect early when students face obstacles affecting their studies. As a result, Georgia State has achieved national acclaim as a leader in creating innovative approaches that get students back on track and successfully headed to graduation.
Georgia State has more than 200,000 alumni across the state and around the world. The careers and lives of these graduates were shaped by a distinctively enterprising university culture that values ambition, hard work, dedication and perseverance.
Careers in Communication
Journalism
Readers, viewers, listeners, companies, clients, donors, customers and lawmakers are some of the groups journalists and public relations professionals target when they research, compose and produce stories and publicity materials. Having skills to do these tasks well helps make journalism majors competitive in a variety of employment opportunities. There is always a demand for good writers, regardless of how content is delivered to its intended audience. Creating quality content under deadline is a time-management skill journalism majors have honed from the writing-intensive curriculum and it is valued by employers.
Many employers are seeking people who can find relevant information quickly. Journalism majors can provide quality information fast as they have honed their critical-thinking skills to analyze sources and find credible information. They can present the best information in a concise manner. Knowing how to deliver the content in a variety of ways requires journalism majors to adapt their writing and producing skills to the needs of the employer, the means of distributing content and the desires of the intended audience. Job descriptions which include “good communication skills” are open to journalism majors who can compete for and be placed in employment opportunities because of their superior writing skills.
Public Relations
Agencies have a number of different clients and although a few agencies may specialize in a particular economic sector, for example, only entertainment or technology, most agencies work with businesses which have sought the expertise of the agency so their workers can concentrate on the core mission of the business. Many large agencies provide pro bono publicity for non-profit organizations.
Companies and non-profits can employ their own public relations staff. This may involve the creation of internal newsletters for co-workers, but it can also mean working on publicity material for many other groups the companies and non-profits target to build a positive image.
Public relations professionals are advocates who critically analyze information to create content and campaigns for employers, employees and clients. They are often tasked with planning events, for example, fundraisers, banquets and trade shows, where time management and organizational skills are important.
Public relations professionals have to understand how to persuade others and this is a valuable talent that can include many employment opportunities. Public relations professionals' superior communication skills help them to be well prepared for roles in management, sales, advertising and marketing.
Broadcast Media
Employment for reporters is no longer partitioned by how the content is delivered because journalists are now sought for their multimedia skills. There are still newspaper and magazine reporters, radio and TV reporters, but there are more employment opportunities for those who can record video and post an edited video on a radio station’s website or a reporter who can also record audio from an interview and post an edited version along with a photo slide show.
Freelance reporting is another approach to earning income while working other jobs and can be full-time work in itself if the freelancer can pitch enough interesting stories to outlets seeking that content. Freelancers can specialize in covering a particular sector, for example, travel or medical/health care, but many are curious about a range of items and enjoy researching, interviewing and producing stories on a variety of things, similar to what a general assignment reporter would do at a newspaper or TV station.
Having the skills of an excellent writer and adept researcher can provide employment opportunities where producing content is not the only objective. Many companies, organizations and non-profits hire journalism majors because of their superior time-management and production skills.
Speech
One of the most sought-after qualities in most jobs is “good communication skills.” Speech majors spend their careers honing this exact skill, and, upon graduation, are able to communicate ideas with clarity and effectiveness. This opens doors in any professional field—such as business, law, social and community services, public relations, and teaching. Speech majors can use their communication skills in many settings and careers.
Law
A speech degree can prepare students for law school and a career as a lawyer. Since lawyers are required to present an argument and persuade a jury using provided evidence, the communication skills of a speech major provide a solid start to the career. Courses in interpersonal communication strengthen knowledge of conflict and communication while courses in debate, ethics, rhetoric, and persuasion strengthen argumentation and communication skills.
Politics
Speech majors have the advantage of being able to choose between many careers in the political field, whether it be speech writing or politics itself. Coursework in writing, rhetoric, and political communication can prepare a student for a career in politics.
Business
An understanding of human communication behavior, research methods, and diversity issues as well as an ability to integrate information will benefit students who have an interest in going into business. Speech majors find employment in advertising, insurance, real estate, human resources, sales, or marketing and consumer research.
Communication Disorders
One out of every six Americans has a communication disorder ranging from stuttering to aphasia, loss of the ability to understand or express speech. The undergraduate degree in Speech Communication within the College of Arts and Sciences is the first in a continuum that can lead to the Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn about the opportunities offered at Georgia State University for students interested in the Speech Pathology profession.
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Communication Department
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
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PH.D. Program
Undergraduate Programs
Internships
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Office/Delivery Address
Georgia State University
Communication Department
25 Park Place, NE
8th Floor, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30303
USPS Mailing Address:
Georgia State University
Communication Department
P.O. Box 5060
Atlanta, GA 30302-5060