The Organizational/Public Communication major is a general skills major designed to prepare students to enter many different professions. Since most employers list "good communication skills" as a requirement for employment, this major is uniquely designed to educate students in different theories and practical applications of communication skills. this major is also uniquely designed to be a pre-law, pre-seminary, or pre-graduate school program.
Specific skills areas that are taught in this major include: interpersonal communication, small group communication, public speaking, nonverbal communication, and persuasion. In addition, students have the option of choosing the Public Communication concentration which adds courses in argumentation, intercultural communication, organization communication as well as analysis of rhetorical communication and advanced speech composition; or a student can choose the Interpersonal/Organizational concentration, which adds interviewing techniques, meeting management, intercultural communication, and organizational communication. Both concentrations then choose one "Special Topics" course. The department encourages you to look at the course descriptions in the course catalog, and at the major checksheet.
Students wondering what types of professions people pursue when finished with this degree will find a variety of options. Graduates have been placed in management, human resources, communication consulting, recreation management, political campaign assistant, sports-related positions, health care, airline assitant positions, to name just a few. In addition, many students have chosen to attend law school, seminary, or graduate school. Should you have questions about possible career options, you should feel free to contact one of the professors who teach in the Organizational/Public Communication Program: Drs. Clark, Cole, Dehart, Dorgan, Knutson, Moore, and Treadaway.
Site last updated: 11/21/02
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