At Portland State, the Department of Communication offers degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or minor in Communication.

The Communication program prepares students for careers in many professions by cultivating critical reasoning and writing skills. Compared to other majors, Communication has relatively few required courses. Our curriculum has three primary goals:

1. Introduce students to major lines of communication research and theory. 
2. Train students in methods for studying and analyzing communication. 
3. Offer students the opportunity to tailor their coursework to their own Communication-related interests.

In addition to our core classes on Communication theory, research, and methods, we teach courses on: 

• The effects of mass media (e.g., television), including the nature of communication over new media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter)
• The norms and rules of communication in interpersonal and romantic relationships, including the dynamics of intercultural communication
• The role of communication in politics and political outcomes
• The role of communication in healthcare (e.g., doctor-patient communication) and patients’ health outcomes