Careers
A degree in Communication Studies will prepare you for a wide range of career opportunities. Below you will find some common career paths students in our department pursue, along with some key courses to be sure to take if you are interested in those paths. Be sure to also work with your advisor to finalize your courses and to discuss what career path(s) are most interesting to you.
Public Relations and Advertising
Job Titles:
- Account Coordinator
- Communications Director
- Crisis Manager
- Media Relations Officer
- Social Media Campaign Manager
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Marketing Specialist/Coordinator
- Communication and Public Affairs Program Manager
- Corporate Communication Manager
- Account Manager
- Sales Designer
- Media Strategist
- Integrated Marketing Campaign Manager
- Consumer Direct Marketing Specialist
- Promotions Manager
- Copywriter
Courses to Consider:
- COM 113
Social Media and Digital Advocacy - COM 211
Intro to Mass Comm - COM 212
Advertising and Society - COM 310
Communicating with Data - COM 312
Public Relations - COM 313
Creating Student Media - COM 342
Media Literacy - COM 360
Sports Comm - COM 372
Sports PR - COM 410
Event Planning - COM 446
Critical Media Analysis - COM 415
Social Media Campaigns - COM 430
Social Media and Culture - COM 450
Crisis Comm - COM 455
Creating Documentary and Digital Films
Government and Politics
Job Titles:
- Campaign Director
- Legislative Assistant
- Elected Official
- Community Relations Director
- Public Information Officer
- Government Relations Manager
- Online/Social Media Communication Manager
- Speechwriter
- Law Enforcement Communication Officer
- Communication Coordinator
- Lobbyist
- Voter Outreach Specialist
Courses to Consider:
- COM 111
Public Speaking - COM 113
Social Media and Digital Advocacy - COM 310
Communicating with Data - COM 321
Influence Through Argumentation - COM 324
Business and Professional Comm - COM 326
Freedom of Speech - COM 327
Comm in the Legal Field - COM 342
Media Literacy - COM 400
Comm and Labor - COM 439
Contemporary US Public Address - COM 442
Comm and Social Change - COM 416
Comm and Politics
Business
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Coordinator
- Corporate Communication Specialist
- Communication Specialist
- Marketing Coordinator
- Travel/Conference/Event Manager
- Motivational Speaker
- Recruiter
- Business Development and Communication
- Account Executive
- Sales Consultant
- Client Relationship Manager
- Project Manager
Courses to Consider:
- COM 111
Public Speaking - COM 112
Interpersonal Comm - COM 310
Communicating with Data - COM 313
Creating Student Media - COM 323
Group Discussion and Leadership - COM 324
Business and Professional Comm - COM 340
Conflict Management - COM 360
Sports Comm - COM 370
Comm Ethics - COM 410
Event Planning - COM 420
Comm in Organizations - COM 312
Public Relations Comm - COM 324
Business and Professional Comm - COM 400
Comm and Labor - COM 450
Crisis Communication
Social and Human Services
Job Titles:
- Community Affairs Director
- Social and Community Service Management
- Social Worker
- Family Court Advocate
- Recreation Supervisor
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Non-profit Leadership
- Communication and Outreach Coordinator
- Development Officer
- Public Advocacy
- Crisis Support Worker
- Grant Writer
Courses to Consider:
- COM 112
Interpersonal Comm - COM 113
Social Media and Digital Advocacy - COM 323
Group Discussion and Leadership - COM 325
Intercultural Comm - COM 331
Nonverbal Comm - COM 335
Comm and Gender - COM 351
Health Comm - COM 400
Comm and Labor - COM 405
Human Comm Theory - COM 431
Nonverbal Deception Detection - COM 440
Relational Comm - COM 461
Family Comm - COM 462
Dark Side of Family Comm
Health
Communication
Job Titles:
- Health Educator
- Health Promotion Specialist
- Health Campaign Coordinator
- Patient Outreach Advocate
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- Public Health Journalist
- Health Information Manager
- Healthcare Policy Advocate
- Patient/Victim Advocate
- Healthcare Marketing/PR
- Nonprofit Manager
- Social Worker
- Human Resources
Courses to Consider:
- COM 112
Interpersonal Comm - COM 113
Social Media and Digital Advocacy - COM 310
Communicating with Data - COM 323
Group Discussion and Leadership - COM 325
Intercultural Comm - COM 331
Nonverbal Comm - COM 335
Comm and Gender - COM 351
Health Comm - COM 405
Human Comm Theory - COM 431
Nonverbal Deception Detection - COM 440
Relational Comm - COM 451
War on Science - COM 461
Family Comm - COM 462
Dark Side of Family Comm
Media Writing
Job Titles:
- Reporter
- Staff Writer
- Editor
- Data Research Analyst
- Content Manager
- Social Media Manager
- Grant Writer
- Web Content Manager
- Market Researcher
- Science Writer
- Translator
- Multimedia Specialist
- Political Risk Analyst
Courses to Consider:
- COM 211
Intro to Mass Comm - COM 212
Advertising and Society - COM 236
Contemporary Issues in Media - COM 312
Public Relations - COM 313
Creating Student Media - COM 328
Law and Pop Culture - COM 342
Media Literacy - COM 372
Sports PR - COM 410
Event Planning - COM 412
Analyzing Pop Culture - COM 415
Social Media Campaigns - COM 430
Social Media and Culture - COM 444
Global Media - COM 446
Critical Media Analysis - COM 455
Creating Documentary and Digital Films
Additional Resources
Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviewing
Service Learning and Career Development offers a number of excellent and FREE resources for students and alumni. They offer help with resume writing, including how to make resumes that focus on the skills you’ve aquired as a student worker. They also offer tips on cover letters as well as practice interviews.
Don’t know what you want to do yet? No problem. SLCD also offers career counseling.
Job Search
We encourage students to regularly check job search sites so they can see what types of jobs are available in the places they want to live. Having an idea of what jobs are availalbe will help you ensure you are doing everything you can to be ready for those jobs when you graduate. We also encourage students to complete at least one internship before they graduate, which can help build skills and resumes, making you a more competitive candidate.
There are many job search websites available. Our alumni have suggested the following:
