College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Cornell University
• Northwestern University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Washington University—St. Louis

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• James Madison University
• University of Wisconsin—Madison
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

Classes in the Major

Communication Studies. These courses will make up the largest chunk of your major, and with good reason. Stuff like the rhetorical concepts and development of speech skills, the principles of argumentation, conflict resolution, and interpersonal relationships will all be covered, too. If you're going to call yourself a communications major, you'll need to learn how to communicate in diverse situations, and then some.

Sociology. Good powers of persuasion involve knowing your targeted audience. A general rule is: Tell 'em what they want to hear. Let's say you're a politician and you want the support of Texas. It's probably not a good idea to tell them that you plan on taking away their guns. Not only will they not vote for you, but they'll also probably drive you right out of town. A general knowledge of sociology makes for a more effective communicator.

Political Science. Communications isn't as simple as it sounds—it's not just opening your gob and wording words. Taking political science courses is like taking sociology in that it makes you a better communicator. Political sciences courses focus on the political systems of certain countries and how that impacts the cultures and ideologies of those countries. We think it's pretty safe to say that the rest of the world is not like the United States, and it's important to know how.

Psychology. It's kind of hard to fully understand how people will act in social organizations and large-scale companies if you don't know how they respond in smaller social groups, or what their deepest, darkest desires are. Psychology and communications are interrelated because at the end of the day, you've got to understand people in order to communicate with them effectively. Once you study how people behave and respond, it makes your job as a communications major a whole lot easier.

Statistics. "Go do humanities," they said. "You won't have to do math," they said. Well, surprise, Shmoopers. Math is inescapable. As a communications major, you'll have to learn all about different forms of statistical analysis. If you're communicating to the masses, you should know what the masses want and think (statistically). All you've got is some data—the math, and how you interpret the math, is up to you. It's especially important to differentiate between good stats and bad stats.