About Us

The Department of Communication offers programs leading to B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication. We see our field as universally important, and our work as crucial to human thriving. The National Communication Association (NCA) states:

 

At its foundation, Communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, and is the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry... Communication cuts across contexts and situations; it is the relational and collaborative force that strategically constructs the social world.
www.natcom.org

The study of communication thus entails a multidisciplinary approach, contingent on which aspect of the field one is focused. It is truly interdisciplinary, incorporating research, theory, and methods from Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, English Literature, Linguistics, Business, Education, Political Economy, Cinema Studies, Women's Studies, Ethnic Studies, Performance Studies, Art, and numerous others.

Of course, Communication is also a scholarly discipline in its own right, reflected in areas of study such as Rhetoric, Media Studies, Advertising, and Public Relations. In addition to the study of communication, the field also entails production of media and messages (usually distinguished from the broader field by adding an 's,' indicating focus on products being communicated). Some familiar areas of Communications include Journalism, publishing, TV and documentary production, podcasting, blogging, social media, journalistic photography and video.

With such a broad range of influences and so many options one might choose within the field, we encourage  students to choose from the many opportunities and experiences our degree programs and concentrations offer. 

To summarize, the study of Communication includes interdisciplinary openness to theories and methods; critical analysis of processes, techniques, strategies, media and messages, in public, private, interpersonal, cultural, societal and organizational contexts; the study of audiences and users of media; and the media industries. The Department of Communication curriculum focuses on relating theory to practice, recognizing and exploring the ways personal and cultural values and experiences, politics, ethics and morals all influence communication.

Department Data

About three quarters of Communication students transfer into the program from a California junior college. The other 26% of our students are freshmen (aka ‘native’ students) to the East Bay campus. Most of our transfer students come from Chabot College (Hayward), followed by Diablo Valley College (Concord). Las Positas (Livermore), Ohlone College (Fremont), and De Anza Community College round out the top five sources of transfer students.

 

The remainder of transfer students acquire their first two years of university credit at one of more than two dozen colleges in the SF Bay Area and beyond, notably Los Medanos (Lafayette), Contra Costa (San Pablo), Laney (Oakland), Merritt College (Oakland), City College of San Francisco, Evergreen Valley (San Jose), San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton) and Foothill (Los Altos).

 

Roughly half (45% to 50% annually) of our students are in the Communication and Media Studies concentration, with Strategic Communication (including advertising and professional communication) being the choice of approximately 35% of our students on any given year. Multimedia Journalism and media production rounds out the department’s enrollment with typically 15% to 20% of students.

 

Student Data

Most UG students (89%) choose to study full-time.

Seniors currently make up 50% of our student enrollment, followed by Juniors at 34%. Freshmen constitute only 6% of department enrollment.

The female to male ratio is typically about 3:2 any given semester. Currently 57% of students identify as female, 43% as male, and less than 1% as non-traditional gender.

The largest ethnic group of students is Latinx at 37%, while Black/African American, Asian, and ‘other’ (multi, unknown, international) constitute 16% each. White identifying students comprise 15% of the department.

More than half the student population are categorically ‘under-represented minorities’ at 53%.

Almost 60% of our students are first-generation, and approximately half of our students are categorically ‘low income.’

 

Employment Data

25% of graduates earn more than $95k within five years

 

Faculty Data

Including all instructional faculty, the Dept. of Communication headcount is 27. Over 48% of the faculty identifies as white, followed by Asian faculty at 18.5%. Black identified and unknown constitute 11% of the faculty each. Latinx and International identifying faculty each contribute 3.7% of the faculty.

Lecturers constitute 70% of the instructional faculty. The regular faculty is comprised of 7% Assistant Professors, 15% Associate Professors, and 8% Full Professors. The tenured/tenure-track faculty identify as 3 female, 3 male, and one nonbinary. Three faculty members openly identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

The Department of Communication has hosted many academic conferences and events throughout its history.

Fall 2020 and 2021

 

Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2019