Communication Studies
Organizational & professional communication
About Organizational & Professional Communication
Communication is central to not only the functioning of an organization but also to the satisfaction, success, and overall experience of organizational members. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (2025), several of the top attributes employers seek on a candidate’s resume are communication focused, such as: ability to work in a team, written communication skills, verbal communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership, friendly/outgoing personality.
Knowing how important communication skills are to employers demonstrates the significance of communication as the means by which things get done in an organization. While communication skills are important, understanding how communication serves to produce and reproduce organizational realities is crucial for all organizational members. Students in this emphasis have the opportunity to study communication in a variety of organizational contexts; for example: interviewing, leadership, public relations, and organizational-teams.
Graduates have been successful in getting positions in diverse communication areas such as: Management, recruiting, project management, human resources, public relations, social media management, marketing, community relations, sales.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students in the Organizational and Professional Communication emphasis will achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Message Construction: Create and communicate messages appropriate to diverse organizational audiences, purposes, and contexts
- Organizational Communication Perspectives: Employ organizational communication theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts to analyze communication in organizations
- Diverse Organizational Perspectives: Articulate and adapt to diverse perspectives in organizations and among organizational stakeholders
Major Requirements
(All colleges, excluding Teacher Certification programs): 39 credits
| Category | Requirements |
| CST Core Requirements | CST 190 → 301 → 498 → 499 |
| OPC: Theory/Analysis | CST 350 → 452 |
| OPC: Skills/Applications | CST 260, 351, 353, 354, 355, 358, 360, 365, 380, 460 (Select 6 credits) |
| Other Emphasis Areas | 3 credits from Interpersonal Communication (IPC#). 3 credits from Media Studies (MS†). 3 credits from Public Communication (PCA‡) |
| Additional CST credits | Minimum six credits from any CST course (excluding CST 110) |
#IPC Courses: CST 230, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 336, 337, 339
†MS Courses: CST 271, 338, 371, 373, 377, 378, 379, 387, 388, 419, 471, 489
‡PCA Courses: CST 210, 211, 213, 310, 312, 315, 319, 322, 410, 412, 413, 415
Minor Requirements
(All colleges, excluding Teacher Certification programs): 24 credits
| Category | Requirements |
| Required | CST 190 → 350 → 452 |
| Skills/Applications | CST 260, 351, 353, 354, 355, 358, 360, 365, 380. (Choose 3 credits) |
| Other Emphasis Areas | 3 credits from Interpersonal Communication (IPC#). 3 credits from Media Studies (MS†). 3 credits from Public Communication (PCA‡) |
#IPC Courses: CST 230, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 336, 337, 339
†MS Courses: CST 271, 338, 371, 373, 377, 378, 379, 387, 388, 419, 471, 489
‡PCA Courses: CST 210, 211, 213, 310, 312, 315, 319, 322, 410, 412, 413, 415