For most of us, communication represents a form of corresponding with other person or other people, but more broadly, communication can be defined as exchanging information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. The majority of people that decides to dedicate a certain period of their life to study communication and develop communication skills probably want to concentrate both themselves personally and their job to some type of medium, be it television, radio, internet, etc, or maybe to later pursue a career in management, human resources, etc.
In this guide, we will talk about some of the best communication schools in the world.
Top Communication Schools in the World
1. University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam is a public university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This university offers both undergraduate and graduate communication studies programs. Its master’s program in communication is ranked 1st in QS and Shanghai rankings of universities, proving that the University of Amsterdam is indeed among the best communication schools in the world.
If you decide to go for a bachelor’s degree in communication at this university, you can expect to learn about content, use, and effects of communication and various forms of media, as well as what is the role of mainstream media in influencing the lives of young people and citizenship in general. When it comes to its graduate studies, you can choose from a variety of specialized fields, such as Corporate Communication, Entertainment Communication, etc.
2. The Ohio State University – Columbus
The Ohio State University is a public university in Columbus, Ohio, commonly known as Ohio State or OSU. The OSU is the home of the College of Arts and Sciences, where its School of Communication can be found. This school offers both undergraduate and graduate communication studies; 4 undergraduate major specializations and two graduate degrees, to be precise.
Undergraduate studies at this top communication school promise to give its students the training and skills needed to harness the power of communication through its innovative curriculum and multimedia classrooms. Graduate studies offer an MA in Communication or a PhD in Communication degree and are mostly focused on teaching how to perform research in various fields of communication.
3. Michigan State University
Michigan State University is yet another outstanding school for communication. It is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan, founded in mid 19th century. College of Communication Arts and Sciences is one of the colleges under this university’s wing, where its Department of Communication can be found. Logically, right? Well, what’s also pretty logical is that this college and its department, very much dedicated to the art of communication, offer both undergraduate and graduate communication studies.
This school’s undergraduate studies offer degrees such as BA in Communication and BA in Communication Leadership and Strategy, preparing its students for working in state institutions and teaching them how to properly correspond with the general public. MA in Communication program is dedicated to developing students’ communication skills in various specialized areas, while the PhD in Communication program is more research-based and oriented.
4. The University of Texas at Austin
Another one of the best communication schools in the world is the University of Texas at Austin, a public university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in the late 19th century, where the Moody College of Communication with its Department of Communication Studies can be found. The Department offers both undergraduate and graduate studies in communication.
Undergraduate communication studies are divided into 3 different tracks, depending on the students’ interest and in which way do they want to pursue their career in communications: Corporate Communication, Interpersonal Communication, and Political Communication. Graduate studies are also divided into 3 different tracks: Interpersonal, Organizational Communication and Technology, and Rhetoric, Language, & Political Communication – again, depending on the area of study that the students want to dedicate their graduate studies to.
5. Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University is a national research university in Singapore, where its College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences with its Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information can be found. With Nanyang Technological University being one of the best communication schools in the world, it offers both undergraduate and graduate studies in communication.
Undergraduate communication studies at this school offer BA of Communication Studies (with Second Major in Business) programs that promise to give its student a strong balance of practical and conceptual skills, as well as majoring in various areas if they choose the Second Major program. Graduate studies are mostly focused on MA programs (in Communication Studies, and Media and Communication), but also offer a Doctor of Philosophy program that involves research in the fields of communications and information studies.
6. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in the early 19th century, where its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts with its Communication & Media Department can be found. The Department offers both undergraduate and graduate communication studies, with majoring programs in Communication and Media, and PhD program in Communication and Media, but no master’s program.
The goal of the undergraduate communication studies at this department is to teach about the evolution, effects, uses, and industry regulation and practices of the mass and emerging media, while the PhD program offers an opportunity to work with world-renowned faculty during the students’ research in communication studies.
7. University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university in Vienna, Austria, founded in the mid 14th century, which makes it the oldest university in the German-speaking world. The Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the higher education institutions of this university, where the Department of Communication can be found. This department offers both undergraduate and graduate communication studies, giving the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s, master’s, and/or PhD degree in communication.
The three-year bachelor studies in Journalism and Communication Studies offer, as they call it, “pre-professional education”, meaning that students are being provided with fundamental skills for careers in various areas of professional communication. The master’s program in Journalism and Communication Studies lasts two years and represents a kind of extension of the same name bachelor’s program; on the other hand, the Department claims that its PhD in Communication Science, as part of the Doctoral Program in Social Sciences, is much more demanding than the master’s program, because it requires innovation and originality during the students’ research process.
We hope this article on the best communication schools in the world was helpful. Check also the Available Programs for International Students to learn more about studying abroad.
