University of Michigan-Flint

Enter the world of communication
Picture yourself at an anchor desk ready to go on air. The lights are bright, the countdown starts, and you're on. Now, imagine yourself speaking to the press on your company's behalf. You're professional, in control, and know exactly what to say. A degree in communication can open the door to a number of career fields, from media and public relations, to marketing, business, consulting, education, writing, editing, and law.

University of Michigan-Flint communication students have access to valuable resources that will help them succeed in whatever career path they choose. The video and editing labs are state-of-the-art, much like the equipment that broadcasting companies use today. Through internships and co-op experiences, students will put the skills and theories that they've learned in the classroom into practice. The Student Communication Association offers students the opportunity to practice their networking skills and make contacts with other professionals entering the field of communication.

Three programs, countless possibilities
Within the communication major, students can choose the general program in communication with an emphasis in relational communication, organizational communication, or media studies; a teacher's certificate program in speech; or the honor's program in communication. Minors in communication and the teacher's certificate in speech are also available.

Mission
An in-depth understanding of the communication process and possession of the requisite skills needed to communicate effectively facilitate the development and maintenance of healthy relationships, civic vitality, and the pursuit of rewarding careers. Accordingly, the primary mission of the Department of Communication is to promote communication excellence in personal, social and professional contexts.

The Department of Communication strives to fulfill its mission through a curriculum that is designed to enhance and promote students’ communication competencies. Specifically, the department seeks to advance student insight into the nuances of human interaction and promote student understanding and proficiency in oral, nonverbal and written communication as applied to relational communication, organizational communication, and media studies. Students are also strongly encouraged to develop proficiency in the use of technology and to formulate a sense of ethical responsibility.

The mission is supported by the Department of Communication’s commitments to maintaining a supportive learning environment, functioning as a marketplace of ideas, engaging in applied scholarship, and promoting responsive citizenship.

• Supportive Learning Environment. Student learning is an important priority to all department faculty. The faculty view education as a cooperative, student-centered enterprise. The faculty’s passion for teaching and learning is evident in their focus on student learning outcomes, willingness to establish mentoring relationships with students, use of innovative teaching strategies, and a desire to accommodate students’ varied learning styles. Through this supportive environment, students are empowered to take ownership of their education.
• Marketplace of Ideas. Committed to the melding of a strong liberal arts tradition with an emphasis on professional career development the Department of Communication provides an intellectually stimulating environment in which students and faculty generate and disseminate new knowledge. A faculty that holds varied academic interests and embraces both humanistic and scientific perspectives facilitates this process. The spirit of inquiry and exchange of ideas is of great importance to department faculty.
• Applied Scholarship. Department of Communication faculty embraces the importance of extending the discipline beyond the academy. Therefore, the faculty is committed to exploring the way communication principles, theory, and research findings can be used to address important personal, social and professional issues.
• Responsive Citizenship. The Department of Communication is committed to fostering and promoting a sense of civic and professional responsibility among students and faculty. In particular, the faculty believes that we are not only a community of scholars, but scholars who are also members of larger communities. As such, faculty and students are encouraged to contribute their discipline-specific expertise to function proactively as leaders, partners, and members of these communities.