Clear and compelling communication is powerful. In today’s 24-hour news cycle, the ability to communicate effectively and create compelling content is more important than ever before. Communication studies majors at RMC become engaging communicators by studying the art of public speaking and the dynamics of interpersonal, group, and organizational communication. Jumpstart your future career in public relations, marketing, media, human resources, and a wide array of industries because you have the skills that make people sit up and listen.
Major/Minor Communication Studies
Communication Studies up close In and Beyond the Classroom
High-Impact Internships
RMC internships reflect the many career opportunities in the field of communications. RMC students have recently interned at:
- Circle S Studio
- Hanover Chamber of Commerce
- National Kidney Foundation
- U.S. House of Representatives
- SOAR 365
- Virginia Asset Management
hands-on research
As a communication studies major, you can take courses that directly benefit your future career. In Leadership Communication (COMM 334), rather than working on fictional case studies, you’ll put the theories of contemporary leadership to practice by working with real-world clients for the purpose of making real community change. With projects like these, together with in-class collaborative course work designed to develop effective leadership and conflict management skills, you’ll make valuable additions to your professional portfolio that showcase your writing skills, and ability to translate complex language into authentic, easy-to-understand messages.
advising and mentorship
Communication studies majors work closely with faculty mentors to pursue and present original research to advance the field of communications.
RMC student Brianne Habit worked with faculty mentor Dr. Ruth Beerman to research Disney princesses with the guiding question, “What type of princess and role model is being presented through Disney’s films, website, and related web content?” With guidance from Professor Beerman, Brianne analyzed themes such as gender, sexuality, morality, and beauty within the films and the Disney Princess website. She later participated in a poster presentation at the 109th annual conference of the Eastern Communication Association.
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1915the year the RMC student newspaper was founded
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#1“Communication” is the top skill employers are looking for (Indeed 2023)
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$65,000median salary for communication studies majors
communication studies in full Courses You Won’t Want to Miss
(A very small sample)
COMM 314
Visual Rhetoric
Learn about the power and ethics of photographs, bodies, image events and posters; then take on the role of a visual campaign manager by creating a visual advocacy campaign for a social issue that matters to you.
COMM 363
public relations
Learn how PR operates in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies through guest speakers. Develop skills essential for written, spoken, and technology-based PR tactics and apply them to a public relations campaign scenario.
COMM 332
Intercultural Communication
Critically analyze the influences cultures have on communication especially in personal relationships, education, organizations, politics, health care, and media consumption. Examine the multiple dimensions of global and United States cultures.
Opportunities Worth Grabbing
Popular activities and programs among communication studies majors
franklin debating society
One of the college’s oldest clubs, providing opportunities to engage in argumentation, debate, advocacy and speaking.
The YELLOW JACKET NEWSpaper
Established in 1915, producing news online today
STINGER RADIo AND PODCAST SOCIETY
Developing and producing content for RMC audiences for the online streaming Stinger Radio station
Alpha Beta Mu
Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, a national honor society sponsored by the National Communication Association
From Here To What you can do with a Communication Studies degree from RMC.
Dory Jackson ’16
Associate Editor, TV
PEOPLE Magazine
“Being in the Communication Studies and Journalism program at Randolph-Macon College gave me the foundational skills I needed to succeed in the field. In my journalism classes at RMC, I learned the best approaches to crafting a news story that I was eventually able to apply to my internships and jobs outside of school — and I’m forever grateful for those experiences. My public speaking class even made me a more confident and poised public speaker, and I’ve since been able to use those skills on major platforms like Good Morning America. I’ve also had the support of professors like Dr. Joan Conners, who I still keep in touch with to this day!”
Sean Michael Ryan ’18
Communications Director
US House of Representatives
Shelby Lee Ethington ’19
Public Affairs Specialist
Fort Eustis, US Army TRADOC
Taylor McManus ’20
Marketing Specialist
Customer Growth and Align Technology
Connor Kish ’15
Director
Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
“I am where I am today because of Randolph-Macon. An internship I did through the Political Science department was directly responsible for me landing my first job after graduation and has further led to success in my career. Randolph-Macon offers students the opportunity to really get to know professors and staff, with small class sizes that benefit and enhance a really powerful learning experience. To this day, I maintain many close relationships with other alumni working in my field.”
Buzzworthy The Latest From RMC Communication Studies
News Story categories: Communication Studies
Academics
Career Preparation
Intergenerational Wisdom: Student Interview Project Honors Hanover County Centenarians
RMC students’ oral history interviews were part of Hanover County’s Centenarian Celebration, which earned a VACo Achievement Award.
News Story categories: Communication Studies
Academics
Biology
SURF Symposium Celebrates Summer of Undergraduate Research
Twenty-nine students presented the findings of their research, a culmination of a summer’s worth of hard work, creativity, and collaboration.
News Story categories: Communication Studies
Academics
Classics
RMC Recognizes Faculty with Prestigious Awards
President Robert R. Lindgren and Provost Alisa J. Rosenthal announced the winners of the College’s most distinguished awards for faculty.
More to explore 55+ areas of study to discover at RMC
Get Ready Discover Communication Studies at RMC.
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