graduate study

Areas of Study

The Department of Communication at the University of Washington seeks to advance the study and practice of communication across mediated and face-to-face contexts by using both humanistic and social scientific approaches. Our research and teaching focus on seven interrelated areas of study:

• Communication and Culture
• Communication Technology and Society
• Global Communication
• Media Organization
• Social Interaction
• Political Communication
• Rhetoric and Critical/Cultural Studies

Faculty, staff, and students work across these domains to cultivate a collaborative and inclusive scholarly community. The Department highlights these areas to demonstrate the strengths of the unit, not to create a set of six separate programs. Faculty typically work across multiple areas of study. Students do not formally identify themselves as belonging in a particular area.
All graduating M.A. and Ph.D. students receive degrees in Communication, not a particular area of study.