Master of Arts - Communication Studies

Explore the Master of Arts in Communication Studies at SF State! Develop leadership skills and engage in diverse dialogues. Apply today!

Program Description The Communication Studies department examines how people express themselves verbally and nonverbally; how identities are created, performed, and changed; how people listen to others; and how symbols relate to human behavior. It acknowledges, appreciates, and integrates human diversity in its various forms. It studies human communication in culturally and socially diverse contexts. It does so by using a variety of methods and technologies to discover and share knowledge about communication and to analyze, interpret, and perform discourse. Areas of study include language and social interaction, group processes, organizational communication, interpersonal and intercultural communication, rhetoric and political communication, public speaking, performance studies, and research methodologies. Communication Studies students develop skills essential for leadership and career development, and for understanding and interpreting events. They learn to advocate and critically debate ideas in social and political settings, appreciate diverse communication styles, work productively in task-oriented groups, and engage in rewarding interpersonal relationships. The department works to express what it perceives, feels, and believes, encouraging students to do the same so that all may engage openly in genuine dialogue. It also encourages the practice of hearing and honoring a variety of voices and celebrating creative and humane approaches to solving complex human problems in local and global communities,