What is Communication Studies?
The Communication Studies major at Oregon Tech gives students an opportunity, in collaboration with their advisor, to design a program of study that is uniquely designed for their individual career goals. Students in Communication Studies complete general education requirements, a common core in the basic communication contexts, and 65 credits of electives both inside and outside of the Communication Department. Students and their advisors design a program of study that includes:
- 27 credits of general electives
- 30-credit focused sequence of electives outside of department
- 18 credits of communication electives
These 65 credits represent an individually designed program to help the student attain the skills and knowledge to reach their individual career goals.
The Communication Studies major is a new and growing major at Oregon Tech. The Communication Studies major is in its sixth year as a program and is poised to make the transition to a larger and more widely known program. Currently, students in Communication Studies at Oregon Tech enjoy a 5-to-1 student to teacher ratio. Planned growth over the next 4 years should expand the program to a 10-to-1 student to teacher ratio. This outstanding student to teacher ratio allows Communication Studies students the opportunity to interact with their professors and to have opportunities that are not possible in larger, more rigid and impersonal programs. An example of this is our students participation in the Northwest Communication Association (NWCA). Every year since the inception of the Communication Studies major, several Oregon Tech communication students have presented their research at the NWCAs annual conference. The small size, attention to undergraduate education, and focus on students interests, which are features of the Communication Studies major at Oregon Tech, make these experiences possible.