Communication

Communication is a fundamental social and cultural process, one that’s essential to human interaction and learning. The UMass Amherst Department of Communication emphasizes theories of communication and critical thinking. As a Communication major, you’ll develop analytical abilities that help you understand how communication works, whether in an argument between friends, a political speech, communication through social media or the web, cross-cultural interactions, or a film or television program.

Undergraduate program options include a Bachelor’s degree and a certificate in Media Literacy.

Featured Articles

10 Tips to Help You Land Your First Marketing Job

News & Articles
Published on August 18, 2020

So you want to get into marketing. Perhaps you studied marketing in college and are ready to apply what you’ve learned in the real world. Or you had a different major but have been leaning toward marketing as a career …

Read more

Sidebar

Featured Alumni

Casey Lyons’19 Communication

Alumni
  • Boston, MA
  • Marketing Coordinator The Boston Globe Companies
Meet Casey >

Bridget Thom’18, Communication

Alumni
  • Sales Capture Specialist Accenture

Dianna Bronchuk’16, Communication & Sociology

Alumni
  • Assistant Director of Educational Initiatives Northeastern University Alumni Relations Office
Meet Dianna >

Ella Khorov’19, STPEC & Communication

Alumni
  • Washington, DC
  • Legislative Health Fellow Office of U.S. Congressman Tony Cardenas
Meet Ella >

Lucia Castellana’13 Communication

Alumni
  • Boston, MA
  • Supervisor - Paid Social Mediahub Global
Meet Lucia >

Alexandra McInnis’17 Communication

Alumni
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Account Executive Dagger
Meet Alexandra >

George Smith’02 Communication

Alumni
  • New York, NY
  • Head of Creative & Digital Strategy - Creators League Studios PepsiCo
Meet George >
View More

Featured Resources

View More

Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes

See below for skill-building classes – visit LinkedIn Learning for more.

Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Taught by Oliver Yarbrough
Do you want to get into project management? Maybe you’re already in project management, but you want to grow. Either…
Learn More

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Taught by Corey Koberg
Google Analytics 4 provides the means to track, analyze, and report on the visitors to your site and app—who they…
Learn More

Media Relations Foundations

Taught by Jessica Chen
View Jessica’s LinkedIn Newsletter If you want your business to succeed, you need as much brand recognition as you can…
Learn More

Emerging Leader Foundations

Taught by Dan Schawbel
View Dan’s LinkedIn Newsletter Taking on a leadership role in the diverse, ever-changing modern workplace can feel both exhilarating and…
Learn More

Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Taught by Ashley Kennedy
If you’re in marketing, the only thing worse than not having a social media marketing strategy is having a bad…
Learn More

Customer Service: Managing Customer Expectations

Taught by Jeff Toister
Today’s customers expect a lot. Customer service expert Jeff Toister helps frontline employees identify where they can manage the expectations…
Learn More

SEO Foundations (2018)

Taught by David Booth
Modern consumers navigate the world through search. From laptops, smartphones, virtual assistants, tablets, and more, they search the wild and…
Learn More

Social Media Marketing for Small Business (2016)

Taught by Martin Waxman
View Martin’s LinkedIn Newsletter Small businesses can’t afford not to be active on social media. Having a Facebook, Instagram, or…
Learn More

Six Sigma Foundations

Taught by Richard Chua
Learn how to apply Six Sigma to drive improvements in the performance of your processes, products, and services. Dr. Richard…
Learn More

Social Media Marketing Foundations (2020)

Taught by Brian Honigman
Social media dramatically altered marketing by allowing businesses to directly engage with customers and vice versa. Brands that stand the…
Learn More

Photoshop 2020 Essential Training: The Basics

Taught by Julieanne Kost
Photoshop is the industry standard for creative visual expression. Whether you’re an experienced creative pro or just starting on your…
Learn More

LinkedIn Quick Tips (2019)

Taught by Oliver Schinkten
This collection of LinkedIn quick tip videos is designed to demonstrate helpful tricks, explain useful features, and provide quick answers…
Learn More

Marketing on LinkedIn: The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide

Taught by Alex Rynne
It’s a great time to be on LinkedIn. Businesses are seeing better engagement and ROI on LinkedIn than ever. So…
Learn More

Sales Foundations

Taught by Jeff Bloomfield
What makes someone effective at sales? A genuine desire to help others solve problems. In this course, former Genentech senior…
Learn More

Learning Canva

Taught by Marley Jaxx
Canva is an easy way—without any graphic design experience—to create professional graphics for social media, presentations, newsletters, business cards, brochures,…
Learn More

Cert Prep: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

Taught by Kelley O'Connell
The agile approach to project management can help companies respond faster and more effectively to change. As a result, having…
Learn More

Introduction to Graphic Design

Taught by Tony Harmer
Graphic design is a complex art. To become a graphic designer, you need to master many different skills and tools.…
Learn More

Learning Design Thinking: Lead Change in Your Organization

Taught by Turi McKinley
Design thinking is a user-centered way of solving problems. It involves extensive collaboration, using strategies such as mapping customer journeys,…
Learn More

Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling

Taught by Haydn Thomas
When you’re trying to grapple with user demands and market changes, it can be difficult to mentally zoom out and…
Learn More

User Experience (UX) for Non-Designers

Taught by Tom Green
User experience (UX) design is more than just pushing pixels and adding interactivity. It’s a people-centric practice that involves many…
Learn More
View All Classes

Relevant Courses

SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SOCBEHAV 250: College to Careers This class is all about YOU. • One credit, highly-participatory course • Learn about yourself…
Learn More
View All Courses

Research Opportunities

View More

Explore Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
  • Top Employers
  • Starting Salary
  • Employment Locations
  • Top Universities
  • Fields of Study

First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.