Communication Division

Organizational Communication

Although the information below is excerpted from the Seaver catalogue, this is not an official binding document. To view the actual catalog visit http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/catalog/

Organizational Communication Major

In today's environment, organizations face challenges of increasing reliance on technology, merging industries, issues of sustainability, and international globalization. This creates greater needs for organizational members to respond with creativity and learning, ethics and social responsibility, and balanced approaches to uncertainty and complexity. In an environment of proliferating technology, merging industries, and international globalization, organizations are faced with a greater need for creativity and learning, uncertainty and complexity, and ethics and social responsibility. Organizational communication majors learn how to communicate effectively, creatively, and mindfully in this setting. They learn how to write clear business memos and reports, present persuasive corporate presentations, participate in and lead team discussion and decision making, manage organizational conflict, shape leadership initiatives, cultivate organizational culture, develop systems that fulfill mission statements, analyze communication effectiveness, conduct training and development, and create organizational change. Our focus at Pepperdine is to create people who will become positive change agents for every conceivable type of organization.

 

Mission Statement

The organizational communication major equips students to become change agents in corporations and non-profits by learning standards, skills and processes for healthy, effective, and ethical communication. Graduates are thus equipped to serve in positions of leadership and service with the purpose of helping create meaningful change as external consultants for business, human resources, and communication agencies; internal communication managers within organizations; human resources professionals; teachers and trainers; corporate managers; and non-profit and ministry leaders.

Student Learning Outcomes

An Organizational Communication major who graduates from Pepperdine can:

1. Understand and compare theories and research in perspectives, background, and context of organizational communication.

2. Demonstrate analytic and applied skills in organizational communication to work towards effective organizing processes.

3. Appreciate how different worldviews impact organizational communication and discern among those choices a wise and ethical path.

Organizational Communication Requirements

Freshman-Year Program

During the freshman year, students who are concentrating in organizational communication should complete COM 200, COM 220 and COM 180 (formerly SPE 180) if possible. Students who plan to study in one of the international programs in the sophomore year should complete COM 200 and COM 220 in the freshman year and COM 300 and COM 418 in the junior year.