What Can I Do With a Degree in Communication?

Consistently landing on lists of the top ten most popular undergraduate degrees, the study of communication serves as a gateway to multiple career paths and industries. Students pursuing a communication degree examine the role of communication in human relationships and learn the skills needed to master written and oral forms of communication. 

The Communication Division at Seaver College teaches students how to tell meaningful stories in digital, film, and print spaces in order to inspire, educate, and inform accurately and when appropriate, persuasively. Explore potential career options below to see what majoring in communications can lead to. 

Journalist 

Advances in technology that permit the rapid dissemination of information make a journalist’s role vital in spreading accurate and factual information. While journalists’ work varies in medium, from broadcast to online to print to photo, their primary responsibility is to research and report the facts of an event or situation. 

Students studying journalism learn the fundamentals of precise and ethical fact-gathering and the role it plays in a functioning free society. Students gain a foundation in free speech and its relationship with the law and ethics and in writing, editing, reporting, and researching. 

Marketing Manager 

The specific duties of a marketing manager will vary according to the organization or individual they support. A marketing manager’s primary responsibilities include drafting, organizing, and managing marketing campaigns. Marketing campaigns promote and raise awareness of a particular product or service through a variety of channels including social media, print, broadcast, and digital.

Successful marketing managers use analytics, data, and audience research to guide their campaigns. The ability to quickly problem solve and to pitch an idea well are important skills to have. 

Public Relations Executive

Public relations agencies and executives are tasked with managing the reputation of a person or organization. Whether it is to promote a successful venture or correct misstatements or judgment errors, a PR executive uses editorial coverage, such as an article appearing in a magazine or website, television and radio interviews, press conferences, and social media as vehicles of communication. 

Students who specialize in public relations are taught how to write and plan effective communications campaigns and how to build relationships between the public and organizations. 

Social Media Manager

Social media managers represent the voice of a brand, person, or organization. They draft social media campaigns, create content, respond to comments, and engage with followers. Although the role is a relatively new one, social media managers are vital to a business’ success and growth by increasing brand awareness and website traffic. 

Social media manager positions typically require an undergraduate degree in communications or marketing. 

Writer 

From authors to novelists, blog writers to reporters, and content to SEO writers, the range of writers’ media is as wide as their interests and expertise. While putting pen to paper or text to screen may seem simple, successful writers are experts in research, have a strong understanding of their target audience, and follow appropriate style guides. 

Writers are often able to work from anywhere, which is one reason writing is an appealing profession. Honing their writing skills by getting a degree in a communications field often helps writers successfully gain and retain employment.

The career options highlighted above represent but a handful of those available to individuals who earn their undergraduate degree in communication. Explore the career pages throughout the Communication Division for additional livelihoods in the communications arena and to see where current Seaver College alumni work.