Introduction

Degree Requirements

Speech Communication is a humanistic and social-scientific field of study, research, and application within the liberal arts and sciences. It focuses upon communication as a tool for doing the work of social life--how, why, and with what consequences people communicate; modes and technologies of communication (mass-mediated, computer-mediated, spoken, written, nonverbal); contexts and settings of communication (cultures, organizations, institutions, groups, families, interpersonal relationships); how communication skills are acquired; how communication shapes societies and cultures; and related topics. Speech Communication calls for dynamic personal involvement. Students create and test their ideas, develop individual abilities, and gain proficiency in various communication modes, functions, and settings. They acquire knowledge and methods that apply to nearly every aspect of their lives--in the present and the future, as citizens, co-workers, managers, friends, parents, and leaders.

An Area of Study. Students of Speech Communication investigate communication processes as they occur within and among individuals, groups, organizations, and societies. They explore interpersonal communication, group and organizational communication, communication technologies, language development, the practice of rhetoric and public argument, communication theory, persuasion, communicative aspects of film and television, and related topics. Students receive considerable individual attention in the small performance courses where communication skills are developed.

The Department of Speech Communication at the University of Illinois is one of the University's most highly ranked departments in its field nationally. It offers undergraduates programs designed to meet a number of educational and vocational objectives. With a strong liberal arts education as their foundation, these programs variously prepare students for employment as communication specialists in the private and public sectors, provide the basis for post-graduate professional training in such fields as law, business administration, labor and industrial relations, and lead to graduate study in Speech Communication and related fields. Working within a set of common requirements, each student develops an individualized program of study with the help of the undergraduate adviser. Regardless of the particular emphasis chosen, every student takes a combination of courses that explore Speech Communication as part of a study in liberal arts, as well as courses that present current theory and research in the field, and courses that develop practical communication skills.