传播部门过去通常专注于两个传统领域之一：语音或新闻。较早的课程侧重于技能培训，生产经验以及入门级实践工作的准备。在过去的十年中，传播学科发生了变化。互联网的到来使个人（语音）交流与公共（新闻）交流的分离变得模糊。在线上，媒体与人际交往融合。一流大学已将演讲和媒体合并为一个系。新的部门不再专注于生产和入门级工作，而是培训学生终身改变职业生涯。传播系为本科生提供广泛的自由教育，涵盖从个人到国际水平的交流，并建立负责任的公民身份。学生在不同的都市环境中深入了解沟通过程。该系的方法是概念性的，可帮助学生建立批判性
Communication departments used to concentrate on one of two traditional fields: speech or journalism. The older programs focused on skills training, production experience, and preparation for entry-level practical work. In the past decade, the communication discipline has changed. The arrival of the internet has blurred the separation of personal (speech) communication from public (journalism) communication where online, the media fuses with interpersonal activities. Leading universities have merged speech and media into one department. Instead of focusing on production and entry-level jobs, the new departments train students for a lifetime of career changes.<br><br>The Department of Communication provides undergraduate students with a broad liberal education that covers communication from the personal through the international levels and builds responsible citizenship. Students gain depth in understanding communication processes in a diverse metropolitan setting. The Department approach is conceptual, helping students build critical thinking and research skills to face challenges from the multiple careers they will pursue.