About

In courses from public speaking to mediated communication and from public relations to intercultural communication, UMD students continue to learn about the history, processes and effects of human communication.

A degree in Communication is one of the most sought after at UMD—we're a top ten most popular undergraduate major on campus. And we are the largest undergraduate major in the College of Arts & Humanities, accounting for over one-third of all B.A. degrees conferred by the College.

We are also a top ten graduate program in faculty research, program reputation and faculty publications. At the graduate level, our award-winning faculty trains the future researchers and teachers of communication. We pursue research in the following areas: communication science & social cognition; public relations & strategic communication; and rhetoric & political culture. We confer both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in communication and the M.P.S. degree in interpreting and translation, and our graduates are working in government, industry, and the public sector as well as teaching and researching at some of the finest universities in the world. 

Take a look at our website to learn why communication at UMD is at the center of it all!

Our Mission

The Department of Communication is committed to producing innovative and influential scholarship, service to the discipline and community and leadership in the discipline and profession of communication. The Department of Communication’s mission is to provide quality undergraduate and graduate student education that prepares B.A., M.A., M.P.S. and Ph.D. students to successfully enter their chosen careers in communication and related fields through our educational leadership in communication research, theory and practice. The department achieves this mission through the pursuit of communication for the public good.

The Department of Communication is committed to promoting a broad spectrum of voices and views resulting from a heterogeneity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and nationality among faculty, students and staff.

To read “Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity: Task Force Report and College Implementation Plan” from the College of Arts & Humanities, click here.

COMM@Maryland By the Numbers

• 338 B.A. degrees in Communication conferred in 2020.
• #4 in B.A.s conferred at the University of Maryland, 2020.
• 103 Ph.D.s conferred in the past ten years, according to the NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates.
• Named to the PR News 2021 "Education A-List" of the Top 35 educational institutions advancing the careers of public relations and communication professionals in the U.S.
• Ranked #8 in the CWUR World Rankings in Communication (2017)
• Ranked #19 by the Brook Report as the best colleges for Communication & Media Studies (2022)
• Ranked #55 of 780 world universities in Communication & Media Studies (2022 THE World University Rankings)
• Ranked #31 of 300 world universities in Communication (2021 Academic Rankings of World Universities)
• Ranked #11 of 68 U.S. doctoral programs in Communication & Media Studies by College Factual (2022)
• Ranked #16 of 752 B.A. programs in Communication & Media Studies by College Factual (2022)