Dean Larry Kirkman's Welcome

For more than 40 years, the School of Communication has delivered a strong professional education for undergraduate and graduate students, with a focus on public affairs and public service using the resources of Washington, DC.

Our recent alumni are finding jobs with USA Today, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Discovery Channel, HBO, NBC News, Ogilvy Mather, Kaiser Family Foundation and PBS--organizations in which they are shaping the future of journalism, public communication, and film and media arts.

Intellectual capital--our greatest asset

Our professors practice what they teach. As filmmakers, they have won Oscars and Emmys; as journalists they have worked for USA Today, and CBS News; and, as strategists, they have shaped policy on Capitol Hill and mobilized constituencies for social change.

Our faculty members know how to use all the resources of Washington, DC -- the communication capital of the world and one of the largest media production centers in the country. Their classes draw on the region's rich professional expertise and feature, as guest lecturers, working professionals in the broadcast, cable, and online media, as well as government agencies, high tech firms and non-profit organizations.

The right size and place for hands-on learning

With more than 900 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students, SOC is large enough to provide a wealth of experience from the professions we represent, yet intimate enough to allow students, faculty, and alumni to meet one-on-one -- in the classroom, in the work place, and in unique mentoring relationships.

Our classes are small -- an average of 20 students -- and promote hands-on, experiential learning. Our students work in state-of-the-art labs, then leave the campus for demanding internships and class assignments in the nation's capital.