Undergraduate Communication

You will gain a theoretical framework and critical understanding for how messages — from interpersonal to mass media — are informed, created, distributed, received and understood.

As you explore social, cultural, rhetorical and organizational communication processes with our distinguished faculty, you will study, participate in, and critique ever-evolving power structures in education, politics, management, technology, entertainment, government and nongovernmental institutions.

The culturally rich city of Los Angeles provides the perfect environment to acquire this knowledge, which can be applied to an array of career fields, including education, politics, marketing, government and nonprofit organizations.

By the numbers

communication elective coursesWe offer 42 undergraduate elective courses that allow you to create a personalized program of study.

We offer 42 undergraduate elective courses that allow you to create a personalized program of study.

communication facultyOur faculty inventively fuse their scholarship and expertise in communication studies with disciplines such as sociology and computer science.

Our faculty inventively fuse their scholarship and expertise in communication studies with disciplines such as sociology and computer science.

1,000+

studentsMore than 1,000 of our undergraduate students are pursuing an academic major in communication.

More than 1,000 of our undergraduate students are pursuing an academic major in communication.

99%

of our Class of 2020 employed within 12 months of graduationOur recent graduates have gone on to distinguished careers with employers such as Amazon Studios, Dreamworks Animation, the National Football League, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Our recent graduates have gone on to distinguished careers with employers such as Amazon Studios, Dreamworks Animation, the National Football League, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Student, alumni and faculty work

Empowering youth through storytelling

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication, Nate Howard segued into teaching underserved populations on how to use poetry and spoken word to express their truth.

Mindfulness over matter

Course teaches students how to be mindful communicaors.

The act of listening

An expert on the intersection of arts, culture and politics, Josh Kun explains how his focus on music extends to research and a popular undergraduate course he teaches.

K-pop and the Black Lives Matter movement

Clinical Assistant Professor Hye Jin Lee explores how the K-pop industry’s conventional practice of shying away from political issues is currently being challenged by the BLM movement.

The Gifted Project

Jaimie Milner documents the beauty and complexity of Black life and masculinities in the U.S.

A trailblazer in denim

Paige Adams-Geller ’90, founder and creator of premium denim brand Paige, discusses running a successful, socially conscious company.

Contribute research with impact

Through the School of Communication’s honors program, you can pursue original, independent research with a faculty mentor that synthesizes the knowledge you acquire over the course of the major. You will develop strong research, writing and critical-thinking skills that can strengthen your portfolio by completing an honors seminar and producing an honors thesis that challenges you to explore a specific intellectual question or issue. USC Annenberg’s innovative centers of research provide fertile ground for your work, including the Annenberg Innovation Lab, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Annenberg Research Network on International Communication.

Learn more