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.
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.
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.