Communication Department

Communication Addresses 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities

The Department of Communication is dedicated to advancing knowledge about communication and its practice in society. The department examines how meaning is created and negotiated in human interaction to address the personal, professional, and public communication challenges and opportunities posed by 21st century life.  Our students become leaders in private, public and civil sectors by developing a deep and practical appreciation of how communication shapes the world in which we live.Research from SC&I’s renowned faculty experts examines the complexity of communication processes related to five focal areas: communication and technology, health communication, interpersonal communication, language and social interaction, and organizational communication. SC&I’s students may also acquire knowledge and skills allowing them to pursue careers related to strategic communication and public relations, leadership, health and wellness, relational and family communication, and a range of other options.

Department of Communication programs:

Communication Department Faculty

Please visit our faculty site. 

Faculty accomplishments:

  • NSF, NIH, U.S. Department of Education and other grant recipients
  • NIH/NSF/CDC grant reviewers
  • Multiple national and international awards for scholarship
  • Top Dissertation and Dissertation Advisor Award winners
  • Dozens of Top Paper, Top Article, and Top Book Award honors
  • Keynote addresses given at multiple national and international conferences
  • Current and former NCA and ICA division chairs and board members
  • Journal editors and editorial board members for the leading academic journals in our field 
  • Rutgers awards for research, teaching and service

Thomson Scientific ranked U.S. institutions that published at least 75 papers between 2002 and 2006 in communication journals they index. The Rutgers Department of Communication ranked #1 nationwide. The Department is proud to have Top 20 rankings in the 2004 NCA Doctoral Program Reputation Studies for Organizational, Interpersonal, Technology, & Health Communication.

Research

The department also supports several research centers, clusters, and labs.

Research Videos

Hidden Organizations, Craig Scott 

Caregiving, Lisa Mikesell

Digital Street, Jeff Lane 

Department News

Department of Communication Celebrates Communication Major with Third Annual #BeCOMM Campaign

One of the highlights of the #BeCOMM campaign will be the COMMchella Music Festival which will take place on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at The Yard on the Rutgers College Avenue campus from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will showcase six popular music acts including several that feature current Rutgers communication majors. COMMchella is free for all attendees, including Rutgers University students, faculty, and staff.

Meet Student Charles Wasilewski MCM’26, who “Can’t Get Enough of Rutgers”

When he graduates with a Master of Communication and Media, Wasilewski will have earned his third Rutgers degree. He said the MCM courses he has enjoyed the most are PR History with Assistant Professor Mark Beal, Digital Media Research with Associate Professor Caitlin Petre, Media Law with Associate Dean for Programs and Professor Susan Keith, and Digital Media Production with Assistant Professor of Professional Practice Neal Bennett.

Research Misidentifying Gender in Online Content May Result in Exacerbating Gendered Disparities Both On and Offline

A new study by Assistant Professor Sarah Shugars explores how the misgendering of online users in scholarly work can have significant down-stream impacts on questions of online gender disparities. For example, across their analyses Shugars et al. found that nonbinary users and others – both cisgender and transgender – who don’t perform their gender in a cis-normative way are systematically undercounted and frequently misgendered.