North Central College
BA in Organizational Communication

Naperville, USA

DEGREE TYPE

DURATION

4 years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

EARLIEST START DATE

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

Key Summary

About : The BA in Organizational Communication provides students with knowledge and skills in effective communication within organizations. The curriculum covers topics like interpersonal communication, public relations, and organizational theory. Students engage in practical experiences designed to prepare them for real-world communication challenges.

Career Outcomes : Graduates can pursue various career paths, including roles in public relations, human resources, corporate communication, and marketing. They can also find opportunities in organizational development and consulting, leveraging their skills to enhance communication within businesses.

Why pursue an organizational communication degree at North Central College?

Become a writer, presenter, team member, and speaker and understand the dimensions of communication in professional settings like business, nonprofits, media, technology firms, government, and other organizations. You’ll learn to craft messages for different audiences, both internal (human resources and employee training) and external (media relations, sales, and customer service). North Central offers classes that combine theory with practical application, like group interaction, in which teams of students plan and stage fundraising events for nonprofit organizations. Organizational communication majors are advised to specialize in a second academic area like journalism, marketing, human resources, sociology, or interactive media studies depending on their career goals.

You can also:

Analyze the organizational communication at local and Chicago organizations.
Pursue competitive internships on campus and in Naperville and Chicago.
Join the honor society Lambda Pi Eta.
Become involved in student government and with campus offices such as admission and ministry and service.
Conduct research and present your findings at professional conferences or at North Central's own Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research.
Assist professors with their research
Join PRSSA, the students' public relations club.

Organizational Communication focuses on how people communicate in diverse organizational contexts. Students learn to think critically about communication practices in organizations, as well as develop specific skills for the development, presentation, and analysis of messages for different organizational stakeholders. Depending on the specific courses selected, as well as recommended coursework in a minor, students are prepared for positions in business, industry, non-profit, health care, community, and governmental organizations, and may take career paths in internal corporate communication, human resources, training and development, media and community relations, public relations, sales and marketing, customer/client service, community advocacy, technical communication, and management.

Because the major is compatible with a number of fields, and in order to develop expertise in a subject related to their career goals, students are strongly encouraged to pursue a minor. Please consult with the Communication faculty and your academic advisor.

The Communication faculty also highly recommend that majors incorporate field experience working in a professional environment by completing at least one internship. Students should work closely with faculty and Career Services to identify appropriate internship opportunities.