Communication Studies
Communication touches every aspect of our lives. Explore what binds us together as a society and defines you as an individual. As a communication studies major at Rollins, you’ll receive valuable, hands-on experience in research, leadership, and team building, capitalizing on opportunities to work with community partners and businesses to produce professional-quality materials that can go right on your resume.
Our graduates have abundant pathways to a variety of fields—healthcare, fashion, sports, law, social entrepreneurship, organizational leadership, and many others—making their mark in everything from human resources and branding to health policy and public campaign design. Majors begin their studies with courses focusing on broad topics such as relationship building, listening, and public speaking. As they progress in the major, students can pursue specialized skills in critical communication areas such as organizational communication and leadership, public relations, and health communication.
Why Study Communication Studies at Rollins
Professional Experience
We help you discover valuable internships, develop award-winning campaigns, and graduate with the professional experience you need to confidently launch a productive career.
Student-Faculty Collaboration
Our students regularly partner with faculty on advanced research projects that often lead to publication in scholarly journals and presentations at conferences across the globe.
Community Connections
You’ll work closely with a range of partners in places as varied as nursing homes, playgrounds, and chambers of commerce.
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“Being on the front lines of major brands’ communication strategies means being both an artist and a scientist—especially in health-care PR. My Rollins communication education prepared me to be both. Rollins taught me skills that transcend industry and allow me to strengthen the universal desire for connection.”
Rollins Communication Studies Careers
Rollins communication studies grads are making tomorrow happen at some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Meredith Lax ’15, ’16MBA
Social Media & Community Manager, EDX Supply Chain Solutions
Philip Denizard ’16
Assistant Buyer, Gucci
Victoria Cherry ’14
Assistant Director of Alumni Communications, Rollins College
Lyndsey Lang ’14
Vice President of Business Development, Fattmerchant
Ann Marie Varga ’82, ’12MHR
Founder/President, Ann Marie Varga Public Relations
Deanna Loew ’17
CEO, Identity PR Orlando
Real World Experience
Hone the knowledge and skills you’re developing in the classroom through internships at local, national, and international organizations.
Popular Courses
Our unique and innovative curriculum offers students an introduction to the field via required courses in topics, theories, and research methods central to communication.
COM 230
Listening
Investigate the art of listening and its importance in our personal and professional lives, and learn to analyze, assess, and improve your own listening abilities.
COM 240
Intercultural Communication
Examine the concepts, constructs, theories, and empirical research pertinent to communication within and between cultures, focusing primarily on contexts and relationships.
COM 321
Organizational Communication
Analyze the importance of communication in organizations such as corporations, not-for-profit institutions, government agencies, and other structures where people come together to work. Learn how to manage organizations with mindfulness, efficiency, and synergy.
COM 302
New Media and Public Relations
Delve into new media communication practices in public relations and gain hands-on experience developing techniques to produce the highest impact.
COM 325
Communication Campaigns
Investigate the planning, organization, implementation, and evaluation of various educational, political, and commercial campaigns to exert social influence.
COM 355
Global Health Communication
Take a deep dive into important issues and key concepts of communication in global health, focusing on determinants of health, the burden of disease, health disparities, risk factors, and communication strategies.
A Day in the Life of a Rollins Communication Studies Major
“My Rollins and communication studies experience has taught me how to effectively communicate with people from different backgrounds. By embracing diversity I become a global citizen and responsible leader, which will ultimately help me better relate to people I work with in the future.”
Beyond the Classroom
Study Abroad From England and Australia to Italy and Hong Kong, Rollins offers communication majors an array of study-abroad experiences all over the globe. Earn credit toward your major while you explore the world and grow as a global citizen.
Community Engagement Form meaningful connections, give back to your community, consult on projects for local businesses, and learn how to make the world brighter—all while building a resume that makes you stand out from the crowd.
PR in Practice Meet and work with some of the brightest public relations professionals in the Orlando metro area, as well as a national network of practitioners, by joining Rollins’ chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Expert Faculty
Our mission is to produce well-rounded communicators who are capable of speaking and listening effectively, thinking critically, and writing clearly.
Department of Communication
1000 Holt Ave. – 2777
Winter Park, FL 32789
T. 407.646.2337
Rick Bommelje, EdD, EdS
Professor of Communication
Research interests: Listening and leadership behaviors, and adult education
Greg Cavenaugh, PhD
Lecturer of Communication
Research interests: Relationships, social justice, and social construction of identity
Mattea Garcia, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
Research interests: Professional identity, institutional work, organizational rhetoric, and workplace incivility
Joshua Hammonds, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
Research interests: Interpersonal communication, privacy management and deception, and small group dynamics
Hesham Mesbah, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
Research interests: News media, mass communication, public opinion, social openness, and perception of globalization
John Morrison, PhD
Lecturer of Communication
Research interests: Social research, factor analysis, and scale design
David Painter, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication
Research interests: Organizational public relations, political communication, political campaigns, and social media engagement
Sarah Parsloe, PhD
Assistant Professor of Communication
Research interests: Health and disability identities, biosocial communities, advocacy and activism, and social media
Anne M. Stone, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication
Research interests: Health and relationships