Our Mission

The mission of the NDSU Department of Communication is:

  • To educate students to become effective and ethical communicators through instruction on communication theory and application skills.
  • To support the university general education program by teaching classes in the Communication and Social and Behavioral Sciences categories of General Education, courses required for all undergraduate students.
  • To provide a graduate program that creates effective communication practitioners at the MA level and professors and scholars at the Ph.D. level. The Ph.D. program emphasizes the areas of Media & Society and Organizational Communication, with the hopes of producing professors for universities and community colleges that excel in both teaching and research.
  • To produce quality theoretical and applied scholarship that impacts society. Members of the department seek to share their knowledge and expertise concerning effective and innovative communication with the public, especially the professionals and residents of North Dakota.
Students standing outside on the NDSU campus tlaking and hanging out

Vision

In accomplishing this mission, we share NDSU’s commitment to "take collective responsibility for ensuring a sense of belonging, respect, and justice that supports each person’s success.”

Accordingly, the NDSU Department of Communication is informed by five core communication values:

  • We believe in respect for and representation of diverse viewpoints.
  • We believe in being a voice for empathy and understanding during controversial and complicated conversations.
  • We believe all students should feel safe to express their views, even if contrary to our own personal views.
  • We believe there is no place for prejudice and intolerance in the classroom, on campus, or throughout society.
  • We believe that we must continually assess our own viewpoints in the spirit of improvement.

Approved by Department of Communication Faculty on Feb 12, 2025.

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Our History