What Branches of Communications Can You Study?
Interested in a communications degree? Not all degree programs are created equally. There are several sub-topics within the communications field, and choosing one of these branches can help you specialize your education and, thus, be better prepared to work in your field of choice. Below, you can find a list of some of the most common branches of communications.
Communication Studies
This field, which is most academic, is the study of how humans communication with one another. If you’re interested in this field, you’ll study everything from conversation to symbol usage to mass communication. Most communication studies students go on to work as professors in the communications field.
Linguistics
Linguistics is a field within communications that focuses specifically on human language – form, meaning, and context. Within this field, you can also study cognitive linguistics, which looks at language in terms of context. Linguistics is a field closely related to writing, philosophy, speech-language pathology, and sociology.
Mass Communications
The field within communications students common study in order to get a job is mass communications. This field involves learning to spread information via newspapers, magazines, radio, television, film, and, more recently, social media and the Internet. Mass communication study looks at everything from semantics and rhetoric to the technical specifications and equipment needed to broadcast a message to a wide audience. In this field, you’ll also learn how mass communications can be used to affect public opinion or even behavior.
Political Communications
If you enjoy linguistics and political sciences, you can combine these two fields to study political communications. As the name implied, political communications is a field where you’ll learn about the dissemination, creation, and effects of communications as it affects politics. This can include political speech analysis, media coverage of political events, and conversations among the general public dealing with a nation’s politics.
Other Branches of Communications
If you’re interested in communications, the above branches are the only options you have for education. Other topics in the communication field you might want to check out include semiotics, discourse analysis, organizational communications, pragmatics, and theory. If you’re not sure what branch of communication interests you, try a more general communications educational program that allows you to get a taste of several branches of communications so you can determine which is right for you.