Message From the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Communication website! We hope that you find this to be a useful resource for learning about our department, including current events, news coverage about our faculty’s innovation and discoveries, and opportunities for you to be involved with our program. This is an exciting time in our department. The early years of our program were characterized by growth, development, and an enduring commitment to help our students achieve their goals. These goals persist today, and as a result, we have much to celebrate!
Our faculty members are exceptional! They are consistently recognized as leaders in their research areas. Their scientific discoveries and theoretical insights have impressive impacts—appearing in top academic journals, securing millions of dollars in federal and private research grants, informing the general public, and influencing social policy initiatives.
Our students are extraordinary! The Communication major remains one of the most sought-after in all of UCLA, and we owe that to our students. They are known campus wide for their intellectual curiosity, academic prowess, professional drive, and creative innovation.
Our alumni are the outstanding! After graduation, our alumni venture into the world and make their mark. They are well-connected and influential in a variety of industries, and they maintain close and active connections to our department. We invite our recent and future graduates to do the same. Find out how to do so here.
As we begin our fifth decade, we affirm our commitment to excellence, and we are excited to continue growing by:
- Maintaining and enhancing undergraduate involvement in research: Each year, many graduates complete an honors thesis project with faculty supervision. Countless more undergraduates assist with our faculty members’ laboratory and field studies. These experiences equip our students to communicate empirically in both academic and industry venues. We aim to grow this participation in the coming years.
- Providing opportunities for our students’ intellectual growth outside of the classroom: In addition to our rigorous coursework, many of our students participate in industry internships through our departmental program and Partnership UCLA. A smaller but growing percent participate in industry-based behavioral science research. We aim to increase our students’ access to these translational research opportunities.
- Pursuing a doctoral degree program in Communication: As our faculty’s research has grown increasingly impactful, so has the demand for a Ph.D. program. We have initiated the process to offer a graduate degree, and we look forward to admitting our first students. Stay tuned for updates about our progress!
As you can see, this is an exciting time in our department. We hope you will visit us here often to stay informed and to get involved.
– Kerri L. Johnson
Professor and Chair
