Marshall Communication Studies Department graduates pursue many different career paths after graduation.
Robert Bookwalter, chairman of the Communication Studies Department, said a wide variety of careers are available to graduates. He compiled a list of careers alumni are working in throughout the country, including sales, education, technology, corporate administration, human services, arts/media, government and leadership.
He said having effective communication skills is important for all of these careers.
For example, it’s important for a person working in sales to have interpersonal communication skills and persuasion skills to be a good salesperson, he said.
He said it’s not essential for students to pursue a minor in the various careers they choose.
“They don’t all have minors in these fields,” he said. “Some of them just found opportunities and were able to pursue those opportunities. I think if you knew that you wanted to go into that area, then having that minor would be desirable.”
Bookwalter said there isn’t a specific career called “communicologist” like in other majors such as biology and history.
He said because the majority of students from different majors are required to take Communications 103, Fundamentals of Speech Communication, students think that’s all the department involves.
“(Communications) 103 is required for all majors except for business majors,” he said. “The business majors are required to take CMM 207, which is business and professional speaking.”
Organizational communication, which includes group, superior-subordinate, conflict and leadership communication, is the most popular area of emphasis in the department, he said.
“That whole emphasis is about how effective communication is used to improve your own performance in business and industry and organizations, as well as how to make your organization function better by avoiding the kinds of miscommunication or the kinds of break-downs or the kinds of errors that people make when information has to be disseminated to a large number of people in a business or corporation,” Bookwalter said.
“I became a communications major because I knew that I would need excellent communication skills regardless of which career I took,” Bookwalter said. “Employers value excellent communication skills very highly.”
“Because it’s involved in everything you do personally and professionally, it’s a very important thing and makes a huge difference in your life,” said Stephen Cooper, professor in the Communication Studies Department.
“I think this is a good major for a number of different career paths,” Bookwalter said. “We’re happy that our graduates have found all kinds of success in different types of careers in different parts of the country.”
Kristen Barry can be contacted at ryder8@marshall.edu.
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