About Us
Welcome from the Chair
What's special about the department?
How you communicate matters. It's one thing to learn in a classroom. At the University of Delaware's Department of Communication, we put learning into practice. Internships, experiential learning on and off campus, and access to a vast alumni network are just a few of the program's perks.
Here's what we offer communication scholars at UD:
- A social-science perspective emphasizing the fundamental principles of human communication. Rather than narrowly preparing graduates for entry into a particular technical job, the department provides a broad intellectual perspective that can be applied to the challenges of careers in nearly any imaginable area of communication.
- The opportunity to develop professional experience. Our program offers an internship program and on-campus opportunities to create media in a variety of formats, allowing students to develop valuable professional credentials. Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment where they can practice the techniques of video production, television production, and broadcasting. This includes a student television studio, a media production lab, a campus/community radio station, and an independent, student-run newspaper.
- Top faculty, including communication scientists working at the frontiers of the field, as well as accomplished communication professionals. UD faculty members are noted scholars and researchers who are making fundamental contributions to the growing field of communication. Their expertise extends to all areas of media communication, interpersonal communication, and health communication so that students receive wide and sophisticated exposure to the most current empirical research being produced within the field. Faculty in applied areas such as public relations, broadcast journalism, production, and political communication bring many years of experience to educating students in preparation for professional roles in the communication field.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our academic programs and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Also visit Our People to learn more about our faculty, who have achieved regional and national distinction in research and scholarship, teaching, and service and engagement.
—Kami Silk, Ph.D., Chairperson and Rosenberg Professor, Department of Communication, University of Delaware
Visitor Information
The University of Delaware campus is located in Newark, Delaware, which is about 20 minutes away from Wilmington, an hour from either Philadelphia or Baltimore, two hours from Washington D.C., and two and a half hours from New York City.
Our Mission
UD's Department of Communication is committed to the study and practice of human communication in a wide variety of contexts, including interpersonal communication, media communication and public relations. With a social and behavioral science orientation toward the study of communication, our faculty and students are dedicated to generating new knowledge and disseminating that knowledge widely and publicly.
Research and Scholarship
We aim to increase knowledge about communication processes and their impact on society and to increase knowledge about how to improve communication skills and competencies. Given the significance of communication processes and practices across a variety of fields and knowledge domains, we are also committed to innovative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research that pushes the boundaries of the discipline.
Teaching
We provide rigorous and comprehensive instruction to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students to prepare them as competent communicators in their personal, civic, and professional roles. Bringing innovative, excellent, and learner-centered pedagogy into the classroom, our faculty encourages students to develop their critical thinking skills; to express and advocate ideas effectively; and to understand and appreciate the diversity of human communication practices. We also prepare students for research-oriented graduate programs and careers by providing them with opportunities to conduct original studies on their own or with faculty members.
Service and Engagement
Our department recognizes the value and importance of service and engagement. To this end, our faculty and students use their research, teaching, and production skills to help professional, community, and public groups develop and improve their communication practices.
The College’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion are significant parts of the University of Delaware's College of Arts and Sciences's values and goals. The college's commitment to these values is not just evident in its student body but also its faculty, staff, and curriculum, ensuring a fully inclusive experience. Through this steadfast dedication to diversity and inclusivity, the college continues to enrich its educational offering, allowing each student to benefit from a wide array of viewpoints and experiences.
Statement from the Department of Communication Faculty
Our Commitment to Diversity
Supporting equity in our faculty, students, and staff, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion in our teaching, research, and service are important priorities that contribute to the strength of our department. As communication scholars, we recognize the centrality of communication in the struggle against discrimination and actively engage this struggle in our work as educators and scientists. We also further principles of equity and inclusion within our department through recruitment and retention, graduate training, and open and productive dialogue.
The faculty takes the following actions to support its commitment:
Understand and appreciate interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment.
Practice mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own.
Understand that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of knowing.
Purposefully include and amplify diverse voices.
Recognize that personal, cultural, and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others.
Build alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate discrimination.
Support the University’s scholarly, pedagogical and ecologically and socially engaged relationships with our state, region, and global indigenous communities.
