About Us

Established in 1963, the Department of Communication Studies at San José State University has more than 640 students in the major, 40 students minoring in communication, 26 students in the graduate program, 6 teaching associates, 13 tenured and tenure-track faculty, and 52 lecturers.

Listen, Speak, Engage

The COMM Department prides itself on its motto of "Listen, Speak, and Engage." The department's mission is to educate individuals in competent and ethical communication for meaningful participation in diverse local and global communities.

• Cornerstones

  • Established in 1963, the Department of Communication Studies at San José State University has more than 640 students in the major, 40 students minoring in communication, 26 students in the graduate program, 6 teaching associates, 13 tenured and tenure-track faculty, and 52 lecturers.

    The department's mission is to educate individuals in competent and ethical communication for meaningful participation in diverse local and global communities.

    The B.A. and M.A. programs focus on four primary areas or cornerstones: democracy, diversity, technology, and globalization.

    Democracy affirms the balance of individual freedom and socio-political consensus shaped through dialogue, argument, and persuasion between individuals and groups.

    Diversity explores the variety and complexity of communication efforts to shape beliefs, values, and perceptions in different communities and cultures.

    Technology interrogates the implications of human communication in a mediated world.

    Globalization recognizes the  interconnectedness, integration, fragmentation, and conflict within human societies and cultures in global contexts. 

    Join us in the conversation about these key areas of the human experience – your experience. Sign up for a class, talk with an instructor, attend a workshop, and...

    Listen • Speak • Engage!

• Department Timeline

  • Established in 1963, the Department of Communication Studies at San José State University has more than 640 students in the major, 40 students minoring in communication, 26 students in the graduate program, 6 teaching associates, 13 tenured and tenure-track faculty, and 52 lecturers.

    1963 - The Speech Department is inaugurated when Speech and Drama split into three departments.

    1966 - Faculty vote to change the department’s name to Speech-Communication

    1981 - Department renamed Communication Studies

    1982 - The Speech and Drama building becomes Hugh Gillis Hall in honor of the former chair of the Department

    1987 - COMM Lab opens in HGH 231

    1990 - Department hosts the National Forensic League finals

    1993 - Perspectives, the department newsletter, is launched

    1994 - SJSU COMM hosts the Western States Communication Association convention

    1994 - First COMM graduation ceremony honors 50 graduates

    1995 - COMM launches its first website

    1998 - COMM hosts students from the Center for Frontier Science at Chiba University in Japan to study at SJSU

    1998 - The COMM Lab gets internet access

    2001 - The department has just over 200 majors

    2005 - More than 60 students enroll in the MA program

    2006 - COMM faculty and students ride the Freedom Train in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday

    2006 - SJSU Forensics students compete in Prague, Czech Republic

    2007 - COMM Lap moves to Clark Hall and celebrates 20th birthday

    2007 - SJSU Forensics students compete in Argentina

    2008 - COMM tops 400 majors

    2010 - SJSU COMM hosts the first Bay Area Undergraduate Communication Research Conference

    2012 - COMM Lab moves back to HGH and becomes the COMM Center

    2012 - SJSU Forensics students compete in Rome

    2013 - The COMM major grows to more than 650 students, the largest number in the department’s history