The Department of Communication is a national leader in the study of communication as a social science, ranked among the top five by the National Research Council.

Our faculty and students are dedicated to understanding the role and enhancing the effectiveness of communication processes, systems and infrastructure in society. We explore communication in its many forms and contexts as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Our faculty members are recognized for developing and applying novel theoretical perspectives to the most pressing social and policy issues of the day.  

Our Programs & Research

Undergraduate

Our carefully constructed curriculum provides a core of contemporary communication knowledge, theory and practice: Students learn how communication influences attitudes, opinions and behaviors; how communication systems work in society; and how to apply this understanding of communication to solve problems, sustain the environment, reach the public with new knowledge, and manage the intricate networks of technologies.

Graduate

Our faculty and associated Graduate Field of Communication ensure that students are familiar with a wide range of tools, theories and methods, and can use these skills in original empirical research that asks and answers theoretically driven, socially relevant questions. Drawing from Cornell’s outstanding scholars and resources in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities, our students find new ways to investigate how communication shapes society.

Research

We engage in a rich variety of research at the cutting edge of the field of communication and related disciplines, conducting research in many different areas. We encourage undergraduate and graduate students to explore faculty research areas and contact individual faculty members if interested in getting involved with research. Students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA to do research.

COMM Updates

Graduate student Julia Sebastien (left) is pictured with Cornell Professor JoAnn Difede and Cornell Associate Professor Malte Jung at the “Human Psychology, Purpose and Social Life in the Age of AI and Ubiquitous Computing.”

News

COMM Updates - 5/6/2026
May 6, 2026 Check out our final COMM Updates for the 2025–2026 academic year—and what a year it’s been! We’ll be back at the beginning of the fall 2026 semester. Awards Graduate student Margaret (Maggie) Foster received the Christine Ye...
4 individuals stand holding groceries

News

April 29, 2026 Awards Undergraduate student Rafaela Dandolfo Bustamante has been named the inaugural Marshall Engaged Scholar. As part of the program, Rafaela will spend summer 2026 working in public media at KNPR in Las Vegas. When she returns...
COMM UPDATES from the Department of Communication

News

April 22, 2026 Awards Graduate Field Administrator Joanna Alario received the Casey Moore Impact Award from the Cornell Graduate School. This award is given to a member of the administrative community who contributes to the advancement of access...

Communication in the News

Illustration of a woman running on a smart phone

News

What social media creators can’t say about their job

Online content creator burnout is, in part, “unspeakable” – a product of a confluence of factors, including the informal nature of platform labor and the privileged status of creative work, seen by many as a “dream job.”

  • Communication
caribou running through a field

News

The CCF provides catalytic seed funding to spark pioneering applied research to advance wildlife conservation solutions. The fund prioritizes initiatives that improve the health of free-ranging wildlife and/or solve environmental problems via a...

  • Animal Science
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Communication
Illustration of different people purchasing produce on a mobile phone

News

Grocery shopping online could help SNAP families access healthy foods, especially for those with young children or long commutes to grocery stores.

  • Communication
  • Food
  • Health + Nutrition

Contact Us

450 Mann Library Building
phone: (607) 254-6278
email: communication [at] cornell.edu (communication[at]cornell[dot]edu)
We are located on the 4th floor of Mann Library, accessible only by the stairs/elevators within the library, which are just past the circulation desk.

Department Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 8am to 4:30pm
Friday, 8am to 3:30pm