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.

Communication in the News

News

AI-CLIMATE institute aims to curb emissions, boost economy

Cornell is one of six universities receiving a total of $20 million over five years to form an institute aiming to create more climate-smart practices that will curb greenhouse gas emissions while boosting the agriculture and forestry industries...

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture
  • Department of Communication
A bridge over a river on a cloudy day.

News

A new special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-edited by Cornell economist Catherine Kling, advances the science of measuring the public benefit of clean water.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • Applied Economics

News

Youth in the United States are targets of cross-platform digital abuse from peers, strangers, offline acquaintances and even relatives, with threats ranging from harassment and sexual violence to financial fraud, according to a new collaborative...

  • Department of Communication
  • Communication
  • Media
Kimi Gengo, a poet and advocate for Japanese Americans who attended Cornell from 1924-1925 and 1928-1930 is one of the changemakers featured in Any Person, Many Stories. Her story is shared by Claire Deng, '22.

News

"Any Person, Many Stories," a new public history digital exhibition hosted by the Center for Teaching Innovation, uses storytelling methods to take a closer look at Cornell’s past. The project's goal is to engage students, faculty, alumni, staff...

  • American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program
  • Behavior
  • Communication
Airbnb Example

News

White Airbnb guests’ preference for white hosts unexpectedly is offset by the influence of same-race reviews, new Cornell research finds.

  • Department of Communication
  • Development Sociology
  • Behavior

Contact Us

450 Mann Library Building
phone: (607) 255-2601
email: communication [at] cornell.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