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

Researchers in greenhouse

News

CROPPS collaboration with Science IRL demystifies research
  • Department of Communication
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Communication
A headshot of Natalie Bazarova.

News

During a one-year appointment as an associate vice provost in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, Natalie Bazarova will support research in the social sciences and other disciplines that rely on large data sets.

  • Department of Communication
  • Communication
Flooded small village with residential houses

News

Despite broad scientific consensus that climate change has more serious consequences for some groups – particularly those already socially or economically disadvantaged – a large swath of people in the U.S. doesn’t see it that way.

  • Department of Communication
  • Climate Change
  • Communication
Daniela Vergara working in a greenhouse with hemp

News

A new manual will provide guidelines for New York state growers of hemp – a crop with the potential to revitalize economies while revolutionizing industries from fiber to pharmaceuticals.

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Communication
  • Plants
The Reddit app on a phone screen

News

Research by J. Nathan Matias, assistant professor of communication in CALS, found that Reddit community members who fact-checked suspect stories led to those stories being dropped in the website’s rankings.

  • Department of Communication
  • Communication
  • Media

Contact Us

450 Mann Library Building
phone: (607) 254-6278
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