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Studies & Degrees in Speech Communication

Speech communication is the study of how people use spoken messages to inform, persuade and relate to one another. It is the older name of what most universities now call communication or communication studies. The name goes back to 1914, when 17 speech teachers in the United States founded the National Association of Academic Teachers of Public Speaking, today the National Communication Association (NCA). The NCA defines the discipline by its focus on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across contexts. Its oldest branch is rhetoric, which the ancient world understood as the art of persuading others through public speaking.

Students practise public speaking, argumentation and debate, and study rhetoric, interpersonal and small-group communication, organisational communication, intercultural communication and media. Colorado State University, for example, starts its communication studies degree with a foundation in rhetoric, media and film studies, and relational and organisational communication, together with public speaking and argumentation classes. Kean University lists team building, leadership, listening, public speaking, multicultural communication and conflict resolution among the skills of its communication major.

Qualifications and levels

  • Associate degree. Two-year community colleges in the United States teach public speaking and communication courses that can count towards a later bachelor's degree. Century College in Minnesota is one two-year college on the list.
  • Bachelor's degree. The usual qualification is a bachelor's degree in communication or communication studies. Speech communication is often a concentration or a set of courses inside that degree; at Florida International University, public speaking and communication studies are part of a wider degree that also covers public relations and advertising.
  • Master's degree. The M.A. in Communication Studies at Colorado State University is designed to be completed in two years, and its thesis track requires 42 credits. Graduate teaching assistants there teach the public speaking course, which the university lists under the course code SPCM.
  • Doctorate. A PhD in communication leads to university teaching and research.

Speech communication should not be confused with speech and language therapy (speech-language pathology in the United States), a regulated health profession that treats communication disorders. That route has its own degrees. The Speech and Language Therapy BMedSci at the University of Sheffield lasts three years and is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. In the United States, speech-language pathologists typically need at least a master's degree and a state licence, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 22 active schools for speech communication. Seventeen are in the United States, two in the United Kingdom and one each in Spain, Mexico and Canada. The subject is above all a North American tradition, and 20 of the 22 schools are in English-speaking countries.

The US schools range from two-year colleges to large research universities: Boston University, Florida International University in Miami, Hofstra University near New York, Ithaca College, Miami University in Ohio, Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado Mesa University, Tennessee Tech University and Middle Tennessee State University, Ferris State University in Michigan, Kean University in New Jersey, Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, Mount Mercy University in Iowa and Black Hills State University in South Dakota. Outside the United States the list includes the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, the University of Sheffield and the University of York in England, the Universidad de Málaga in Spain and the Instituto Universitario Franco Inglés de México, near Toluca.

When comparing programmes, look at the exact degree title, the share of practical speaking and debate courses, internships, and whether the department also offers media production or public relations.

Careers

A communication degree does not lead to one regulated profession. Graduates work in public relations, corporate and internal communication, training, sales, human resources, politics and public affairs, non-profit organisations, education and the media. Susquehanna University describes the aim as being able to inform, collaborate, persuade and find common goals in any workplace.

Official US statistics exist for individual occupations, not for the degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that public relations specialists typically need a bachelor's degree, that employers may prefer candidates who studied communications or business, and that employment in this occupation is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. For speech-language pathologists, the separate health profession, it projects growth of 17 percent over the same period.

Frequently asked questions

Is speech communication the same as communication studies?

Largely, yes. Speech communication is the older name, linked to the teaching of public speaking; most departments now use communication or communication studies and cover spoken, interpersonal, organisational and media communication.

Does a speech communication degree qualify me as a speech therapist?

No. Speech and language therapy is a separate health profession with its own accredited degrees. In the United States it typically requires a master's degree in speech-language pathology and a state licence.

How long does a master's degree in communication studies take?

It depends on the university. The M.A. in Communication Studies at Colorado State University, for example, is designed to be completed in two years.

Where is speech communication taught?

Mostly in the United States: 17 of the 22 schools in the SpainExchange directory are there, with others in the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain and Mexico.