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Studies & Degrees in Cultural Communication

Cultural communication, also called intercultural or cross-cultural communication, studies how people from different cultures understand each other and what goes wrong when they do not. It draws on communication studies, cultural anthropology, sociology and linguistics. The US National Communication Association describes communication as the discipline that focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts; cultural communication looks at the cases where the context is a difference in language, customs or values.

Students learn how cultures differ in the way they speak, listen, negotiate and handle conflict, and how to adapt a message for another audience. Courses usually combine theory with language study and practical work such as mediation, translation or work in mixed groups. Chemeketa Community College, for example, describes its communication classes as building conflict resolution skills, empathy and a critical understanding of communicating across different cultures and identities.

Qualifications and levels

The subject is taught at very different levels, from a weekend seminar for a company to a doctorate. It is rarely a full bachelor's degree on its own.

  • Courses within a bachelor's degree. Most students meet intercultural communication as a subject inside a degree in communication, languages, translation, international relations or business. In Europe a bachelor's degree consists of either 180 or 240 ECTS credits; in Spain an official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240.
  • Community college (United States). Community colleges offer two-year programmes leading to an associate degree, and students can go on to a bachelor's degree with two more years at a university. Chemeketa Community College in Oregon has a communication track whose courses cover public speaking, intercultural and interpersonal communication, persuasion and conflict.
  • Master's degrees. Specialised programmes are mostly found here. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. An example outside our list is the Máster Universitario en Comunicación Intercultural, Interpretación y Traducción en los Servicios Públicos of the Universidad de Alcalá: 60 ECTS credits, one academic year full-time or two part-time, blended teaching, in Spanish and the language of the chosen speciality (Arabic, Chinese, French, English or Russian, each paired with Spanish). Horizons University in Paris lists an MA in Cross-Cultural Communication and a shorter certificate in the same subject; it teaches online in English and French and on campus only in French.
  • Non-formal and company courses. International People's College (IPC) in Helsingør, Denmark, is a folk high school where adults from more than 30 countries live and study together in English, on long courses in global studies of four to six months or short courses of one to three weeks. Sprachschule 24 in Germany gives language training inside companies and offers seminars that present the country, explain its customs and show the differences between one's own culture and the foreign one. Courses of this kind do not lead to a degree; ask the school what certificate it gives.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 10 active schools for cultural communication. Three are in Spain: the Universidad de Navarra, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and IDDI, the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Denmark, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia, France, the United States and Germany have one each, among them the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, IPC in Denmark and Horizons University in Paris.

The language of instruction depends on the school rather than the country: IPC works entirely in English, Horizons University in English and French, and the Spanish and Latin American universities mainly in Spanish. Because the subject is about working between languages, most programmes expect a good level in at least two. Check the language requirements of each programme before applying.

Careers

Cultural communication is a skill set more than a single profession. Graduates use it in international business and human resources, diplomacy and international organisations, non-governmental organisations, education, tourism, and public services that deal with migrants, such as hospitals, courts and social services. Those who combine it with translation and interpreting training can work as interpreters or cultural mediators.

There are no official employment statistics for the field as such. For the closest occupation that is counted, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of interpreters and translators to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 6,000 openings projected each year. This figure refers to the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

Is cultural communication the same as intercultural communication?

In practice, yes. Schools use cultural, intercultural and cross-cultural communication for the same field: how people from different cultures communicate and how misunderstandings between them can be reduced.

Can I take a full degree in cultural communication?

Mostly at master's level. At bachelor's level it is usually a subject or track inside a degree in communication, languages or international studies. Short courses and company seminars also exist, but they do not lead to a degree.

How long does a master's in intercultural communication take in Spain?

Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The master's of the Universidad de Alcalá in intercultural communication and public service interpreting and translation has 60 ECTS credits and takes one academic year full-time.

Do I need to speak several languages?

It helps, and some programmes require it. The Alcalá master's, for instance, is taught in Spanish and a second language chosen by the student, while a school such as International People's College works only in English.