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Studies & Degrees in Social Communication

Social communication (comunicación social in Spanish, comunicação social in Portuguese) is the name that universities in Latin America give to the broad study of communication in society: journalism, radio and television, advertising, organisational communication and the communication work of public bodies and community groups. The Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in Argentina describes it as a field that deals with practices and discourses in the media, social networks, institutions and community organisations. In Spain and in English-speaking countries the same ground is usually covered by separate degrees in journalism, audiovisual communication, advertising and public relations, or by a general communication degree.

Students start with a base in the social sciences, such as history, economics, politics and sociology, together with communication theory, writing and media production. Later they choose a speciality. The US National Communication Association defines the discipline as the study of how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts.

Qualifications and levels

  • Licenciatura in Latin America. The first degree is normally a licenciatura, and its length varies by country and university. At the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba the Licenciatura en Comunicación Social lasts five years plus a final project and is taught on campus; after a three-year basic cycle students choose one specialisation, and an intermediate qualification of Técnico Universitario en Comunicación Social is awarded at the end of the fourth year. The Universidad Nacional de La Plata offers the licenciatura with an orientation in journalism or in communication planning, a teaching degree (profesorado) and shorter technical degrees (tecnicaturas); admission there is unrestricted.
  • Colombia. The Carrera de Comunicación Social of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá has six areas of emphasis, and students may take one or more of them. The university states that the programme holds the high-quality accreditation of the Consejo Nacional de Acreditación (CNA) and the Ministry of National Education for eight years.
  • Brazil. The field is taught through separate undergraduate courses. The Faculdade de Informação e Comunicação of the Universidade Federal de Goiás, for example, lists degrees in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising.
  • Spain. An official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120. There is no single degree called social communication; the Faculty of Communication of the Universidad de Navarra, for instance, offers bachelor's degrees in Journalism, Audiovisual Creation, Marketing and Corporate Communication.
  • Postgraduate study. Master's degrees and doctorates in communication exist in all these countries; La Plata, for example, has specialisations, master's degrees and a doctorate in communication.

A degree from one country is not automatically valid in another. Students who plan to use a Latin American licenciatura in Spain, or the reverse, should ask the destination university or ministry about recognition before they enrol.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 19 active schools for social communication. Five are in Spain, four in Argentina, four in Brazil and two in Colombia; Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Ukraine have one each.

In Argentina the list includes the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, the Universidad Nacional de San Luis and the Universidad Austral. In Colombia it includes the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and the Universidad de Antioquia, in Peru the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and in Brazil the federal universities of Goiás, Viçosa and Ceará and the Universidade Estadual de Londrina. In Spain it includes the Universidad de Navarra, the Universidad de Almería and the Universidad del País Vasco.

Teaching is in Spanish in Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America and in Portuguese in Brazil. This is a subject built on writing and speaking, so international students need a high level of the language of instruction from the first year.

Careers

According to the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, a graduate in social communication can work as a journalist in print, radio, audiovisual and digital media, as a teacher or researcher, as a planner and manager of communication projects in public and private institutions and in social and community organisations, as a manager of content for social networks and new digital media, and as an audiovisual and multimedia producer.

Official employment figures are available for the United States only. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment in media and communication occupations to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035, with about 88,500 openings each year, mostly to replace workers who leave. Within that group, employment of news analysts, reporters and journalists is projected to decline 6 percent. Graduates who can also work in organisational and digital communication have more options than those who rely on traditional newsrooms alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is social communication the same as journalism?

No. Journalism is one of its specialities. A social communication degree also covers audiovisual production, advertising, organisational and institutional communication, and community communication.

How long does a degree in social communication take?

It depends on the country and the university. At the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba the licenciatura lasts five years plus a final project. In Spain the nearest equivalents are four-year bachelor's degrees of 240 ECTS credits.

Can I study social communication in Spain?

Not usually under that name. Spanish universities teach the same content in degrees such as Journalism, Audiovisual Communication, and Advertising and Public Relations.

In which language is it taught?

In Spanish in Spain and most of Latin America, and in Portuguese in Brazil. A strong written and spoken level is needed from the start.