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.

COMM Updates

Man in front of screen giving talk

News

COMM Updates - 3/5/2023
Events Join us for COMMColloquium Friday, March 8, at 1:00 pm in 102 Mann Library Building. Associate Professor Andrea Stevenson Won will present “Embodiment Now.” The colloquium is followed by a reception, located in The Hub of the Department...
  • Department of Communication
4 individuals standing, smiling with trees in the background

News

Awards A Cornell University team comprising Graduate Student Stephanie Belina won second place at the International Virtual Reality Healthcare Association’s first Healthcare Hackathon Invitational, hosted at Ringling College of Art and Design...
  • Department of Communication
group of students look out over cliff

News

Events Join us for COMMColloquium Friday, February 9, at 1:00 pm in 102 Mann Library Building. Postdoctoral Associate Miki Matsumuro will present “Cognitive Modeling in Human-Computer, Human-Machine, and Human-Agent Interaction.” The colloquium...
  • Department of Communication

Communication in the News

A woman in a black camisole that is anxious.

News

Deportation threat worsens Latinos’ anxiety, mental health

A hostile environment that threatens Latino noncitizens with deportation is associated with psychological distress among not only Latino noncitizens but also Latino U.S. citizens who aren’t vulnerable to deportation, a Cornell-led research group...

  • Department of Communication
  • Communication
Students study in the CALS Zone

News

A new workshop series seeks to uncover and dismantle the sometimes-hidden biases that women and gender-expansive people experience in attaining and being successful in leadership positions. The Gender Inclusive Leadership Series , sponsored by...
  • Mann Library
  • Entomology
  • Communication
White smoke on a black bachground.

News

In a recent study published in Social Science and Medicine, a multidisciplinary team sought to deepen regulators’ understanding of how both adults and teens respond to warning labels on e-cigarettes.

  • Communication
  • Department of Communication

Contact Us

450 Mann Library Building
phone: (607) 254-6278
email: communication [at] cornell.edu (communication[at]cornell[dot]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