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Communications

Undergraduate

Craft messages, build stories, and shape conversations

Communication is essential in all aspects of life — shaping how we interact, connect, and make impressions on each other and the world around us. At Simmons, you’ll learn how to craft messages that generate meaning across contexts, cultures, channels, and media.

We offer our BA in Communications through the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences, with tracks in Journalism, Design, and Integrated Media. We also host two joint majors in Public Relations and Marketing Communications and Interaction Design and Web Development.

Our communications program emphasizes the intersection and interaction of multiple media disciplines. You will learn skills to navigate the changing world of communications through internships and real world projects in our Boston location. This prepares you for careers as designers, journalists, social media managers, digital media analysts, and communications strategists.

What will you study as a Communications major?

We tailor our degree program to match your personal and career aspirations. You’ll choose from a mix of courses in Design, Journalism, Integrated Media, Photography, Interaction Design, and Strategic Communication. You will master in-demand multimedia communications technologies in your coursework and through Student-Driven Media organizations. And build your portfolios in Studio 5, our capstone student-run communications agency.

As a Communications major, you’ll gain:

An integrated curriculum that fosters flexibility, adaptability, and empathy
A hands-on, project-based approach that emphasizes immersive and collaborative learning
Opportunities to develop critical thinking and critical making skills
Access to prime internship opportunities in media, health, education, and tech, thanks to our Boston location

What can you do with a bachelor's degree in Communications?

A bachelor’s degree prepares you for roles in strategic communications, the arts, marketing, public relations, journalism, design, media production, and more. In hands-on classes and internships, you will gain valuable experience while teaching you how to succeed in a team.

Recent internship sites include Boston Ballet, Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, WGBH, and Harvard Medical School. These experiences will help you build your network as well as develop both creative and technical skills.

Recent jobs held by our alumnae/i include:

Reporter
Audio Producer
Development and Communications Coordinator
Illustrator
Graphic Designer
Digital Marketing Specialist
Journalist
Photographer
Web Developer
Social Media Strategist
Content Producer
Marketing and Creative Director
Design Strategist
Production Management
Writer
Engineering Design Professional
Junior Art Director
Copywriter
Communications Director (Capitol Hill)
Multimedia Producer
Creative Strategist
Professor
Attorney
Data Analyst

Degree Requirements

The communications department offers a program in Communications with concentrations in Design, Journalism, and Integrated Media, a joint program between Communications and the Business in Public Relations and Marketing Communications, a joint program between Communications and Computer Science in Web Design and Development, an Interdisciplinary major in Arts Administration, and three Complete Degree programs, which are entirely on-line and geared toward adult learners. The course requirements for these programs follow.

BA in Communications

Communications majors complete 42 credits in Communications, including 3 required core courses, 2 1-credit technology courses, 4 courses in their concentration, 2 courses outside their concentration, and an independent learning Capstone experience.

Step One: Core Requirements

All Communications students take a three-course introductory core:

COMM121	Visual Communication	4
COMM122	Media Writing and Editing	4
COMM124	Media, Message, and Society	4

Step Two: Technology Courses

All students complete at least two-credits of technology skill-based courses:

COMM110	Introduction to 2D Design Technology	1
COMM112	Introduction to Animation & Motion Graphics Technology	1
COMM114	Introduction to Audio and Video Editing	1

Step Three: Concentration Courses

Courses are broadly organized around the concentrations of Design, Integrated Media, and Journalism.

Students take 4 courses in one of the concentrations below, and 2 courses distributed among the other two concentrations. At least two of these six courses should be at the 300 level.

Design	Integrated Media	Journalism
COMM 210 Introduction to Graphic Design	COMM 120 Communications Media	COMM 181 Public Speaking and Presentation
COMM 241 Design Thinking	COMM 163 Radio Operations and Podcasting	COMM 215 Blogging and Op/Ed Writing
COMM 240 Typography	COMM 186 Introduction to Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications	COMM 260 Journalism
COMM 244 Web Design	COMM 224 Storytelling	COMM 263 Social Media Journalism
COMM 246 Digital Imaging for Design	COMM 220 Video Production	COMM 310 In-Depth Storytelling
COMM 248 Type and Image	COMM 222 Animation	COMM 312 Health Communications
COMM 286 Advertising Practice and Branding	COMM 262 Media Convergence	COMM 320 Media and the First Amendment
COMM 333 Responsive Design	COMM 269 Globalization and Intercultural Communications (periodic travel course)	COMM 322 Video Journalism
COMM 340 Advanced Design	COMM 281 Content Creation and Strategies	COMM 327 Culture of the News
	COMM 323 Digital Cultures
	COMM 324 Social Media: Social Listening and Analytics

Step Four: Capstone

Students take at least 4 credits of an independent learning Capstone in the senior year:

COMM370	Internship	4
COMM380	Capstone Internship	0
COMM390	Studio 5: A Communication Workplace	4

Concentrations in the Communications Major

Integrated Media Concentration

Students in Integrated Media complete the Communications Core, 2 Technology courses, 4 courses in the Integrated Media concentration, 2 courses in Design and/or Journalism, and a Capstone.

Integrated Media Courses:

COMM120	Communications Media	4
COMM163	Radio Operations and Podcasting	4
COMM186	Introduction to Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications	4
COMM220	Video Production	4
COMM222	Animation	4
COMM 224	Storytelling	4
COMM262	Media Convergence	4
COMM269	Globalization and Intercultural Communication	4
COMM281	Content Creation and Strategy	4
COMM323	Digital Cultures	4
COMM324	Social Media: Social Listening and Analytics	4

Journalism Concentration

Students in the Journalism Concentration complete the Communications Core, 2 Technology courses, 4 courses in the Journalism concentration, 2 courses in Design and/or Integrated Media, and a Capstone.

Journalism Courses:

COMM181	Public Speaking and Presentation	4
COMM 215	Blogging & Opinion and Editorial Writing	4
COMM260	Journalism	4
COMM263	Social Media Journalism	4
COMM310	In-Depth Storytelling	4
COMM312	Health Communications	4
COMM320	Media and the First Amendment	4
COMM322	Video Journalism	4
COMM327	Culture of the News	4

Design Concentration

Students in the Design Concentration complete the Communications Core, 2 Technology courses, 4 courses in the Design concentration, 2 courses in Journalism and/or Integrated Media, and a Capstone.

Design Concentration Courses:

COMM210	Introduction to Graphic Design	4
COMM240	Typography	4
COMM241	Human-Centered Design	4
COMM244	Introduction to Web and Interactive Design	4
COMM246	Digital Imaging for Design	4
COMM248	Type and Image	4
COMM286	Introduction to Advertising Practice and Branding	4
COMM333	Design for User Experience	4
COMM340	Advanced Design	4

Customize Your Program

Minors

Communications offers minors in:

Internships and Research

Independent Learning

Take advantage of internships at arts and cultural organizations in Boston and beyond, building your skills and resume and learning from mentors in your fields.

You will fulfill your independent learning and internship requirements in a variety of ways. Recent students have worked in roles at Boston Herald, Harvard Medical School, Lesley College, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the Boston Ballet.

Spotlight on Communications Students and Alums

View All News

The six students in the 2025-26 Passionate Leaders cohort

Celebrating the 2025-26 Passionate Leaders Scholars

Six undergraduate scholars from different disciplines have been selected for a $3,000 grant that supports student-driven initiatives focused on advancing scientific research and improving communities, and represents unique voices through the arts and humanities.

Close-up of a video camera being operated at an outdoor speaker event

From Video Production to Public Relations

Julia Welbourne ’04 received a bachelor's degree in communications and minored in women’s and gender studies. Over the course of her career, she has worked in video production in Boston, New York City, and Seattle. Today, Welbourne serves as a public relations advisor at Rochester Regional Health, where she applies more than 20 years of experience in both independent and corporate communications to the healthcare sector.

Alumna’s Perspective on College Life and Building Networks

Courtney Knapp ’03, ’06 received an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science with a minor in communications. Subsequently, Knapp completed the graduate program in gender and cultural studies in 2006. For the last seven years, Knapp has been at the Pratt Institute and recently started a new role as the Chair of the Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment.

Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alumna Uses Communications Degrees to Navigate US Politics

Maya Valentine double majored in public relations and marketing communications, and communications on the journalism track. Valentine was active in the Simmons Student Government Association, The Simmons Voice, the Black Student Organization, and was a Resident Advisor. Valentine is the Press Secretary for US Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.

Sunset at Schoodic Point, with a view of Cadillac Mountain across the bay on Mount Desert Island

Alumna Communicates Scientific Discovery at National Park

Julia Rush ’24 is the 2025 Cathy and Jim Gero Acadia Early-Career Fellow in Science Communication for the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. We spoke with her about her love of journalism and the outdoors, and the essential training she received at Simmons.

Careers and Internships

The Simmons University campus on a fall evening

Alum Profiled for Dedication to Making Culture Accessible

Olawumi “Ola” Akinwumi ’13MA, who serves as president of the Roxbury Cultural District (RCD), is a dynamic cultural strategist, event producer, and community engagement leader who is committed to celebrating communities of color through arts, culture, and storytelling.

A train going over a long elevated bridge in Scotland. Photo by Bjorn Snelders on Unsplash.

Communications Alumna’s Journey from Simmons to Scotland

Amanda Perry ’22 studied literature and minored in communications at Simmons University during the height of the COVID–19 pandemic. Perry has gone on to complete her master’s degree in English while studying abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She lives in London and is pursuing a career in publishing.

Honing Hands-on Editing and Interdisciplinary Journalism

Alicia Guzman ’25 reflects on the supportive faculty members she found at Simmons, her favorite courses, the research projects she conducted, and how she became inspired to pursue a media studies degree in graduate school.