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CIP 09.0101 Communication and Journalism

Speech Communication and Rhetoric

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

31,377

2025 · 709 schools

International share

4.7%

1,462 international students

Bachelor's degrees

25,078

3.6% international

Master's degrees

1,793

22.0% international

Overview

Speech Communication and Rhetoric is a dynamic field that explores the art and science of effective communication. This discipline focuses on understanding how language and nonverbal cues influence interactions in various contexts, ranging from personal relationships to public discourse. Students studying this major will delve into theories of communication, the principles of rhetoric, and the societal impacts of spoken and written language.

Courses typically cover a range of topics, including persuasive communication, interpersonal communication, public speaking, and the analysis of rhetoric in media and politics. Students learn to critically evaluate arguments, construct compelling messages, and understand the dynamics of audience engagement. Additionally, the program often emphasizes the importance of cultural competency in communication, preparing students to navigate diverse environments effectively.

Graduates of Speech Communication and Rhetoric are well-equipped for a variety of careers. They can pursue roles in public relations, marketing, education, law, and media. The skills gained in this major, such as effective speaking, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning, are highly valued in any profession that requires clear communication and the ability to persuade or inform others.

Overall, this field not only enhances one’s ability to communicate but also fosters a deeper appreciation for the power of language in shaping human experiences and societal structures. Through rigorous training in both practical and theoretical aspects, students emerge as proficient communicators ready to make an impact in their chosen careers.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates fell 12% and the international share went from 3.1% to 4.7%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
53.3%
Asian
4.5%
Hispanic
20.6%
Black
9.1%
Other
7.8%
Intl.
4.7%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 709 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 74 9
#9 Johns Hopkins University Maryland 212 145
#12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York 67 28
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 19 3
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 4 2
#27 University of Southern California California 257 39
#27 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina 135 10
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 202 19
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 209 13
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 251 32
#42 Northeastern University Massachusetts 58 12
#42 Villanova University Pennsylvania 153 1
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 280 25
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 452 48
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 273 8
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 307 69
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 137 5
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 293 1
#55 Santa Clara University California 103 8
#55 University of Miami Florida 54 7
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 72 6
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 35 4
#59 Tulane University of Louisiana Louisiana 146 4
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 245 12
#69 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York 2 0
#72 Syracuse University New York 92 16
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 287 25
#73 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina 207 1
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 4 0
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 261 3
#85 Fordham University New York 9 0
#85 University at Buffalo New York 281 110
#90 Baylor University Texas 25 0
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 141 2
#90 Gonzaga University Washington 24 0
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 215 3
#100 Chapman University California 90 1
#100 Florida International University Florida 245 9
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 211 10
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 122 3
#100 Creighton University Nebraska 10 0
#109 Loyola Marymount University California 111 11
#109 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 199 3
#109 Fairfield University Connecticut 72 2
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 153 1
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 124 1
#116 University of San Francisco California 72 14
#116 Iowa State University Iowa 44 0
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 114 2
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 344 15
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 271 7
#121 University of the Pacific California 7 1
#121 University of Denver Colorado 88 1
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 437 13
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 30 0
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 175 6
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 163 2
#121 George Mason University Virginia 143 7
#133 Thomas Jefferson University Pennsylvania 9 1
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 93 1
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 351 7
#137 San Diego State University California 350 6
#137 San Jose State University California 198 6
#137 St John's University (NY) New York 58 1
#137 Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Pennsylvania 55 0
#137 James Madison University Virginia 305 8
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 165 0
#148 Mercer University Georgia 23 1
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 94 3
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 246 5
#148 University of Tulsa Oklahoma 10 0
#148 University of Rhode Island Rhode Island 185 2
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 235 2
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 548 3
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 1 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 25 2
#156 University of St Thomas (MN) Minnesota 16 0
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 66 1
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 27 2
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 25 1
#156 Duquesne University Pennsylvania 17 1
#169 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado 127 2
#169 DePaul University Illinois 32 0
#169 Simmons University Massachusetts 8 0
#169 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska 35 2
#169 Monmouth University New Jersey 70 0
#169 Touro College New York 15 0
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 253 4
#179 Gallaudet University D.C. 8 0
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 101 1
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 169 5
#179 University of Utah Utah 5 1
#179 Seattle University Washington 24 1
#186 California Lutheran University California 29 1
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 139 10
#186 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan 5 0
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 48 1
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 180 8
#191 Samford University Alabama 12 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 233 1
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 225 6
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 89 9
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 77 0
#191 Hofstra University New York 3 0
#191 Washington State University Washington 3 2
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 25 0
#202 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana 70 1
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 293 5
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 170 4
#202 University of St. Thomas (TX) Texas 14 1
#208 California State University--Fresno California 65 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 336 3
#208 University of La Verne California 3 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 18 0
#208 Mississippi State University Mississippi 119 1
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 71 1
#208 Ohio Northern University Ohio 7 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 13 0
#208 Belmont University Tennessee 13 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 78 2
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 107 10
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 54 0
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 58 2
#219 North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina 10 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 177 3
#227 San Francisco State University California 171 4
#227 Ball State University Indiana 30 2
#227 University of Michigan-Dearborn Michigan 24 0
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 67 3
#236 University of Colorado Denver Colorado 128 88
#236 University of North Florida Florida 21 0
#236 Stetson University Florida 18 0
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 84 0
#236 Portland State University Oregon 61 2
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 43 1
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 15 2
#250 University of Missouri--Kansas City Missouri 42 0
#250 Pace University-New York New York 20 2
#250 South Dakota State University South Dakota 19 0
#250 University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Texas 26 2
#250 University of Wyoming Wyoming 33 5
#262 University of Alabama--Huntsville Alabama 15 0
#262 Aurora University Illinois 22 0
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 25 7
#262 George Fox University Oregon 4 0
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 8 1
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 15 0
#262 Seattle Pacific University Washington 13 0
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 75 1
#276 Harding University Arkansas 3 0
#276 California Baptist University California 16 0
#276 Regis University Colorado 10 0
#276 University of New Haven Connecticut 22 1
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 6 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 31 1
#276 University of Missouri--St. Louis Missouri 6 0
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 11 3
#276 Widener University Pennsylvania 5 0
#288 Biola University California 15 1
#288 University of Hartford Connecticut 15 1
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 24 4
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 16 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 117 2
#288 Shenandoah University Virginia 8 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 86 7
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 1 0
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 59 1
#299 Boise State University Idaho 125 1
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 31 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 29 1
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 99 5
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 32 9
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 16 0
#308 Abilene Christian University Texas 16 1
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 40 2
#317 Kean University New Jersey 94 3
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 56 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 13 1
#317 Augusta University Georgia 37 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 30 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 28 3
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 13 0
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 49 0
#342 Mississippi College Mississippi 20 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 91 4
#342 Campbell University North Carolina 4 0
#342 Cleveland State University Ohio 38 0
#353 Southern Illinois University--Edwardsville Illinois 37 4
#353 University of Louisiana--Lafayette Louisiana 13 6
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 30 1
#353 Trevecca Nazarene University Tennessee 5 0
#353 Pennsylvania Western University Pennsylvania 6 0
#365 Troy University Alabama 19 0
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 5 2
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 60 0
#365 University of Louisiana--Monroe Louisiana 4 1
#365 William Carey University Mississippi 2 0
#365 The University of Montana Montana 38 1
#365 Liberty University Virginia 105 1
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 89 0
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 15 1
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 5 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 260 3
#382 Palm Beach Atlantic University Florida 15 1
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 25 1
#382 Concordia University-Chicago Illinois 2 0
#382 Governors State University Illinois 11 0
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 28 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 21 0
#382 Northeastern State University Oklahoma 15 0
#382 Dallas Baptist University Texas 33 1
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 60 1
#382 Texas Southern University Texas 7 0
#382 Regent University Virginia 66 2
#382 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Puerto Rico 6 0
LAC #3 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania 1 0
LAC #44 Wabash College Indiana 15 0
LAC #47 Hillsdale College Michigan 7 0
LAC #49 DePauw University Indiana 58 4
LAC #49 St. Lawrence University New York 32 4
LAC #57 Wheaton College (IL) Illinois 26 1
LAC #57 Furman University South Carolina 34 0
LAC #62 Lake Forest College Illinois 20 2
LAC #62 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 26 1
LAC #68 College of St. Benedict Minnesota 19 0
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 21 0
LAC #74 St. John's University (MN) Minnesota 11 0
LAC #78 Hope College Michigan 46 1
LAC #85 Stonehill College Massachusetts 24 0
LAC #85 Susquehanna University Pennsylvania 2 0
LAC #91 Augustana College Illinois 16 1
LAC #91 Southwestern University Texas 26 0
LAC #97 Lewis & Clark College Oregon 33 0
LAC #100 SUNY College at Geneseo New York 52 0
LAC #100 University of Puget Sound Washington 17 0
LAC #106 Transylvania University Kentucky 18 0
LAC #106 Pacific Lutheran University Washington 31 2
LAC #109 Westmont College California 25 1
LAC #111 Luther College Iowa 12 0
LAC #111 Whitworth University Washington 16 3
LAC #119 Coe College Iowa 3 0
LAC #119 Meredith College North Carolina 1 0
LAC #119 Christopher Newport University Virginia 90 0
LAC #119 Ripon College Wisconsin 7 0
LAC #119 California State University-Channel Islands California 59 0
LAC #125 Goucher College Maryland 13 0
LAC #125 Emmanuel College Massachusetts 18 0
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 14 1
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 12 0
LAC #142 Houghton University New York 13 1
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 20 2
LAC #153 University of Hawaii--Hilo Hawaii 34 1
LAC #154 SUNY Old Westbury New York 28 0
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 12 0
LAC #168 Lyon College Arkansas 1 0
LAC #170 Western Oregon University Oregon 25 0
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 5 1
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 25 0
LAC #181 Bethune-Cookman University Florida 10 0
LAC #181 Bethany College West Virginia 4 1
LAC #184 Indiana University-Southeast Indiana 7 0
LAC #184 Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana 30 0
LAC #184 Utah Tech University Utah 68 1
LAC #184 West Virginia State University West Virginia 11 1
— Arizona State University Digital Immersion Arizona 398 1
— California State University-Northridge California 244 2
— Santa Barbara City College California 242 7
— College of Charleston South Carolina 220 1
— Santa Monica College California 166 13
— Long Beach City College California 162 0
— University of Maryland Global Campus Maryland 140 4
— California State University--San Bernardino California 139 2
— Southern Utah University Utah 126 4
— Sam Houston State University Texas 124 0
— Chaffey College California 122 0
— Saddleback College California 122 2
— Salisbury University Maryland 122 1
— Coastal Carolina University South Carolina 122 0
— California State University-San Marcos California 122 1
— California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California 118 1
— Florida Gulf Coast University Florida 118 1
— Bridgewater State University Massachusetts 107 0
— Weber State University Utah 107 5
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 105 0
— California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo California 104 0
— Western Washington University Washington 101 4
— California State University-Bakersfield California 98 1
— Orange Coast College California 91 4
— Bakersfield College California 90 0
— Mt San Antonio College California 82 1
— California State University--East Bay California 80 5
— University of Wisconsin--La Crosse Wisconsin 80 0
— American Public University System West Virginia 77 2
— Sonoma State University California 76 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Public Relations Specialists 283,380 $40.44 $84,120
Public Relations Managers 74,850 $79.21 $164,760
Writers and Authors 47,940 $41.39 $86,090
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary 29,420 — $90,010
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys 21,240 $37.85 $78,720
Media and Communication Workers, All Other 19,590 $40.32 $83,860

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.