The Department of Communication Studies offers important resources for our students related to internships, our speech and debate team, our comm studies student association as well as resources for potential careers in the communication field.
Majors, Minors and Graduate Students are all welcome to participate in the Communication Studies Internship Program.
Throughout the academic year we offer workshops, events and career advising and planning to all students in Communication Studies. Students can also earn four units of elective major credit by doing an internship and by concurrently being enrolled in COMM 695: Internship in Communication Studies. 120 internship hours are required and all internship sites must University-approved.
For Students
To Learn more about our many internship opportunities, visit our Internships section.
For Employers
Are you currently an employer thinking about hosting an intern, if so please note that all community partners that have SF State students interning for academic credit must be University-approved.
If your organization has an internship opportunity for Communication Studies majors, we would appreciate your listing your internship with our online form. The details you provide us will help us get the word out to our majors that are looking for internships.
Communication Studies majors that complete an internship while in school can earn four (4) units of elective credit by concurrently taking COMM 695: Internship in Communication Studies.
For more questions about our Internship Program, contact Paloma Mathern by email at amolap@sfsu.edu or by calling (415) 338-7310.
The College of Liberal & Creative Arts has several scholarships available. Additional scholarships and application to scholarships can be viewed on SF State's Academic Works portal.
We support a nationally ranked Speech and Debate Team (also called the Forensics Team) that is open to all San Francisco State University students regardless of major.
Forensics is a unique activity that offers students the opportunity to develop, refine and master communication skills in a competitive environment. The team prides itself on fostering the development of new speakers and seasoned competitors. In fact, supporting and encouraging first-time speakers is one of our team's greatest strengths. Students on the team travel to speech tournaments both inside and outside California. Each year several members of the team qualify to compete at national tournaments.
Our team competes in the following events:
- Communication Analysis
- Dramatic Interpretation
- Duo Interpretation
- Extemporaneous Speaking
- Impromptu Speaking
- Informative Speaking
- Oral Interpretation Program
- Persuasive Speaking
- Poetry Interpretation
- Policy Debate
- Prose Interpretation
- Speech to Entertain
For more information on joining the team, contact our director.
Theodore Albiniak, Director of Forensics
Office: Humanities 290D
Phone: (415) 338-1597
Founded in August 2018, the Communication Studies Student Association (CSSA) aims to create a community of students outside of the halls of the Humanities building.
CSSA meets once a week throughout the school year. They work together to organize socials and fundraising events which are great opportunities to gain experience, build your resume, network, and discuss all things communication studies!
They also work together throughout the year to organize a Communication Studies Graduation Celebration for graduating seniors, an event that aims to be more personal and intimate for those in the Communication Studies Department.
All students from all majors are welcome to join this student organization!
CSSA is still meeting during Summer 2020 and the Fall 2020 semesters! The meetings are the same time as they are the rest of the year, every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Stop by and say hello! Information to join the meetings below.
Get Involved
Want to join CSSA/see what we’re all about? Come to a meeting and say hello! CSSA is still meeting during Summer 2020!
Fall 2020 Semester
When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. via Zoom
Where: For details on how to attend, please reach out to us using the contact information below.
Contact
Email: commssa18@gmail.com
Instagram: CSSA_SFSU
The Communication Studies Student Association is a student run orginization, please contact them directly with questions regarding their activities and the graduation celebration.
Examples of career fields include: teaching, community outreach, sales, people operations, human resources, recruiting, customer service, social services, management, public relations, advertising, social media, business development, fundraising, law, politics, and publishing. Of these more than a dozen possible career paths, the U.S. Department of Labor claims that at least nine will be the biggest generators of new jobs over the next ten years.
The Department of Labor states that among the most important qualities for high job performance are: listening, speaking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, reasoning, self-esteem, sociability, self management, integrity, and honesty. All these are skills and qualities that can be developed in the Communication Studies major.
A survey of 44 supervisors published in The Bulletin of Business Communication identified six of the most important skills in business success:
- Paying attention to what others are saying
- Understanding what others are saying
- Establishing credibility with others
- Dealing with others in an objective and fair manner
- Giving directions clearly
- Motivating others to action
These are skills and abilities that one can expect to acquire with a major in Communication Studies. A study of California based Fortune 500 companies showed that formal training in communication was essential for management success. Because it is more often used, oral communication skill was considered even more important than written communication skill.
Still another study identified interviewing, listening, planning and conducting meetings, resolving conflicts, and public speaking as the most essential skills for competent employees. Again, these are basic skills developed by students in the Communication Studies major.
So, if you are looking for a degree with lots of career potential in either the public or private sector, a major in Communication Studies may be exactly what you have in mind. The ability to work successfully in multicultural groups, resolve interpersonal differences, listen well, and express your self clearly, are not only the most valued job skills for the next century, but they may well also be the keys for satisfying community and family relationships.
For more information about careers, we encourage you to visit Career Services and Leadership Development, the career center here at SF State. Career Services and Leadership Development (CSLD) is located in the Student Services Building, Room 301. You can also contact Paloma Mathern, the Internship Director in the Department of Communication Studies by email at amolap@sfsu.edu or by calling (415) 338-7310.