From peace negotiations in the Middle East to labor agreements between management and unions, the art of communication is critical to successful human interactions. Understand the theories, principles and practices of human communication, and you'll have the keys to solving puzzles presented by interpersonal, cross-cultural, organizational and conflict situations as a major in communication studies. You'll sharpen your own communication skills and explore the principles and theories of effective expression to help you understand and motivate audiences. Join other communication studies majors who have interned with places such as the American Lung Association, Banana Republic, the Gap, the Chamber Theatre of Milwaukee, the Miller Brewing Co. and the Milwaukee district attorney's office, as well as a variety of offices on campus.<br><br>Examine the theories, concepts and skills behind human interactionone to one, in a group, in organizations, and in various public settings. You can focus your expertise in areas such as organizational and managerial communication, family/gender communication, interpersonal communication and persuasion and rhetoric. Study Plato, Aristotle and modern rhetoricians to understand the theories and strategies of rhetoric. Sharpen your own communication skills and learn to listen, reason and speak more effectively. Become a more persuasive speaker, able to lead, negotiate and motivate. Learn from professors who are nationally recognized leaders in persuasive, organizational, corporate, family, cross-cultural and health communication. And through our structured internship program, you have access to Milwaukee's Fortune 500 companies, newspaper and broadcast organizations and nonprofit groups.<br><br>Students who graduate from the Communication Studies program at Marquette University will be able to critically analyze messages, apply appropriate theories and principles in practice across multiple areas of communication (interpersonal, organizational, health, etc.), and articulate how communication can impact the larger social, cultural, political and organizational issues facing our contemporary global society. Students who graduate from the Communication Studies program at Marquette University will be able to demonstrate an advanced level of Communication Competence defined by increased levels of motivation, knowledge, and skill as defined by measured change over four years. You can focus your communication studies expertise in areas such as organizational and managerial communication, family and gender communication, interpersonal communication, and persuasion and rhetoric.