Communication Studies
Minor
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
Have productive conversations across differences, advocate for important issues, and show up better for the people in your life.
Why Study Communication Studies at Winona State?
Communication is everywhere: your group chats, your classes, your future job, and even the causes you care about.
Communication studies can help you understand how and why people connect, disagree, influence, and work together.
In Winona State’s Communication Studies minor, you’ll explore things like persuasion, relationships, culture, and media. These are some of the ways that messages shape our world.
This minor is also about making an impact.
You’ll learn how to listen to different perspectives, speak up with confidence, and communicate in ways that bring people together instead of pushing them apart.
Whether you’re passionate about social issues, leadership, or just being a better human, these skills matter.
It’s important to know that this minor alone won’t lock you into a specific career path—and that’s a good thing!
Instead, it’s designed to level up whatever you’re already studying.
Pair it with business, health care, education, science, arts, or anything else.
You’ll stand out as someone who can explain ideas clearly, connect with people, and lead with purpose.
Think of the Communication Studies minor as your secret weapon. It’s something that makes everything else you study work even better.
This program is available through the Communication & Media Department.
What Will You Learn as a Communication Studies Minor?
As a Communication Studies minor, you’ll learn how to build strong arguments and use evidence effectively.
This will help you understand what actually changes people’s minds and why certain messages stick while others don’t.
You’ll also:
- practice real techniques for disagreeing and navigating conflict.
- gain skills to navigate cultural differences in conversations, workplaces, and global contexts.
- study credibility, storytelling, and message design to be an authentic and persuasive communicator.
- examine how relationships of all kinds begin, grow, break down, and repair. Then learn how you can apply those insights into your own life.
You can even choose elective topics that match your interests and build skills that will stay with you beyond graduation.
Aside from major- or minor-specific requirements, you’ll need to complete additional requirements through the General Education Program (GEP) to earn your degree from Winona State University.
Learn More about the GEP
Program Highlights
As a Communication Studies minor, you’ll complete multiple projects that will set you up for success after graduation.
You could find yourself participating in a university-wide Cultural Café event that invites individuals from different cultures to offer their perspectives on a topic. This project gives you experience navigating conversations with people from diverse backgrounds.
Or you could design a portfolio that explores how communication emerges beyond words, giving you valuable research experience to show off to future employers.
Want to meet like-minded students and explore communication studies?
Get involved in campus organizations that share your passion, like the Communication Studies Club.
Hone your public speaking skills in the Case Competition Club, Speech and Debate, Model United Nations, or WSU Undergraduate Mock Trial.
You can even join the Winona State Ambassadors Honorary to give guided campus tours.
With over 100 clubs and organizations, there’s something for everyone.
Apply what you learn in the classroom by traveling around the globe. At Winona State, you can earn credit that applies to your degree while exploring the world.
Get inspired by 10,000 brands at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France.
Learn how Germany used messaging to shift the political paradigm after the Nazi Regime. Or dive into the crossroads of cultures in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
You can also check out our more than 100 other study abroad programs across 40+ countries.
Hear from Alumni
Careers & Outcomes
The Communication Studies minor works alongside your major to make you more versatile and more prepared for whatever path you choose.
Employers are always looking for people who can collaborate, think critically, and communicate clearly, and this program helps you build exactly those skills.
for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
for Advertising Sales Agents
for Training and Development Specialists
Learn more about what careers are possible with this minor and where our alumni have gone after graduation.
