Communication Studies

Initially provided by the Department of German Philology, degree courses specialising in communication studies have been provided in Greifswald since 1998. Since 2003, the subject has been represented by the Chair of Communication Studies (Prof. Dr. Klaus Beck), which was joined by the Chair of Communication Studies with a Focus on Organisational Communication (Prof. Dr. Kerstin Thummes) in 2012. Research and teaching is performed by around 10 academics. Approximately 450 students are currently taking degree courses related to communication studies.

Communication studies investigates all forms of human communication from a perspective that is typical for the humanities and social sciences, and ranges from direct vocal communication between individuals in the same place, to communication that is supported by media, and also public communication. In contrast to journalism and media studies, the discipline does not focus on ‘the media’ or ‘journalism’, but on the social process of communication. The main areas of interest are social circumstances, contexts and the effects of communication on social relationships, groups, organisations and society (see the cornerstones of the discipline’s scientific and professional mission).

Studies in Greifswald can be completed with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies [de]. We also provide the Master of Arts in Organisational Communication and the Master of Arts Language and Communication [de] with a specialisation in communication studies or linguistics. Students taking the Bachelor of Science degree course in Psychology can also choose communication studies as a non-psychological compulsory elective module [de].