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Communication Studies

Communication Studies at UM

The Communication Studies department in August 2025 posing outdoors in front of the Griz statue on the UM oval, with trees and a hillside in the background.The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Montana-Missoula focuses on three broad areas of study: interpersonal interaction and human relationships, organizational and institutional communication, and rhetoric and public discourse. The knowledge and skills the student may acquire in each of these areas are important to functioning effectively in one's personal life, at work, and as a citizen of the larger society in a rapidly changing world.

Why Communication Studies?

COMX - Communication Studies at University of Montana

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Instagram promo graphic reading “Follow us on Instagram @umcommstudies” with a collage of student selfies, an outdoor group photo, and a campus building.                     Facebook page header for the Department of Communication Studies, showing a group staff photo with a circular campus building profile picture.

In Memory of Dr. Steve Schwarze

                                                    Smiling Steve Schwarze wearing a red beanie and blue jacket standing on a rocky mountain trail with evergreen trees in the background.

Dr. Steve Schwarze passed away in August 2022. During his 20+ year tenure at the University of Montana, Steve was a passionate advocate for students, the environment, and justice at UM, and he engaged heavily throughout his career in service to the University. He mentored dozens of graduate students and hundreds of undergraduate students. Steve received numerous awards for his teaching, and in 2018 was awarded one of the most prestigious honors given by the University of Montana, the Robert T. Pantzer Presidential Humanitarian Award. This award marked his career-long contributions to making the University “a more open and humane learning environment.” Read about Steve and his legacy here.