6 Skills You Can Build with a Communication Degree

The inability to communicate effectively can prevent you from getting ahead in your chosen career path. It’s a fact backed by decades of career advancement research, which makes it clear you need to be able to communicate well to succeed.

It’s true for nearly every major career path. For instance, the marketing manager has to be able to communicate with both clients and their own team through written and oral correspondence to ensure success. Even if you zoom in on more entry-level roles, communication comes to the fore in those positions as well.

The bottom line: Communication is a skill that can point you toward success.

Enter a communication degree. By enrolling in the appropriate program, you’ll discover the communication degree skills you need to make an impact on your future career.

Overview of a Communication Degree

Think of a communication degree as an in-depth program designed to teach you the communication skills you need to get ahead. A degree in communication can help you develop the skills for effective messaging and information dissemination. It can pave the way for you to become a marketer or public relations specialist, among other careers. It can even boost your empathy and make you a better critical thinker – both valuable skills for a career in human resources.

Simply put, this type of degree makes you highly desirable as a candidate in many fields.

Getting into specifics, there are several types of communication degrees available. Associate’s and bachelor’s are the most common. Earning an associate’s degree involves a shorter degree program – often requiring only between 18 and 24 months to complete, compared to the three or four-year span needed for a bachelor’s program. Despite the difference in the length of time needed to earn each degree, both help you achieve a similar goal – a solid foundation for communication through speaking and writing.

What Skills Does a Communication Degree Help You Build?

Communication majors don’t opt for this particular degree track for no reason. They understand that they’ll be developing critical skills that can carry over into multiple career tracks. Here are six of those skills, each important in their own way.

1. Strong Writing Skills

If we focus solely on the career benefits of becoming a better writer, there are several that come to the fore. Take the digital media content creation sector as an example. This field has a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5% between 2023 and 2030 – an indicator that more roles (and more money) are expected to enter the field over time.

But even if you don’t see your career path taking you down the web content and social media route, being a strong writer can still serve you well. You might specialize in corporate communication for example, where your writing skills can be an asset to managing communications with a team. In fact, you don’t need to follow a writing-centric career to earn the benefits of being a strong communicator.

2. Creativity

Often underestimated but the hidden ingredient behind good communication is creativity. And you can develop it as you study for a communication degree. It’s the secret ingredient to grabbing and maintaining attention through your writing or oral presentations. Whether it’s for motivation or laughter, that’s the power of creativity in a nutshell – it’s how you make people feel about whatever it is you’re communicating.

There are areas where you’ll rein in your creativity, such as the technical communications path. But even there, don’t underestimate this skill – creativity in expressing highly technical ideas to a non-technical audience is still the cornerstone of effective communication.

3. Research Skills

A point is only well made when it has the research to back it up. Thanks to a communication degree, you’ll understand not only how to conduct research, but how to do it in a way that supports the points you’re trying to make. The development of these research skills comes with a healthy dose of critical thinking – you’ll discover how to analyze and sift through information to discover which is actually usable.

These research skills come to the forefront when you’re tasked with speaking on subjects about which you may not have expertise. That’s often the case in digital media and content writing. You’re essentially learning how to acquire and compile information when you complete a communication degree.

4. Public Speaking Skills

How do you present to other people? It’s a key question to ask with regard to your career track as 70% of people who present regularly say presentation is “critical” to their work success. Feeling confident when you step in front of a room of people stems from developing strong communication skills.

A communication degree obviously helps with this, not least because it’ll give you the confidence to be a presenter. You’ll deliver oral presentations and learn the techniques needed, such as the research skills mentioned earlier, to feel assured in the points you’re making.

5. Media Communication and Marketing Skills

We’re combining these two skills as they’re so closely related that you almost can’t have one without the other. The art of media communication involves finding creative ways that deliver information to a massive audience. That’s marketing in a nutshell, meaning mastering media communication goes hand-in-hand with boosting your marketing skills.

Both are taught as part of a communication degree. You open the door for careers in digital marketing and public relations because you can develop an understanding of a company’s product and communicate that understanding to others.

6. Conflict Resolution and Empathy

Resolving conflict is the core task of a human resources professional. It’s what they do day in and day out as they’re tasked with both delivering company information to employees and working directly with people who have grievances.

Your communication degree teaches the conflict resolution practices that will allow you to thrive in a human resources setting. Just as importantly, you’ll learn how to be empathetic. That latter skill is the more transferable of the two. It’s what makes you a good listener and, crucially, allows you to identify what it is a person needs from you to resolve a problem. Obviously, that’s great for human resources. But greater empathy also makes you a better marketer because you’re tuned into your customers’ needs.

How to Develop Communication Degree Skills In and Outside of the Classroom

The specific classes you take as part of your degree track are the foundation for developing communication skills. These courses are carefully designed to align with various career paths, allowing you to focus on the skills that matter most for your goals.

For example, a student aiming for a customer service role should prioritize courses that emphasize empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution. On the other hand, an aspiring marketer would benefit from classes that encourage creativity, strategic communication, and media planning.

Developing Real-World Skills

Outside the classroom, real-world practice is where your skills truly take shape. A marketer can experiment with boosting engagement on their personal social media accounts, using analytics tools to measure success and refine messaging. For those interested in public speaking, joining local or virtual clubs like Toastmasters can be a game-changer, providing a supportive environment to practice and perfect presentation skills. Aspiring writers might start a blog or contribute to online platforms to hone their writing and storytelling abilities.

Additionally, internships, volunteer opportunities, or part-time jobs in fields like public relations, media, or customer service are invaluable. They not only reinforce classroom learning but also teach you how to adapt your communication style to real-world scenarios. Whether it’s writing an engaging press release or resolving a workplace conflict, these experiences bring your skills to life and prepare you for success in your future career.

Why Study Communication?

When you study communication, you’re entering a growth sector regardless of the specific career track you take. We’ve already discussed the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the digital media sector. You’ll see similar levels of growth in other communication-centric fields. For example, human resources has a CAGR of 12.7% between 2023 and 2030.

Being a strong communicator also opens you up to directorship and leadership roles. Take a communications director as an example. A $96,000+ average annual salary is more than enough of a reason to study communication and develop the foundational skills you’ll need to chart a course to this type of career.

As for specific programs, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees are usually the best choice, and the University of Cincinnati offers both online. Each program offers a greater depth of study than a certificate that focuses on a specific skill. So, you’ll walk away with a qualification that proves your communication skills.

Make the Most of Your Communication Career with UC

The communication degree skills you develop with a UC program can set you up for a career in a variety of fields. Marketing, public relations, human resources, and customer service – all are open to you.

Our communication degree programs are 100% online with support offered by a Student Success Coordinator. You control your schedule so you can study full- or part-time—giving you flexible to succeed on your time.

Enroll today – check out UC’s associate’s and bachelor’s communication degrees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does a communication degree give you?

A communication degree equips you with essential skills like strong writing, public speaking, media literacy, and conflict resolution. These abilities are highly versatile, opening doors to careers in marketing, public relations, human resources, and beyond.

What degree is best for communication skills?

An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in communication is ideal for developing a well-rounded skill set in writing, public speaking, and strategic messaging. These programs offer the depth and breadth needed to prepare you for a variety of communication-centric roles.

Can I get my communication degree online?

Yes, many universities, including the University of Cincinnati, offer fully online communication degree programs. These flexible options allow you to study on your schedule, whether full- or part-time, without sacrificing quality or support.