About the Department of Communication
The principal mission of the Department of Communication at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is to provide a strong preparation in communication practice and research based on a firm grounding in the liberal arts and sciences.
The department aims to provide its students hands-on opportunities to help them develop into thoughtful, caring, engaged, skilled communication professionals and global citizens. We offer our students a flexible curriculum that allows them to pursue their own interested and professional goals under faculty guidance. The faculty is committed to making contributions to the discipline of communication through scholarship and professional practice.
The Department of Communication is one of only 117 programs in journalism and mass communication that is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).
The department’s strategic plan aims to be a guideline to help faculty and staff set priorities and goals as it looks forward to its 2019-2020 ACEJMC accreditation visit and beyond.
Diversity Statement
UTC’s Department of Communication is committed to achieving and maintaining diversity in its curriculum, educational environment, and faculty and student populations. This includes creating a supportive climate for the underrepresented and disadvantaged, encouraging the free expression of diverse intellectual and cultural perspectives, and regularly evaluating progress towards diversity goals.
Faculty believe that diversity advances social equality in the communication fields and in society as a whole, empowers individuals to explore and appreciate their unique attributes and life experiences, challenges stereotypes and promotes critical thinking skills, prepares our graduates to communicate effectively to increasingly multicultural audiences, and enriches the experiences of everyone in the academic community. The faculty work to create a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment for underrepresented faculty and students, including ethnic, religious, and racial minorities, people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals, the economically disadvantaged, and nontraditional and international students.
View the department's diversity plan.
COMM Fact Sheet
Major enrollment (including double majors)
| Fall | Majors |
| 2006 | 253 |
| 2007 | 280 |
| 2008 | 300 |
| 2009 | 321 |
| 2010 | 301 |
| 2011 | 323 |
| 2012 | 352 |
| 2013 | 349 |
| 2014 | 384 |
| 2015 | 441 |
| 2016 | 434 |
| 2017 | 410 |
| 2018 | 437 |
| 2019 | 451 |
| 2020 | 385 |
| 2021 | 355 |
| 2022 | 363 |
Minor enrollment
| Fall | Majors |
| 2009 | 66 |
| 2010 | 62 |
| 2011 | 68 |
| 2012 | 63 |
| 2013 | 83 |
| 2014 | 76 |
| 2015 | 69 |
| 2016 | 86 |
| 2017 | 86 |
| 2018 | 93 |
| 2019 | 108 |
| 2020 | 110 |
| 2021 | 108 |
| 2022 | 129 |
Degrees Awarded
| Fiscal Year | Degrees Awarded |
| 2012-2013 | 64 |
| 2013-2014 | 78 |
| 2014-2015 | 79 |
| 2015-2016 | 96 |
| 2016-2017 | 111 |
| 2017-2018 | 79 |
| 2018-2019 | 115 |
| 2019-2020 | 113 |
| 2020-2021 | 102 |
| 2021-2022 | 107 |
Progression Benchmarks
| Fiscal Year | 30 hours | 60 hours | 90 hours |
| 2014 | 79 | 70 | 83 |
| 2015 | 60 | 92 | 93 |
| 2016 | 85 | 84 | 96 |
| 2017 | 84 | 109 | 91 |
| 2018 | 54 | 103 | 117 |
| 2019 | 109 | 113 | 119 |
| 2020 | 85 | 110 | 105 |
| 2021 | 62 | 81 | 111 |
| 2022 | 58 | 76 | 88 |
Retention
Fall to Fall Undergraduate Retention and Migration
| Term | % Graduated | % Returned to Major | % Migrated Away from Major | % Did not Return to UTC |
| F14 - F15 | 22.49 | 58.73 | 6.61 | 12.17 |
| F15-F16 | 20.52 | 54.25 | 10.38 | 14.86 |
| F16-F17 | 22.70 | 54.85 | 7.09 | 15.37 |
| F17-18 | 22.03 | 57.22 | 5.57 | 15.19 |
| F18-19 | 20.36 | 53.85 | 5.43 | 20.36 |
| F19-20 | 21.9 | 55.4 | 7.7 | 15.0 |
| F20-21 | 23.1 | 57 | 7.3 | 11.9 |
| F21-22 | 31 | 51 | 4.8 | 13.2 |
(Additional details are available via UTC Departmental Dashboard)