Department ofCommunication Arts and Sciences
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Students Teaching Students

In coordination with an undergraduate-run organization called Students Teaching Students, CAS department faculty members mentor exemplary students who develop and teach 1-credit courses on a variety of subjects that advance expertise in communication and its role in public life. This semester, Associate Teaching Professor Lori Bedell is supporting undergraduates Kara Miller (who was in Lori’s RCL course a few years back) and Jess Strait as they teach a course titled “Period Talk: The Impact of Stigma on the Menstrual Equity Movement.”
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Undergraduate

The CAS department boasts award-winning teachers and researchers who bring to their work with undergraduate students an equal measure of expertise and enthusiasm.

In a top-ranked department that spans the Humanities and Social Sciences, majors and minors learn together to: think and listen critically; undertake independent and collaborative research; influence people; analyze public discourse; understand empirical studies that test communication theories; and participate more richly in civic, communal, and relational life.

As a reflection of our unique status as a Humanities and a Social Sciences department, CAS allows students to choose either a B.A. or a B.S. degree program. On World Campus exclusively, CAS offers a B.A. or B.S. in Organizational and Professional Communication.

CAS offers the following minors: CAS; Rhetoric; Civic and Community Engagement; Dispute Management and Resolution; Information Science & Technology.

Graduates of our program tend to go on to such jobs as: analysts and strategists, lawyers, professors, community organizers, corporate executives, freelance writers, and more.

What sets our program apart?

Accelerated Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees: Eligible CAS students can complete two degrees in five years: B.A./B.S. in CAS and Master’s in Human Resource and Employment Relations; B.A./B.S. in CAS and Master’s in Media Studies; B.A./B.A. in CAS and Master’s in Public Policy.
Academic Honors Society: Students with qualifying Grade Point Averages can be initiated into Lambda Pi Eta, the honors society of the National Communication Association. This honor brings kudos and a cord to snazzy up graduation robes.
Academic Sociality: CAS Club welcomes new members and offers officer positions. Its agenda and programming are determined solely by its members and officers, but a member of faculty acts as a liaison between the club and the department.
Undergraduate Research Showcase: Every spring, CAS students have the opportunity to work with dedicated CAS faculty and graduate students to create posters through which to present work developed in CAS courses.
Study Abroad Opportunity: When CAS faculty members organize a study abroad course for undergraduates, special departmental funding is available exclusively for CAS students.
Beyond our financial support, the department is a vibrant intellectual community devoted to developing students’ particular interests. We embrace the value of an interdisciplinary education. Our communication science students can participate in a Health and Risk Communication brown bag series, learn big data science through SoDA, learn new methodologies through the Methodology Center, pursue research and teaching at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, learn to pursue fMRI research through the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center, and participate in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy Roundtable. Our rhetoric students can take classes in allied departments, including English, Philosophy, Sociology, History, and Media Studies, pursue graduate minors, work with the Rock Ethics Institute to develop their understanding of ethics literacy and pedagogy, receive fellowships and research support through the Humanities Institute, work closely with the Center for Democratic Deliberation to improve public deliberation, and complete a Digital Pedagogy Graduate Internship through the Penn State Office of Digital Pedagogy and Scholarship.

Alumni Spotlight:

Class of 1962, 1968

Victoria O’Donnell

Retired Professor Emerita,
vodonnel@montana.edu
Major: Communication
Email consulting | Meeting in person

Biography:

While attending Penn State, O’Donnell earned her M.A. and PhD in 1962 and 1968. She was also an assistant debate coach. After graduating from Penn State, O’Donnell was a professor of communication and a department chair at the University of North Texas, Oregon State University, and Montana State University with a teaching career that spanned over 40 years. O’Donnell was the Director of the University Honors Program at Montana State University for 12 years. O’Donnell was also a communication consultant with state and federal government and an expert witness for the tobacco litigation. Currently, O’Donnell is a retired professor emerita and enjoys writing about persuasion, propaganda, and television criticism.

If you are a CAS alum, we’d love to add your name to this list! Submit an alumni update below to be featured here!

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