Communication Certificate

Return to: College of General Studies

The Certificate in Communication is a 24-credit program designed to train students to be more effective communicators. Courses, taught by faculty of the Department of Communication, include a range of specialized communication topics. Participants may elect to concentrate their studies in such areas as nonverbal, small group, interpersonal, organizational, or mass communication; persuasion in political settings; or the construction, analysis, and delivery of public speech.

Admission requirements:

Students must meet requirements for admission to the College of General Studies. A certificate application form must be completed and sybmitted online to the College of General Studies via https://www.cgs.pitt.edu/admission.

Who should participate:

• Business and professional people whose success may be enhanced by improved communication skills and further understanding of the communication process
• Those who wish to increase their personal knowledge of communication for use in their careers
• Citizens involved in community and public positions in which persuasive delivery and analysis are vital
• Persons seeking a better understanding of the impact of interpersonal, organizational, public, and mass communication in the contemporary world
• Students already enrolled in the College of General Studies or other University programs who want to concentrate on communications skills

Upon completion of this certificate, participants will be able to: 

• Understand the makeup of a persusasive presentation
• Polish and refine their communication skills
• Apply concentrated knowledge of a specialized communication topics

This certificate is applicable to fields such as education, writing, broadcasting, public relations, sales, communication training, personnel, promotions, advertising, market research, lobbying, politics, communications, and related fields.