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Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive appraisal of the state of communication arts and sciences departments in U.S. higher education during the mid-1980s. Drawing on survey data from 373 institutions, the research examines departmental organization, faculty demographics, curricular emphases, and budgetary trends. Findings reveal a field in ongoing transition, marked by diverse departmental structures and naming conventions, frequent reorganizations, and the separation of traditional areas such as theatre, mass communication, and speech pathology into independent units. Faculty data indicate modest levels of tenure and continuing gender disparities, though representation of women and minorities is increasing. Salary levels and resource distributions vary widely across institutional types. The study also documents significant growth in undergraduate enrollments, particularly in mass communication, and rising graduate enrollments in broadcasting and rhetoric. Despite overall expansion and the central role of the basic oral communication course in general education, financial constraints, faculty workload imbalances, and periodic threats of departmental elimination persist. The findings underscore both the vitality and the vulnerability of communication as an evolving academic discipline.

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