Abstract
The field of communication is one that must change and evolve with current trends to survive. Part of this transition involves updating institutional curricula and departmental identities to reflect current norms and practices in the field. To explore this phenomenon, the present study offers a snapshot of how communication units behave in transitioning to new names or altering their current ones. Study data are based on a dataset from the CIOS database containing a subset of communication programs that underwent departmental name revisions from 2009-2015. Trends indicate that departments are moving toward “communication studies” designations and away from those of “speech” or “public communication.” Data also illustrate the increasingly hybridized nature of journalism programs. Departments who primarily rely on “communication” as an identifier in their name publish more frequently, employ more faculty members, and have higher prestige levels than those who do not. Results provide a snapshot of useful information regarding administrative trends in the communication discipline.
Recommended Citation
Lagoe, C., Krishnan, A., Atkin, D. J., & Stephen, T. D. (2019). What’s in a name? Department name revision and its relationship to scholarly productivity and prestige score in the communication discipline. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 38(1), 12-22.
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