Thank you for your interest in the Communication Studies program at Arizona State University's West campus. Communication underpins a great deal of what we do professionally and personally in our lives. In fact, it would be difficult to separate out any one part of our daily routines that did not involve some type of relational or mediated communication. Our program is devoted to exploring the multiplicity of factors that contribute to and detract from human communication. Because communication is so central to all that we do there is a great demand for graduates trained in effective communication skills, people who are able to not only write and speak well, but those who can convey complex ideas effectively, manage relationships well, demonstrate leadership, facilitate decision making, and design and critique public communication campaigns. Few other majors incorporate as diverse a set of competencies as Communication Studies. Students who pursue the major engage issues related to communication in organizations, in interpersonal relationships, in public, political, and social situations, and across cultures. They also explore the various communication technologies that continue to evolve and to shape the way in which we communicate as humans.