Bachelor Communication Science

Communication and technology are everywhere. We can hardly image a life without internet, apps and social media, such as WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok. Just think of all the devices in your home that are connected to each other through the Internet of Things. Obviously, digitalisation is hugely influencing our society – with both positive and negative aspects. For example, gaming addiction, fake news, the digital divide and the fading of online privacy are some of the emerging downsides of our increasingly digitalised society. At the same time, communication is more important than ever in today’s digital, international world, offering tremendous opportunities. Courses on this theme centre on discovering ways of ensuring that, in the future, everyone in our society will be able to understand and benefit from new communication possibilities.

What impact do organisations have on society? Or, vice versa: how do our shifting needs and wants influence organisations? This powerful interaction is the focus of this theme. For companies eager to make a difference in the world, strong, coherent and flexible communication – in crisis situations too – is essential. You will learn how to tackle this in our highly globalised world. One of the things we research is what makes an innovation a success or not. You will also learn more about the importance of being resilient amidst innovation and change. Will you become a director or ‘CEO whisperer’ in a company in which robots and people work together to get the job done?

Imagine a roadside billboard that recognises your car, and adapts its advertising to your profile. Or think of apps and wearables that ‘read’ your emotions, and sensors in your smartphone that react to your heart rate and body signals. These are just a few examples of multisensory designs through which technology influences our behaviour. In this theme, we focus on the connection between people, innovation and design. Products and services are increasingly smart and more and more responsive to our senses. How can you make the best possible use of this trend to stimulate desirable behaviour? This theme will help you become a communication professional who knows how to convince people and groups for the better based on multisensory design. 

In the rankings, our programme has been one of the best communication science programmes in the Netherlands for years now. Our students especially appreciate the content of the programme, organisation of the courses and expertise of the lecturers, the level and combination of academic and practical skills, internationalisation, the quality of testing, and study guidance and personal contact.

Communication Science at UT is different. It is the only Netherlands-based Bachelor’s in this field that really familiarises you with the latest innovations and their influence – and dependence – on communication. We believe that communication in this day and age cannot be done without technology. And vice versa: technology offers endless opportunities to improve human contact and interactions! That is why we combine social science research with new technologies, using high-tech facilities. You can directly test your design, concept, or prototype with the help of a 3D printer, or, say, with Virtual Reality glasses. All in all, UT is the ideal place to study, experiment and find your path!

We link communication theories to the real-life, global challenges of our time. In every module, you work on a team project in which you and your (international) fellow students deal with current issues - finding sustainable, societal solutions. And you don’t just come up with a theoretical approach, but you will actually design, make, test and even pitch your ideas to organisations. This way, you get to know the professional field in a very practical way. In the third year, for example, during the module Com@Work, you go on company visits to get an idea of your potential employers. The result: your own podcast about the field of communication studies!