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. 

Our programme has been named the 'Best Communication Science programme in the Netherlands' in the Keuzegids Universiteiten ranking for years now. This means we are the best university-level communication programme in the Netherlands. Students especially appreciate our content and organization of teaching, our teachers, the level (and combination) of scientific and practical skills, the level of internationalization, the quality of examination and assessment, 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 have high-tech facilities, where we combine social science research with new technologies, and where you can directly test your design, concept or prototype with the help of a 3Dprinter, 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. We often look at these challenges from the perspective of today’s pursuit of sustainable, societal solutions. And in our programme, you don’t just come up with a theoretical approach, but you actually design, make, test and even pitch your ideas to organisations.

In the world of communication, everything changes completely almost every ten – or even five – years. Can you handle that? Our Bachelor’s focuses on both the present and the future. We will prepare you to analyse communication and human behaviour and to understand how they relate to tech, so that you can react in a flexible and resilient way to new developments. This will help you to keep any organisation’s communication fresh, focused and relevant and will give you an edge on tomorrow’s job market. Most of our students find a job within one month after graduation.

In addition to thorough professional knowledge and skills, you will develop a broad package of 21^st-century skills and personal competences in this programme. Our informal, personal approach is aimed at helping you flourish both professionally and personally. We challenge you to look beyond disciplinary and cultural barriers and to work well together with others, for example, in our strong project based education. Your years of studying Communication Science at UT you will provide you with an unforgettable student experience – thanks also to our wonderful, green campus and the vibrant student city of Enschede, a city full of knowledge, innovation and fun!