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 Dutch University Guide 2020 (Keuzegids Universiteiten), our programme is ranked number one. This means we are a ‘Top programme’: the best university-level communication programme in the Netherlands. Additionally, UT is recognised as the best technical university in the Netherlands. With our BMS Lab, DesignLab, Virtual Reality Lab and TechMed Centre, we have high-tech facilities where we combine social science research with new technologies. With these world-class facilities, you can directly test your design, concept or prototype with the help of a 3D printer, or, say with Virtual Reality glasses. During your time studying Communication Science you will have an unforgettable student experience thanks to our wonderful, green campus, and the vibrant student city of Enschede, a city full of knowledge, innovation and fun! 

Communication Science at the UT is very different than it is at other universities. Our programme is the only one that really familiarises you with the latest innovations and their influence – and dependence – on communication. Communication nowadays cannot do without technology, while, conversely, technology offers endless opportunities to improve human contact and interaction. With us, you study the subject of communication within the contemporary context of organisations, design and digitalisation.

Our Bachelor’s programme focuses on both the present and the future. One thing is certain: in the world of communication, everything changes completely almost every ten – or even five – years. Can you handle that? We will prepare you to analyse communication and to understand the impact of technology, 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.

Communication has a bonding effect between people, within organisations, and across society. But communication is also very diverse. This is why we look at challenges from different perspectives by default. During our programme, one area in which you will experience this is in our coverage of the three core themes: Digital Society, Changing Organisations and Persuasive Tech. Thanks to this broad approach you will understand like no other the pervasive influence of media campaigns, apps or organisational policy, for example.  As a connecting link within an organisation, you will be able to transmit complex information and build bridges between departments and with target groups.

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 that make a real difference. 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 third-year module, Com@Work, you gain practical knowledge of the professional field. You might visit a company you would like to work for, or interview a potential future employer. By the end of this Bachelor’s, you will know your own capabilities, and be able to match them with employers of your interest!