What Makes Us Different?

Lot of things! But if we had to name just a few, it would be our experiential curriculum, expert faculty advisors who care about your individual success, and outstanding co-curricular programs.

As the only Catholic university in Indianapolis, we'll embrace you with kindness and teach you about four key Franciscan values: dignity of the individual, peace and justice, responsible stewardship, and reconciliation. But we'll also challenge you to get involved—on campus, in the community, and as a leader in your profession.

Experiential Curriculum

EVERY communication major at Marian completes a hands-on, high-impact curriculum that's focused on real-world problem-solving and engagement. In our program, you will:

• Complete at least one INTERNSHIP in communication. Many students complete two, three, and even four internships before they graduate.
• Create a capstone RESEARCH project focused on communication.
• Participate in a community ENGAGEMENT course in which faculty, students, and local organizations collaborate on projects with positive social impacts and new learning opportunities.

Expert Faculty Advising

Our faculty will guide, encourage, challenge, and support you every step of the way. 

• Personal plans of undergraduate study. Not sure if communication is the right major? Need help choosing a minor or concentration to complement your career goals? Have questions about pursuing an internship? Interested in taking a study-abroad course? We're here to help you explore all of your options.
• Preparation for graduate school. Many of our students go on to earn advanced degrees. In fact, within five years of completing their bachelor's degree, about 50 percent of our highest-performing students go on to continue their educations in graduate programs. If you want to earn a master's or Ph.D. in communications, public relations, digital media, journalism, or another field (like law or business), talk with your advisor. We'll help you build an undergraduate experience that ensures you're a competitive candidate for admission and to advise you about preparing to score well on standardized tests like the GRE, LSAT, and GMAT.

Co-Curricular Programs

Marian University and the College of Arts and Sciences both offer a wide range of student teams, organizations, and clubs, varsity and intramural athletics, campus ministry, and other programs from which you can choose.

As a student in the Department of Communication, you can choose from:

• Marian Phoenix: page for Marian students to report and share campus news, information, opinions, ideas, art, and humor. Check it out!
• Speech and Debate Team: our award-winning team competes against students from schools across the country, traveling to about one dozen forensic tournaments each year. 
• Communication Center: want to help students (including non-communication majors) build better public-speaking and presentation skills? Talk to us about serving as a peer consultant.