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.

You can also expect:

• NO TESTS. You will write papers, give presentations, and complete team projects, but we'll never ask you to regurgitate what you've read and memorized from a textbook.
• NO TEXTBOOKS. You'll read and review web-based content hand-selected by faculty from primary sources and academic journals.
• NO LECTURES. OK, our faculty talk but never for the whole hour. You'll experience lively, active dialogue and seminar-style classes.

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:

• MU KnightWatch. This is a website by and 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. 
• Speaking Studio. Want to help students (including non-communication majors) build better public-speaking and presentation skills? Talk to us about serving as a peer consultant.