Wayne State Department of Communication

What Wayne State Department of Communication does

The Wayne State University Department of Communication is an academic unit within the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at a public state research university in Detroit, Michigan. Founded around 1950 and operating for more than 70 years, it serves approximately 500 students (400 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students) across degree programs in communication studies, media arts and studies, film, journalism, and public relations. The department operates specialized facilities including the Communication Research Laboratory on the 4th floor of Manoogian Hall (with quantitative and qualitative research suites), the Public Speaking Resource Center, and student-run media including The South End newspaper, WAYN Radio, and MetroArts Detroit on Detroit PBS.

The department is anchored by the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity, a 40-year-old learning community co-founded in 1984 with the editors of The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, which provides structured internships, scholarships (including the full-tuition Flip Wilson Scholarship and the $5,000-per-term Robert McGruder Scholarship), and professional mentorship targeted at students from underrepresented backgrounds. Its competitive speech and debate program has reached top-five national status, with the Debate team winning consecutive National Educational Debate Association sweepstakes championships.

The department does not operate as an independent commercial entity. Revenue flows through Wayne State University's central admissions and tuition process, with funding distributed via the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. Its "customers" are prospective undergraduate and graduate students, and its economic model is subscription/recurring tuition-based at the university level. Strategic positioning emphasizes Detroit's major-media-market geography, faculty with professional journalism backgrounds, and a national alumni network spanning major outlets.

Name

Wayne State Department of Communication

Legal name

Wayne State University Department of Communication

Website

https://comm.wayne.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wayne State University Department of Communication is an academic unit within Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, serving roughly 500 students (400 undergraduate, 100 graduate) across journalism, public relations, media arts, film, and communication studies programs. It anchors the 40-year-old Journalism Institute for Media Diversity and operates student media, a research lab, and nationally ranked speech and debate teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Communication and Media Studies)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV) (MPABACAH), University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD), Higher Education Lecture Capture & Course Media (EDAGALAB)

Keywords

• Communication studies programs
• Journalism education
• Public relations degree
• Media arts education
• Speech and debate

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: As a public university department, revenue is generated through student tuition and fees paid to Wayne State University. The department receives funding through the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Wayne State University Department of Communication delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in communication studies, media arts and studies, film, journalism, and public relations. The department supplements classroom instruction with specialized programs including the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity, student-run media outlets (The South End newspaper, WAYN Radio, MetroArts Detroit), a Communication Research Laboratory, and nationally competitive Speech and Debate teams. Enrollment consists of approximately 400 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students served by award-winning faculty with professional journalistic experience.

Product overview

Wayne State University's Department of Communication is an academic unit offering degree programs in communication studies, media arts and studies, film, journalism, and public relations. The department serves approximately 400 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students, featuring specialized programs including the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity (founded 1984), student media properties (The South End newspaper, WAYN Radio, MetroArts Detroit TV program), research facilities (Communication Research Laboratory), and student support services (Public Speaking Resource Center, Oral Communication Competency Examination). The department also supports competitive speech and debate teams and the Lambda Pi Eta honor society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Bachelor's degree programs in Communication Studies, Media Arts and Studies, Film, Journalism, and Public Relations, serving approximately 400 undergraduate majors. Designed for prospective undergraduate and transfer students seeking careers in journalism, media arts, broadcasting, public relations, and communication studies.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's-level degree programs including the MA in Public Relations and Organizational Communication, serving approximately 100 graduate students. Designed for individuals seeking advanced academic credentials, research opportunities, and career advancement in communication fields.
• Journalism Institute for Media Diversity An official Wayne State University Learning Community dedicated to preparing students with underrepresented voices for careers in journalism and media. Includes a structured internship program, scholarships, and professional development programming with a 40-year history. Directed by Alicia Nails.
• Communication Research Laboratory Inter-disciplinary research facility on the 4th floor of Manoogian Hall (Rooms 456 and 460) offering both quantitative and qualitative research capabilities on communication processes. Includes a computer laboratory with high-end computers and software for multimedia stimuli construction and response time data collection, and a qualitative research area for focus groups, depth interviews, and discourse analysis recording. Available to faculty and graduate students.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Detroit PBSflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024Wayne State University Department of Communication and Detroit PBS co-presented the 2024 Collaborative Journalism Summit organized by Montclair State University's Center for Cooperative Media. The summit focused on collaborative journalism and was held on Wayne State's campus with national attendance. Detroit PBS provided livestream coverage for journalism professionals across the country.
• Center for Cooperative Media (Montclair State University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024The Center for Cooperative Media organized the annual Collaborative Journalism Summit 2024, hosted at Wayne State University in Detroit. The partnership brought together journalists from across the country to discuss collaborative journalism practices.
• Franco Public Relations GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSU students served as social media team for 2015 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix under direction of Alex Fulbright of Franco Public Relations Group. Students generated approximately 138 million social media impressions.
• Detroit News and Detroit Free PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth newspapers co-founded the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity in 1984 and remain key supporters of this official WSU Learning Community. Editors from both papers participate in program governance and student mentorship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Indiana University The Media School: Big Ten public university media school offering journalism, PR, and media production programs; comparable in scale and serves a similar Midwest regional student pipeline.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication: Big Ten public Midwest university with a journalism and mass communication school serving similar student demographics and competing for the same regional employer relationships.
• University of Michigan Department of Communication and Media: Michigan flagship public university communication department offering comparable degree programs in communication and media studies; competes directly for in-state students and faculty talent in the same Michigan labor market.
• Kent State University College of Communication and Information: Public Ohio university with a comparable-sized college covering journalism, communication studies, and media programs; closely comparable in scale, regional orientation, and public-university funding model.
• University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication: Big Ten public Midwest university with a journalism and mass communication school of similar scope; directly comparable in scale, public funding model, and journalism/PR curriculum focus.
• Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences: Big Ten peer institution in Michigan offering journalism, communication, and media programs of significantly larger scale; most direct comparable for a public Michigan university communication department competing for overlapping student and employer pipelines.
• Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism: Public Midwest university with a journalism-focused school of similar size and profile; competes for journalism majors in the broader Midwest regional market and shares a public-university funding model.
• Marquette University Diederich College of Communication: Urban Midwest (Milwaukee) university with a communication college offering journalism, PR, and media programs; comparable scale and curriculum breadth, and competes in adjacent Midwest media markets.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Media: Big Ten public Midwest university college offering journalism, advertising, and media studies programs; directly comparable public-university communication college in scale and curriculum breadth.

Broad incumbents

• University of Missouri Missouri School of Journalism: Oldest public university journalism school in the U.S. and the global gold standard in journalism education; functions as a benchmark incumbent against which all regional communication/journalism programs (including Wayne State's) measure reputation and graduate outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@waynestatecommunication
• Facebookfacebook.com/wsucom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wsucom
• Instagraminstagram.com/wsu_com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wayne State Department of Communication