Welcome to the Program in Communication and Media at the University of California, Merced! We study how meaning, power, and culture are produced through communication in all its forms, from language and storytelling to digital platforms and global media industries. Our program is led by scholars and artists invested in producing knowledge that exposes how communication functions as both practice and infrastructure, fundamental to processes and systems that connect people, institutions, and technologies. 

We prepare students to think critically about how communication shapes identity, governance, and everyday life. Students apply that knowledge through research, media creation, and community engagement. Our approach combines interpretive, creative, and empirical methods, grounded in the belief that knowledge should serve the public good. Join us and become a leader in one of today's most dynamic and impactful fields of study.