Communication seeing declines in tenure-track faculty, while undergraduate enrollments boom

Communication seeing declines in tenure-track faculty, while undergraduate enrollments boom 

By Dane S. Claussen

The latest Humanities Departmental Survey by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences reports that only 13% of communication faculty were concerned about academic freedom, the lowest percentage of any of the humanities. (Race/ethic studies departments and women/gender studies departments were notable at 49% of each concerned about academic freedom.) 

The report on the survey, completed in October 2024 and publicly released on April 26, 2025, includes extensive data classified into 14 humanities disciplines, ranging from art history to religion to women and gender studies. For example, about 1,113 US higher education institutions had communication programs in Fall 2023, with a total of about 20,940 faculty (mean 18.8, median 10, per program). The American Academy of Arts & Sciences has been conducting the survey since 2007; communication programs were first surveyed in 2012, when the discipline’s faculty numbered 13,300. Communication faculty’s numbers have grown faster than the average for all humanities disciplines. 

The survey covered a wide range of topics, from graduate assistants to recruiting efforts to attitudes about academic freedom. 

Of those 1,113 institutions with communication programs, 764 were at undergraduate-only institutions, and 349 offered master’s and/or doctoral degrees. Not all 1,113 programs were surveyed; all results are based on a sample of 187 communication programs at undergraduate-only institutions, 205 programs at comprehensive universities, 199 at research universities, and 63 HBCUs and PBIs. Doctoral programs in mass communication, media studies, or public relations in communication departments were included, while doctoral programs in journalism, advertising and other legacy “journalism school” majors were not. 

About 27% of all communication faculty were tenured in Fall 2023, the lowest percentage among all the humanities (highest was classics at 57%). About 14% of communication faculty were tenure-track (about average among the humanities). Communication had the third highest percentage of full-time, non-tenure-track faculty at 21% (exceeded only by non-English languages at 30% and English at 23%), and the highest percentage (38%) of non-tenure-track part-time faculty, followed by English at 27% and art history at 26%. 

Since 2012, when AAAS first started surveying communication programs, the percentage of communication faculty who are tenured has dropped from 35% to 27%, while the percentage of tenure-track faculty has decreased from 15% to 14%. Increases in non-tenure track faculty (both full-time and part-time) account for the remainder. 

Communication faculty members teaching outside the department numbered 2,030 in Fall 2023, but few if any were co-teaching courses with non-humanities faculty. 

Similarly, the survey found no communication faculty who held a joint appointment with a non-humanities department. 

About 48% of all programs reported hiring faculty who would start teaching in 2023-24 for a total of 1,150 new faculty in the discipline. This was a higher total than any other discipline except English programs, which reported hiring 1,500 new faculty. 

About 62% of communication programs reported faculty retirements, deaths, or other departures during 2021-23, second only to English and tied with history. Programs reported a total of 1,240 departures during 2021-23, including 530 retirements. Note that 1,150 new faculty were hired only for 2023-24, even though total faculty losses over the previous two-year period (2021-23) were 1,240. 

When asked about the next three years, starting in 2023-24, 5% of communication departments said they were “certain to get larger,” 14% said likely to get larger, 52% said stay the same, 20% said likely to get smaller, 5% said certain to get smaller, and 4% said “not sure.” Communication was very close to the average for all 14 disciplines at all six data points. About 30% of communication faculty said they expected that non-tenure track faculty numbers would increase in the three-year period starting 2023-24. The survey did not ask for sizes of expected increases or decreases. 

About 89% of communication programs are at institutions that grant tenure, and 43% of them had professors making tenure applications during 2021-23. The AAAS study estimated that 410 communication professors obtain tenure during an average year, 30 communication professors are denied tenure in an average year, and an average of 130 communication professors resign each year before they get a tenure decision (a number exceeded only by 170 in English). Communication had the highest number (and percentage) of faculty denied tenure in the humanities, exceeding the annual 10 per year each in non-English languages and English.  

Between Fall 2020 and Fall 2023, the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty increased at 14% of communication programs, stayed the same at 48% of them, and decreased at 38% of them. At the same time, the number of non-tenure track faculty increased at 32% of programs, stayed the same at 46% of them, and decreased at 23% of them. Again, the survey did not ask for sizes of increases or decreases. 

Communication programs reported a total of 56,700 students completing a bachelor’s degree in the discipline during 2022-23, for a mean average of 50.9 and a median average of 19. They said 22,870 students completed a communication minor the same year, with a mean average of 20.5 and a median average of 9. The total number of juniors and seniors with a declared major in communication in Fall 2023 was 128,290, with a mean average of 115.3 and a median average of 36. Among all 14 humanities, communication had the largest number of majors (English was second), the second highest number of minors (after history), and the largest number of majors (English was second). Communication had the second highest number of students (5,780) completing a certificate or other micro-credential, exceeded only by English and edging out non-English languages. 

Communication was 4th among the humanities in total enrollment at 433,660, exceeded only by English (1,592,790), History (1,087,940), and Philosophy (557,090!).  

In communication, 172,350 of those students were taught by full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty; 154,360 were taught by full-time non-tenure-track faculty; 103,560 were taught by part-time faculty; and 2,980 by two or more professors inside and/or outside the department. About 15% of communication programs said their enrollments were up from Fall 2020 to Fall 2023, while 31% said about the same, and 54% reported declines. Among 14 humanities disciplines, communication had the smallest percentage of growing programs, and tied with non-English languages for the largest percentage of declining programs. 

In Fall 2023, communication had 13,610 graduate students, or a mean average of 39 and median average of 40. Communication had the second largest number, exceeded only by English and surpassing non-English languages. Communication had a total of 15,480 graduate students enrolled, so graduate communication courses attract students in other departments/majors. However, the total number of graduate students declined from the initial 13,750 found in 2012. Only linguistics and combined “languages and literature” have been seeing significant increases in student enrollments in graduate courses. 

Humanities programs were asked what recruitment efforts they make for undergraduate students. About 71% said they recruit students in other majors or no major; 64% said they offer events (including courses) that are job-oriented; and 57% said they offer high-interest introductory courses designed to attract students. Only 17% said they market to community college students. About 36% of communication programs said they offer “professional programs,” third after English (54%) and history (48%). 

The AAAS study identified 147 departments offering a communication doctorate, with a total of 1,530 first-year doctoral students in Fall 2023. That was a mean average of 11.2 first-year students per doctoral program. 

Communication programs had a total of 4,510 teaching assistants in fall 2023, exceeded only by English and non-English languages (although history was close), a mean average of 12.9 per department. 

All humanities programs were asked whether they track post-graduation careers of graduate students. About 44% of communication programs claimed they tracked all graduate alumni careers outcomes, while 9% said they tracked only doctoral program alumni, 22% said they tracked only master’s program alumni, and 26% admitted they do not track alumni career outcomes. 

Humanities programs were asked about occupationally oriented activities for undergraduates during the 2022-23 year. Among communication departments, they offered employer/employee/alumni presentations (72% offer—highest among all disciplines; 17% require); on-site internships (47% offer, 51% require—highest among all disciplines); and job-oriented course or workshops (40% offer, 30% require—highest among all disciplines). Departments were asked about such offerings for doctoral students, and communication had the highest percentage of employer/employee presentations offered (90%) and highest percentage of job-oriented courses/workshops offered (80%).  

Among all humanities departments, gender identities of department chairs were reported as: woman, 52%; man, 48%; non-binary/no gender; 1%; transgender, <1%; another gender, <1%; prefer to not answer, 4%. Race/ethnicity of humanities department chairs were reported as: 79% white; 6% Black or African American; 5% Asian or Asian American; 5% prefer to not answer; 3% Hispanic or Latinx; 1% Middle Eastern or Northern African; 1% Alaska Native, American Indian or Native American; or <1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

The communication discipline reported offer no non-humanities minor programs. 

For the communication discipline, the report about the survey further breaks down most data into three groups of institutions, “primarily undergraduate,” “comprehensive,” and “primarily research.” It is available from the AAAS here.