Michael Stohl chairs UCSB’s Department of Communication.

With 14 ladder faculty and 22 graduate students, the Department of Communication at UC Santa Barbara runs a boutique shop when it comes to conducting research and awarding doctoral degrees. But as a survey recently conducted by the National Communication Association shows, one need not be biggest to be the best.

Conducted in the 2003-2004 academic year, the study asked NCA members to judge the reputations of 132 doctoral programs in nine specialty areas of communication. In the five areas in which it was considered, UCSB ranked first, first, second, fourth, and 17th.

"The rankings are evidence of the strong intellectual impact of our research and the wonderful reputation the department has as scholars and mentors of outstanding graduate students," said department chair Michael Stohl.

The department’s rankings were significantly higher in every area in 2004 than in the NCA’s previous survey, released in 1996. UCSB was not considered in certain categories because the department either doesn’t do research in those areas or doesn’t have sufficient faculty there.

Stohl said UCSB’s high marks are particularly impressive in light of the small size of the department’s faculty. "We are often competing against departments that have as many as 35 or 40 faculty, or indeed, against colleges of communication with many more than that," Stohl said.

With the honor comes pressure to continue to make the department even better, Stohl said. "To be so highly evaluated by our peers across the country is a joy as well as a challenge," he said. "We will continue our efforts to maintain and enhance the level of excellence that has been achieved."