The School of Communication and Information was created in 1982 with the merger of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the School of Communication Studies, and the Department of Urban Journalism. (Until 2009 it was known as the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies.) The school offers three undergraduate major programs: communication, information technology and informatics, and journalism and media studies; and a minor in digital communication, information, and media. The focus of these programs is on the nature and function of communication and information processes; the institutions and technologies central to the creation, dissemination, storage, and retrieval of information and communication; and the impact of information, communication, technologies, and media on individual, social, organizational, national, and international contexts.

The School of Communication and Information provides a high-quality, upper-division program of study for students wishing to pursue careers in communication, information technology and informatics, and journalism and media studies; provides opportunities for students in other programs to explore the theory and practice of communication and information processes and technologies in their fields; encourages leadership in theory and research in information systems, communication processes, media studies, information policy and management, and library studies; and encourages partnerships with information professionals, industry, and community groups to facilitate the communication and effective use of information.