The School of Communication and Information was created in 1982 with the merger of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and the School of Communication Studies. (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. The focus of the three 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 the impact of information, information technologies, media, and communication on individual, social, organizational, national, and international contexts.

The School of Communication and Information has the following missions for its undergraduate programs: to provide 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; to provide leadership in theory and research in information systems, communication processes, media studies, information policy and management, and library studies; and to encourage partnerships with information professionals, industry, and community groups to facilitate the communication and effective use of information.