The Impact of Type and Level of College Degree on Managerial Communication Competence

Abstract

The conventional wisdom is that managers with business degrees are more competent in communicating than managers with nonbusiness degrees, and that managers with master's degrees are better communicators than those with undergraduate degrees. This study identified the communication areas in which managers are competent and examined the effect of education on the communication competence of managers. Results showed that managers are most competent in small group communication, meetings, interpersonal communication (dyads), and written communication. The type and level of college degree had no significant impact on the managers' communication competence. Implications for management education are discussed.