Founded by Robert Cumnock in 1878, the School of Speech is now the third largest of Northwestern's six undergraduate divisions. It annually enrolls more than 1,100 undergraduate majors and 300 graduate students. Originally, the curriculum and its related activities were concerned with public speaking and interpretative reading as performing arts. As the field and the school grew, the faculty added instruction in theatre, speech pathology, audiology, radio, television, film, and other specialties in oral communication. In addition to the specialized program presented by each department, the five departments of the School of Speech combine to offer the undergraduate degree program in interdepartmental studies.
All departments offer graduate courses.