Recurring questions on the discipline of speech communication include whether it is in fact a discipline, whether it justifies its own department, and what job prospects await speech communication graduates. These questions are not unique, but are taken very seriously by most administrators when evaluating speech programs. Reasons underlying most of these questions include inconsistent nomenclature and curricula and the rise of mass media related disciplines. Four megatrends, if fulfilled, will resolve such questions: (1) the nomenclature and the curricula associated with speech communication will become uniform from university to university, reflecting a consistent and systematic discipline; (2) the relevance of studying speech communication will be greatly enhanced by the growth of the "information society"; (3) speech communication programs will see a strong trend toward a career orientation and a gradual movement away from liberal arts orientations; (4) the position of speech communication will be strengthened as the discipline moves toward an even stronger service orientation. (HTH)