Graduate Study in Communication
Program Overview
The Master of Arts (M.A.) in communication program prepares students for careers within media industries or higher education and can help others interested in continued study toward a Ph.D. This degree provides knowledge pertinent to the areas of mass media, industrial training, public relations, advertising, marketing and instructional technology.
Whether you choose to continue in an educational setting or to move into the corporate world, this degree will prepare you to plan and manage the communication structure of your organization. The department also offers courses that may be used as electives in other graduate programs.
The M.A. in communication program trains students to excel in these areas:
- Advertising/Marketing – Advertising, sales marketing, account managing, etc.
- Public Relations – PR campaigns, publicity, public affairs, etc.
- Interpersonal – Personnel work, counseling, the ministry or any career involving work with individuals and groups
- Corporate – Training, interviewing, consulting, etc.
- Radio/Television – Broadcasting, filming, editing, etc.
- Print – Writing, editing, photography, graphics and design, desktop publishing, etc.
- Teacher Certification – Communication, mass media or theatre education
Program Requirements
Application Information
Applications are processed on a continual basis. To avoid delays in processing your application, all required materials (i.e., $40 application fee, official transcripts, essay and GRE test scores) should be submitted at least six weeks before the first day of the semester in which you plan to enroll. You may electronically submit the graduate application at the College of Graduate Studies website.
Admission Requirements
- A four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university
- A minimum of 24 semester credit hours (SCH) of undergraduate work in communication/mass media, including at least 12 credit hours in advanced course work (other majors will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
- An application essay of no more than 500 words
- An overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 (including all grades on repeated courses) or a GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work (including all grades on repeated courses) or a GPA of 3.0 or better in six or more graduate-level semester credit hours taken in a graduate degree program in a discipline relevant to the graduate program in communication
General Degree Requirements
All students enter the program with a non-thesis degree plan. After completing nine semester credit hours (SCH) of communication graduate coursework, students who wish to do so may petition the communication graduate faculty through the graduate advisor to change to a thesis degree plan.
The total number of hours required for the program leading to the Master of Arts in communication is 36 for both the thesis and non-thesis options. Students in the program may take only 6000-level course work for their degree plans.
All non-thesis degree candidates are required to pass a comprehensive examination. The exam will include all the communication core courses required on the student’s degree plan (COMM 6302, 6303, 6304 and 6312) in addition to any graduate communication electives completed prior to the semester in which the comprehensive examination is administered. The exam should be administered when the student is in the last semester of his/her program.
Thesis option students will complete an oral thesis defense that may include questions regarding their course work.
All degree candidates must take a prescribed core requirement of 12 graduate hours in communication consisting of:
- COMM 6302 Quantitative Research Methods
- COMM 6303 Communication Theory
- COMM 6304 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication
- COMM 6312 Qualitative Research Methods
Thesis students are required to enroll in six hours of thesis work (COMM 6399 Thesis twice, or COMM 6699 Thesis).
Thesis Option
Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:
- The 12-hour communication core
- 12 additional graduate hours in communication
- Six graduate elective hours taken from communication or other approved departments
- Six hours of thesis (COMM 6399 twice, or COMM 6699)
Non-Thesis Option
Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:
- The 12-hour communication core
- 18 additional graduate hours in communication
- Six graduate elective hours taken from communication or other approved departments
Electives
Students may take up to six hours of electives outside the department after consulting with the communication graduate advisor.
Transfer Credits
Transfer students will be admitted to the program, but no more than six hours of 6000-level graduate credit work toward the graduate degree may be transferred from another institution. All transferred work must be equivalent to either the communication graduate classes or approved elective classes for this program. Students may apply for transfer credit through the program advisor and graduate dean.
