Master of Arts in Communication

Objective

The Master of Arts in Communication is designed to provide a means of career enhancement for media and organizational professionals. The program includes the areas of Mass Communication, Communication Studies and Media Management and is designed to meet the educational needs of recent undergraduates, media professionals who need more specialized training for career advancement into media management, and organizational professionals who need to extend their knowledge of communication processes at the interpersonal, organizational, and mass media levels. The program is designed to be flexible so that specific needs and goals of students may be supported. All students complete foundation courses in communication theory and research methods and work with the Graduate Advisor to select courses in communication, marketing, and political science that support their goals. Specifically, the program's curriculum incorporates communication principles with the technology required in business and industry today and emphasizes the integrated nature of the communication discipline.

The program offers specialized education in the management of media resources, the changing role of the media in an information society, and a theoretical and ethical framework for considering the impact of the media upon society.

Organizational professionals can focus on working with both external and internal constituencies and communication processes of management, training and development, and human resources.

Degree Requirements

Thesis Option: 30 semester hours total
24 semester credit hours of coursework and a thesis, for which 6 semester hours are given. The final comprehensive examination will consist of an oral defense of the thesis and an oral defense of the program.

Project Option: 36 semester hours total
33 semester credit hours of coursework and a project for which 3 semester credit hours are given. The final comprehensive examination will consist of an oral exam covering the coursework and project.

Non-Thesis/Coursework Option: 36 semester hours total
36 semester credit hours of coursework. The final comprehensive examination will consist of a written and oral defense of the program.

The Graduate Student Handbook contains other important and more detailed information regarding the program.

Required Courses
The following courses are required of all students in the program.

Course	Credit Hours
COMM 5300 Advanced Theories in Communication	3
COMM 5305 Communication Research Methods	3

Elective Courses
Choose from the following courses to meet degree requirements.

• Thesis Option: select at least 9 hours from the following communication electives, and at least 9 hours from communication or other areas
• Project Option: select at least 18 hours from the following communication electives and at least 9 hours from communication or other areas.
• Non-thesis/Coursework Only Option: select at least 21 hours from the following communication electives and at least 9 hours from communication or other areas.

Other Electives *
Up to 9 hours may be from the following:

MARK 5311 Marketing
MARK 5320 Buyer Behavior
MARK 5326 Integrated Marketing Communication
MARK 5327 Research for Marketing Communication
MARK 5329 Sales and Sales Management
MARK 5340 Marketing Strategy
POLS 5315 American Political Institutions
POLS 5350 Topics in Political Behavior and Processes

*In addition to the above, students may petition to take elective graduate courses in other departments; however, they must file a formal request with the graduate advisor who will present the petition to the Graduate Studies Committee for approval.