Master of Arts Communication Program Information
Graduate Faculty for the Master of Arts in Communication
Graduate Courses for the Master of Arts in Communication
Please click the link below for our Graduate Degree Plan.
Program Requirements
The Master of Arts in Communication degree prepares students for various communication positions within organizations including media industries, careers in higher education, or continued study toward the Ph.D. degree. The department also offers courses which may be used as electives in other graduate programs.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The requirements for admission to the Graduate School and the M.A. in Communication are listed on pages
422 to 424 of the 2007-2009 Bulletin.
GENERAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
All students enter the program with non-thesis degree plans. After completing 12 semester credit hours 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 the thesis option and 36 for the non-thesis option. Students in the Master of Arts in Communication
program may take only 6000-level course work for their degree plan. No 4000-level classes will
count toward the degree.
All non-thesis degree candidates are required to pass a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive
examination will include all the communication core courses required on the student’s degree plan (COMM
6301, 6302, 6303, 6304, 6306, 6312, and possibly, 6300) in addition to any graduate communication electives
completed prior to the semester in which the comprehensive examination is administered. The comprehensive
examination should be administered when the student is in the last semester of his/her program.
Thesis option students shall complete an oral thesis defense which may include questions regarding their
course work.
All degree candidates must take a prescribed core requirement of 18-21 graduate hours in Communication
consisting of:
COMM 6300 Communication and Design*
COMM 6301 Emerging Technologies in Communication
COMM 6302 Quantitative Research Methods
COMM 6303 Communication Theory
COMM 6304 Communication Literature
COMM 6306 Legal and Ethical Issues in Communication
COMM 6312 Qualitative Research Methods
COMM 6399 Thesis (Thesis students)
* This course is required if the student has not completed undergraduate courses in desktop publication
and graphics, layout, and design.
Thesis Option:
The student must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:
1. The 18- to 21-hour communication core,
2. Three additional graduate hours in communication,
3. 3 to 6 graduate elective hours taken from communication or approved electives,
4. COMM 6699 (Thesis).
Non-Thesis Option:
The student must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate work, including:
1. The 18-21 hour communication core,
2. 12 to 15 additional graduate hours in communication,
3. 6 graduate elective hours taken from communication or approved electives.
Electives:
Students may take up to six hours of electives outside the department in consultation with the Communication Graduate Advisor.
Transfer Credits:
Transfer students will be admitted to the program, but no more than 6 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.