- Master of Arts, Communication
- Certificate, Health Communication
- Certificate, Strategic Public Relations
Joseph Valenzano III, Department Chairperson
Alan Abitbol, Director of Graduate Studies
The graduate program in Communication leads to a Master of Arts degree.
Course work within the Department of Communication focuses upon symbolic processes in human communication in a variety of contexts including health communication, organizational communication, and mass communication. The program will provide a solid grounding in research, theory, message development, and analysis to prepare graduates for careers in education, business, mass media, and/or government.
The master's student should begin study in the Department of Communication with the standard undergraduate competencies. If the student lacks such competencies, they should be developed prior to attempting the master's program. Students receiving the master's degree from the Department of Communication must:
- Have a thorough grounding in theories relevant to a particular area of interest, and have the ability to apply this knowledge to the solution of a variety of communication-related problems;
- Have been exposed to a variety of research and analytical or critical methods, have a basic understanding of these, and have demonstrated a working command of at least one methodology; and
- Have a basic knowledge of and appreciation for approaches to the study of communication from a variety of perspectives.
Assistantships
A small number of graduate teaching assistantships are available annually. The assistantships carry a stipend and tuition remission for courses required for the degree. The assistantships are for one year with possible renewal for one additional year. No student can receive an assistantship for more than two academic years. Assistantships are only offered for the Fall term. The deadline for applying for an assistantship is March 9th.
The minimum requirements for assistantship in the department are:
- The equivalent of an academic minor in communication and related areas or a demonstrated successful professional background in a communication-oriented occupation for a minimum of three years.
- A 3.0 undergraduate cumulative point average (or the equivalent) and a 3.0 in the academic major or minor (communication).
- Admission to the master's degree program in communication on regular status.
Advising
The advisor serves the student in planning the program of study, supervising the administration of comprehensive examinations, and (when appropriate) directing the student's thesis project.
The graduate program director serves as a temporary advisor to assist the student with initial enrollment and program planning. The student should choose a permanent advisor from among available communication faculty before the middle of the second semester (or completion of nine semester hours). The student must gain approval from the faculty member and the program director before the faculty member will be appointed as permanent advisor. Subsequent changes of advisor require approval of the program director.
After consultation with the permanent advisor, the student should submit a proposed program plan (on the forms provided by the program director) no later than the end of 12 semester hours. A copy of the proposed program should be on file in the program director's office.
