Communication Graduate Program

The Communication Master’s is a degree that enables students to focus in strategic communication.

Students complete a total of 33 hours, which include required courses in communication theory and both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Students are required to complete a thesis or an exit project. The thesis option is most often selected by students who intend to pursue a PhD. The exit project option is for students who wish to apply their studies in a professional work context and is designed to enhance skills and build a résumé. Both options require defending the work to the student’s advisory committee in a public forum. The advisory committee includes a major professor and two other members of the Communication graduate faculty of the student’s choosing.

All of the professors in the Communication Program hold a terminal degree, either Ph.D. or M.F.A., and specialize in one of the focuses of the program. Each student chooses a faculty member to serve as their major advisor. This person will supervise the thesis or exit project using quantitative and/or qualitative approaches to communication research.

Graduate Assistantships are available for those students who are on-campus. An assistantship gives the student the opportunity to build experience for their resume by assisting an instructor in classes and potentially by teaching a 1000- or 2000-level survey course.

An online degree in communication will be available beginning Fall 2018.