Public Communication, Master of Arts
Offered by the Department of Communication
Program Information and Admission Requirements
Admission to the Public Communication MA program is based on undergraduate GPA, resume, letter of intent, and letters of recommendation. An applicant interested in pursuing an MA in Public Communication should:
1. Meet the requirements for admission set forth by the Office of Graduate Studies
2. Submit official college/university transcript showing the conferment of a Bachelor's degree with an overall GPA of 2.75* or higher on a 4.0 GPA scale
3. Submit two letters of recommendation
4. Submit a letter of intent that describes the applicant's interests and goals in obtaining a degree in Public Communication
5. Submit a professional resume
*Students with an undergraduate GPA lower than 2.75 may still be considered for the program based on their other strengths. These students will be conditionally admitted for the first semester and must achieve a 3.0 GPA to be fully admitted to the program. Conditional approval will be considered for students who have especially strong work history, letters of recommendation, and/or students whose undergraduate GPA in the major is markedly higher then their overall GPA.
International students will be required to meet the minimum TOEFL score of 213 on the computerized test and 550 on the paper test.
Public Communication, Master of Arts
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Core and Media Literacy | ||
JMC 860P | Mass Media & Society | 3 |
SPCH 899P | Communication Theory | 3 |
Choice of one research methods course | 3 | |
Quantitative Research | ||
Qualitative Research Methodology | ||
Specialization | 6 | |
Readings in American History | ||
Critical Approaches to Media | ||
International Media and Society | ||
Political Communication | ||
Media and Public Policy | ||
Health Communication | ||
Social Movements and International Media | ||
Science Communication | ||
Diffusion of Innovations | ||
Advanced Organizational Communication | ||
Skills | 6 | |
Social and Emerging Media | ||
Media Technology and Narrative | ||
Managerial Communications | ||
Campaigns and Elections | ||
Strategic Communication | ||
Leadership Communication | ||
Communication Training and Consulting | ||
Electives - Choose 3 additional courses in the curriculum | 9 | |
Select one of the following options | 6 | |
Practicum Option | ||
Public Communication Practicum 1 | ||
Thesis Option | ||
Public Communication Thesis 2 | ||
Total Credit Hours | 36 |
1 | Students will enroll in 6 credits of SPCH 875: Practicum. Students will connect their graduate curriculum to professional experience in an effort to demonstrate an ability to apply coursework within an organization. Students will develop a completion paper that explains accomplishments in the practicum experience and connects these accomplishments to the graduate curriculum. Students will present their practicum findings to faculty. |
2 | Student will enroll in 6 credit hours of SPCH 876: Thesis. In conjunction with their adviser, students will prepare a research project based on graduate coursework. The student’s adviser and 2 additional graduate faculty will serve as the student’s Thesis Committee. The committee will assemble for an oral defense of the thesis. |