Master of Arts in Communication Studies

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Communication Studies emphasizes social justice and ethics, equipping students with advanced research and communication skills. The program offers a flexible structure, including core seminars, electives, and a culminating experience option tailored to individual career goals in various sectors. Faculty guidance and a focus on multiple approaches foster critical thinking and engagement in communication processes.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Program Name: Master of Arts in Communication Studies
• Program Focus: Emphasizes social justice and ethical perspectives in the study of communication processes.
• Program Objectives:
• Develop students' ability to read, evaluate, and synthesize primary scholarship in communication studies.
• Equip students to apply, critique, and/or extend communication theory and scholarship.
• Encourage active engagement, reflection, and analysis of communication processes within local and global communities.
• Program Description: The program prepares students for diverse careers that benefit from advanced training in communication, including teaching and careers in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Outline:

• Program Structure: Minimum of 35 units required.
• Course Requirements:
• Core Requirements (8 units):
• COMM 700: Introduction to Graduate Study (4 units)
• One course from the following (4 units):
• COMM 870: Multiple Methods in Communication Research
• COMM 872: Field Research Strategies
• COMM 873: Research Strategies in Language and Social Interaction
• Graduate Seminars (16 units):
Selected on advisement from COMM 700 to COMM 797.
• Electives (8 units): Selected on advisement.
• Culminating Experience (3 units):
• Select one of the following:
• COMM 894: Creative Work Project
• COMM 896: Culminating Experience Examination and Directed Readings in Communication Studies (COMM 896EXM)
• COMM 898: Master's Thesis
• Course Restrictions:
• No more than 8 units from upper-division courses, regardless of department.
• No more than 8 units, graduate or undergraduate, from an allied department.
• No more than 8 units, combined, from the following:
• COMM 850: Teaching Communication
• COMM 851: Internship in Teaching Communication
• COMM 852: Supervision of Teaching Communication
• COMM 885: Graduate Projects in the Teaching of Communication
• COMM 899: Independent Study for Investigation in Communication Studies
• No more than 4 units may be listed on the ATC for any combination of COMM 851, COMM 852, and COMM 885.

Assessment:

• Culminating Experience Options:
• Master's Thesis:
Requires a written proposal, a supervising committee of two or more faculty members, and an oral defense of the completed thesis.
• Creative Work Project: Requires a written proposal, a supervising committee of two or more faculty members, and an oral defense of the completed project.
• Master's Written Comprehensive Examination: Requires establishing a three-member faculty committee, enrolling in COMM 896 to prepare for the examination, and completing the examination in COMM 896EXM.

Teaching:

• Teaching Methods: The program uses "multiple approaches" for the advanced study of communication processes.
• Faculty: Dr. Javon Johnson is mentioned as the Graduate Coordinator in the department.

Careers:

• Career Opportunities: The program prepares students for diverse careers that benefit from advanced training in communication, including:
• Teaching
• Careers in the public sector
• Careers in the private sector
• Careers in the not-for-profit sector

Other:

• Program Mission Statement: The program seeks to foster scholarly inquiry, engaged citizenship, and a focus on social justice in the study of communication.
• Written English Proficiency Requirement:
• Level One:
Students must take the GRE analytical writing test prior to applying for admission. A score of 4.0 or higher satisfies this requirement.
• Level Two: Satisfactory completion of a master's thesis or written comprehensive examination, a creative project, or an approved upper-division course.