| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2026-09-01 | - |
| 2027-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Communication Arts, MA
The Department of Communication Arts at the University of WisconsinMadison has long been one of the world's leading centers for study and research in communication. It was the first department in the United States to award a PhD degree in the field, and its graduates serve on the faculties of leading universities, in research institutions, and in public and private agencies throughout this country and abroad.
Program Description
The graduate programs in Communication Arts are designed to educate research scholars. Through intensive coursework within the department and in other departments, and through close professional association with appropriate faculty, graduate students in communication arts gain proficiency and sophistication in their chosen areas of study. Their attainment of doctoral degrees signifies their readiness to work as independent scholars in their areas and to make original contributions to human knowledge.
Areas of Graduate Study
Communication Arts offers four distinct areas of graduate study:
- Communication Science
- Film
- Media and Cultural Studies
- Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture
Communication Science
Communication science is concerned with how people interact with one another in various means, modes, and contexts. It involves social scientific exploration utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Students in communication science typically complete coursework both in the department and in other social science fields. Graduate study in communication science is flexible and tailored to the individual. With a low faculty-to-student ratio and close collaboration with related academic units on campus, students have high access to faculty and opportunities to work closely with faculty on research and broaden their horizon. Students are expected to develop fluency in at least two of the following areas:
- Social influence
- Computer-mediated communication
- Human development and communication
- Political communication
Film
The study of film concentrates primarily on motion picture history, theory, and criticism, approached through intensive critical analysis of individual films; research into the primary documents of filmmakers and the film industry; and the construction of theoretical models of film forms and styles, national cinemas, film genres, and the economics of the film industry. The program believes in the connection between film studies and film practice. Courses in film production enhance our understanding of motion picture history, theory, and criticism by revealing the practical decisions filmmakers confront. The program is not designed for students whose sole interest is in film production.
Media and Cultural Studies
The media and cultural studies (MCS) program emphasizes the study of media in their historical, economic, social, and political context. MCS courses examine the cultural forms created and disseminated by media industries and the ways in which they resonate in everyday life, on the individual, national, and global level. Focusing primarily on sound and screen mediatelevision, new media, film, popular music, radio, video gamesbut reaching out across boundaries, MCS encourages interdisciplinary and transmedia research. MCS courses draw on a broad range of cultural theories spanning a spectrum of concerns all centrally relevant to the functioning of sound and screen media in a diverse and globalizing cultural environment.
Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture
Whether speaking from the podium or chatting on social media, people use discourse to craft identities, enact social change, and form a shared sense of community. Seeking to better understand this social force, the study of discourse explores significant themes, trajectories, and transformations in politics and society while considering particular individuals and groups, cultures, eras, genres, and topics. Courses in this area explore issues of power, digital media, citizenship, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, globalization, religion, inclusion and exclusion, social status, and marginalization.
Admissions
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.
Admissions Requirements
- Fall Deadline: December 15
- Spring Deadline: This program does not admit in the spring.
- Summer Deadline: This program does not admit in the summer.
- GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required but may be considered if available.
- English Proficiency Test: Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment.
- Letters of Recommendation Required: 3
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. The Graduate School minimum GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The department likes to see at least a 3.25 in courses relevant to the area in which you apply, although successful applicants usually have much higher GPAs.
Funding
The Bursars Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Graduate School Resources
The Graduate School provides various resources for funding, including assistantships, fellowships, and traineeships.
Department Awards
The Department of Communication Arts is pleased to be able to grant yearly monetary awards to graduate students based on scholastic performance. Nominations for the awards are generated by the faculty in the four areas of graduate study. To be eligible for consideration, graduate students must be continuing in the program, must be making satisfactory progress toward their degree, and must not have any incompletes on their transcript.
Research Awards
The Department of Communication Arts also offers funding during the course of a student's studies to support research activities. For example, students have access to:
- Elliott Dissertation Scholarships
- Betty and Vance Kepley Research Awards
- Marilynn R. Baxter Research Awards
Requirements
Mode of Instruction
Mode of Instruction: Face to Face
Curricular Requirements
- Minimum Credit Requirement: 40 credits
- Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 16 credits
- Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 20 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
- Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.
- Other Grade Requirements: A cumulative GPA for coursework within the department of 3.5 or above.
Required Courses
Each area of graduate study has further specific requirements for the completion of the MA.
Communication Science Pathway
- COM ARTS 760: Advances in Communication Theories
- COM ARTS 762: Communication Research Methods
- Four additional Communication Science courses numbered 500 or above
- At least two courses in statistics
- COM ARTS 904: Communication Science Colloquium
- Electives: 12 credits
Film Pathway
- Production Course: COM ARTS 355 or COM ARTS 609
- Required Courses:
- COM ARTS 454: Critical Film Analysis
- COM ARTS 669: Film Theory
- National Cinema Courses: 3 credits
- Modes-and-Practices Courses: 3 credits
- Power, Identity, and Representation Course: 3 credits
- Seminar: One seminar numbered 900 or above
- Film Colloquium: COM ARTS 902
- Electives: 15 credits
Media and Cultural Studies Pathway
- Media Production Elective: COM ARTS 355 or COM ARTS 609
- Seminar: 9 credits
- Colloquium: COM ARTS 903
- Electives: 24 credits
Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture Pathway
- COM ARTS 570: Classical Rhetorical Theory
- COM ARTS 969: Seminar: Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
- Seminar: COM ARTS 976
- Colloquium: COM ARTS 905
- Electives: 27 credits
Policies
Prior Coursework
With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a masters degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Probation
All graduate students must stay "in good standing" in the department to be eligible for teaching assignments, awards, and fellowships, and in order to be considered to be making satisfactory progress in the program. Students whose progress is rated unsatisfactory by their faculty may face loss of funding and/or dismissal from the program.
Advisor / Committee
Although an initial faculty advisor is assigned to each student during the summer prior to matriculation in the graduate program, students should seek out regular advisors by the end of their first year in residence.
Credits Per Term Allowed
10-credit maximum unless additional credits are approved by faculty advisor, up to 15
Time Limits
Master's degrees are generally expected to be completed within five semesters of matriculation.
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
The Graduate School provides various resources for professional development, including workshops, seminars, and online courses.
Department Resources
Two important departmental resources for professional development are a graduate students advisor and the department colloquia. The advisor is concerned with a graduate students academic progress as well as with the professional development of advisees. The department colloquia offer additional resources for professional development, including research presentations, workshops, and discussions on professional topics.
Faculty Reviews of Graduate Student Teaching
Since most Communication Arts PhD students pursue academic careers, developing teaching skills constitutes an important aspect of professionalization. Faculty will provide reviews of teaching assistants (TA) in courses in which they have worked directly with graduate students in the classroom.
Travel to Meetings and Conferences
The Department of Communication Arts provides a once-per-academic-year travel stipend for those students who will be presenting a paper at an academic conference.
Learning Outcomes
- Articulates, critiques, or elaborates the theories, research methods, and approaches to inquiry or schools of practice in the field of study.
- Identifies sources and assembles evidence pertaining to questions or challenges in the field of study.
- Demonstrates understanding of the primary field of study in a historical, social, or global context.
- Selects and/or utilizes the most appropriate methodologies and practices.
- Evaluates or synthesizes information pertaining to questions or challenges in the field of study.
- Communicates clearly in ways appropriate to the field of study.
- Recognizes and applies principles of ethical and professional conduct.