Professors: Dumova, Fiordo, Holden, Horosewski, Householder (Acting Graduate Program Director), Kalbfleisch, Rakow, Rendahl and Shafer
The School of Communication offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The Masters program in Communication strikes a purposeful balance between specialization and integration among the various approaches to the study of human communication. The Ph.D. program in Communication and Public Discourse provides the opportunity for specialized study in various aspects of communication. Both the Masters and Ph.D. programs provide a flexible array of advanced coursework and intensive research. For Ph.D. students, the program culminates in the doctoral dissertation. Both the Masters and Ph.D. programs offer the opportunity for students to develop a broad range of professional and scholarly competencies. The Masters program expands the professional options for graduates as well as prepares them for more advanced study. The Ph.D. program prepares graduates for positions in the academy, industry, and government.The student’s plan of study is prepared and directed in cooperation with the student’s adviser and faculty committee.
Application Procedures
Master of Arts in Communication:
- Graduate Record Examination General Test.
- Completion of the equivalent of 20 undergraduate credits in speech communication and/or mass communication, or related field, including at least 12 upper division credits.
- Minimum 3.0 undergraduate Grade Point Average.
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Public Discourse:
- Statement of interest, including personal goals and the relevance of the Ph.D. in Communication and Public Discourse to those goals.
- Original academic paper, 10-15 pages in length, reflecting the student’s ability to articulate and synthesize ideas.
- Three letters of recommendation from sources familiar with the applicant’s potential as a doctoral student in Communication.
- Graduate Record Examination General Test (500 Verbal, 500 Quantitative)
- To be considered for a teaching assistantship, the student must submit a statement of teaching philosophy and letters of recommendation must address the student’s teaching abilities.
- Students whose native language is not English must submit results of the TOEFL, with a minimum score of 600 to be admitted.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts |
The Masters program in Communication strikes a purposeful and creative balance between the study and practice of human communication. This program will provide a rigorous learning environment, foster excellence in teaching, research and application, consistent with the University’s liberal arts tradition. The intent of the M.A. program is to graduate students with professional and scholarly competencies enabling them to be leaders in assessing and improving public communication and/or pursing an advanced degree. |
| |
1. |
Required Courses:
|
COMM 500 (Graduate Studies in Communication),
COMM 501 (Theories of Communication),
COMM 502 (Research Methods in Communication). |
| |
2. |
A minimum of 30 credits in communication for the thesis option or 32 credits for the non-thesis option if a minor or cognate is not chosen. |
| |
3. |
If a minor or cognate is approved by the student’s advisory committee, 30 credits are necessary for the thesis option or 32 credits for a non-thesis option. A minor or cognate option will include a major with a minimum of 20 credits in communication and a minimum of 9 credits in a minor or cognate. |
| |
4. |
Written and oral final examinations are administered to Masters candidates. Thesis option Masters candidates will defend their theses in the final oral examination. Non-thesis-option Masters candidates will be expected to defend orally independent study reports and two term papers or projects completed in any course on their program of study. Both thesis and non-thesis candidates are administered written comprehensive examinations after the completion of 18 hours of graduate credit. The Director of Graduate Studies appoints three-person examining committees from the Graduate Faculty, normally drawn from the School of Communication, and chaired by the student’s adviser to conduct the final oral examination for non-thesis students. |
Doctor of Philosophy |
| |
The Ph.D. program in communication and public discourse provides the opportunity to explore the range of ways human symbolic activity affects the public sphere. This program will provide a rigorous learning environment, foster excellence in teaching, research and application, consistent with the University’s liberal arts tradition. The intent of the Ph.D. program is to graduate students with scholarly competencies enabling them to assume roles as intellectual leaders of the field of communication as well as public intellectuals stimulating discussion of significant communication issues.
|
| |
1. |
Masters degree in communication or related discipline |
30 cr
|
| |
2. |
Core Requirements |
9 cr |
| |
|
a. |
COMM 500 (Graduate Studies in Communication) |
| |
|
b. |
COMM 501 (Theories of Communication) |
| |
|
c. |
COMM 502 (Research Methods on Communication) |
| |
|
d. |
Two
(2) credit hours approved by committee from other coursework |
| |
3. |
Theory Requirements, including: |
9 cr |
| |
|
a. |
COMM 508 (Rhetorical and Communication Theory) |
| |
|
b. |
COMM 509 (Media and Mass Communication Theory) |
| |
|
c. |
Theory Course, selected from a menu of options |
| |
4. |
Scholarly Tools Requirements, including: |
9 cr |
| |
|
a. |
COMM 510 (Advanced Research Methods in Commu
nication)
Or
COMM 520 (Criticism and Communica- tion, offered alternatively as media criticism or rhetori- cal analysis) |
| |
|
b. |
Interdisciplinary Qualitative Tools, including one course
selected from a menu of options |
| |
|
c. |
Interdisciplinary Quantitative Tools, including one
course selected from a menu of options |
| |
5. |
Major Area Courses, including three courses, with up to
one course outside Communication |
9 cr |
| |
6. |
Elective Courses, including three courses, with up to one course outside communication |
9 cr |
| |
7. |
Comprehensive Examination, taken over the student’s first 36 credit hours of coursework as a Ph.D. student. |
| |
8. |
Dissertation |
15 cr |
| |
|
|
TOTAL |
90 cr |
Courses
500. Graduate Studies in Communication. 1 credit. An overview of the study of communication emphasizing the differences between graduate and undergraduate studies. To develop a common core of knowledge for beginning graduate students, the course introduces students to the history of the communication field, current issues in communication studies and the future of communication.
501. Theories of Communication. 3 credits. Theory and model construction in communication with special attention to selected theories of speech communication and mass communication.
502. Research Methods in Communication. 3 credits. Study of the methodologies of historical, descriptive, survey and experimental research in communication.
504. Semiotics and Visual Communication. 3 credits. Application of visual communication theories to the analysis, interpretation, and critical assessment of media images.
507. Communication, Technology, and Media. 3 credits. An examination of the role of media technologies in shaping communication processes and of the way societies respond to technological change. Covers issues such as emerging digital technologies, technological determinism, technology transfer, access, and cost.
508. Rhetorical and Communication Theory. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Ph.D. program or consent of instructor. Surveys the principal rhetorical and communication theories associated with the communication subdisciplines of rhetoric and interpersonal communication with special emphasis on definitional and modeling issues. S/2
509. Media and Mass Communication Theory. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Ph.D. program or consent of instructor. An examination of contemporary theories in mass communication and media studies, beginning with the mass society paradigm and ending with postmodern media studies. F/2
510. Research Methods in Communication. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Admission to Ph.D. program or consent of instructor. Discussion of principal theories and models in the Communication discipline, with a focus on current debates and contemporary research methods. S/2
512. Law and Ethics in Communication. 3 credits. Application of principles of law and ethics to diverse communication and mediated contexts. Covers issues such as right, wrong, goodness, and evil as well as copyright, confidentiality, privacy, and trial level remedies.
520. Criticism and Communication. 3 credits. A study of various methods of criticism applied to several types of communication including: public communication, film, electronic media, and print media.
521. Perspectives on Media Writing. 3 credits. An analysis of historical and technological developments in contemporary media writing styles and content and a critical analysis of the cultural content of media writing with regard to serving diverse audiences with targeted messages. Examines the intended and real effects of persuasive forms of writing on intended audiences, including speech writing and writing for print and broadcast. Students write in a variety of media styles to improve their own media writing skills.
525. Interpersonal Relations and Communication. 3 credits. Face-to-face and mediated transactions between two people or people in small groups in diverse settings. Deals with inquiry, conflict management, interpersonal sensitivity, individuality, and conformity.
530. Gender, Culture, and Communication. 3 credits. An examination of how males and females from different cultural, ethnic and national backgrounds use, and are portrayed by, communication institutions and processes. Covers issues of representation, identity and difference.
540. Seminar: Organizational Communication. 3 credits. Study of theories and practice of communication in group, intergroup and organizational settings with attention to methods of research and analysis.
545. Advocacy and Communication. 3 credits. Focuses on various communication strategies designed to influence audiences across contexts (e.g., advertising, journalism, public relations, social movements, grass root activities). Theories of public relations, rhetoric, mass communication, and persuasion are applied to specific cases of mediated and face-to-face advocacy.
550. International and Global Communication. An analysis of international media, comparative telecommunications systems and globalization. Covers issues such as transnational communication, global journalism, satellite broadcasting and communication in diplomacy and international affairs.
555. Film/Video as Communication. 3 credits. A view of film from analytical, promotional, and critical perspectives. Cinematography is addressed in historical, creative, semiotic, rhetorical, and technical contexts. Cinema, directors, genres, and problems from diverse nations are examined. Students write commentaries and promotionals for oral and print media sources.
570. Seminar in Communication. 3 credits, repeatable for credit up to 15 with change in topic. In-depth studies in specific communication areas such as relational communication, rhetoric and public discourse, intercultural/international communication. May be repeated for credit with change of topic (up to 15 hours).
591. Individual Readings and Research. 3 credit limit per semester. Directed readings and research in speech communication and mass communication topics and issues. May be repeated to a total of 12 credits.
997. Independent Study. Restricted to non-thesis masters students.
998. Thesis. 3 credits.
999. Dissertation. 15 credits.
310. Communication and Diversity. 3 credits.
401. Organizational Communication. 3 credits.
402. International/Intercultural Communication. 3 credits.
403. Community Relations. 3 credits.
404. Advertising and Society. 3 credits.
405. Social Implications of the Information Society. 3 credits.
406. Media Consequences and Effects. 3 credits.
407. Communication, Technology and the Future. 3 credits.
412. Communication Law. 3 credits.
428. History of American Journalism. 3 credits.
461. Political Communication. 3 credits. |
