General Communication, M.A.

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Communication engages students in the understanding and widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve problems.

M.A. in General Communication

The Master of Arts program emphasizes communication research, theory and practice. The flexible program offers opportunities for advanced study in interpersonal communication, organizational communication, public communication and media studies.

The degree program is designed to serve three broad categories of students:

those who plan to seek careers in professional fields requiring theoretical and applied communication expertise
those who plan to teach communication at the college level
and those who seek a doctoral degree in communication.

Prospective students must submit a 10 to 15 page writing sample and an essay (300 to 500 words) stating their reasons for pursuing the M.A. in communication.

To be considered for clear admission, applicants with an undergraduate major in communication must present evidence of an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 2.8, a GPA of 3.0 in the major and a GRE score of 300 (combined verbal and quantitative scores, 1000 on the previous GRE scale). Applicants with an undergraduate major in an area other than communication must present an overall GPA of at least 2.8, a GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 hours and any communication courses taken in undergraduate work, and a GRE score of 300 (combined verbal and quantitative scores, 1000 on the previous GRE scale).

Applicants who demonstrate outstanding qualifications on other admission criteria may be admitted on a probationary basis with an overall GPA of 2.6, a GPA of 2.8 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and a GRE score of 170 (combined verbal and quantitative scores, 800 on the previous GRE scale).

Students enroll in a comprehensive 36-hour degree program and may choose whether to write a thesis or complete comprehensive exams. Each student plans their program in consultation with a graduate advisor, who will be as flexible as possible in considering the student’s particular interests and needs.