After receiving the recommendation and approval of the graduate advisor, students can pursue one of three degree options: a thesis option, a project option, or a non-thesis or project option. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove admission deficiencies, is 36. Any grade lower than B in a graduate course will not count toward the 36 semester credit hours of coursework required in items A through D below.
Candidates for the degree must complete the following requirements:
- 15 semester credit hours of core courses:
- COM 5003: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication
- COM 5013: Communication Theory
- COM 5023: Quantitative Research Methods
- COM 5033: Qualitative Research Methods
- COM 5103: Theories and Practice of Communication
- Note: COM 5003 must be taken in the student's first semester of graduate coursework.
- 9 semester credit hours (for the thesis or project option) or 15 semester credit hours (for the non-thesis or project option) of prescribed electives in Communication in consultation with the Graduate Advisor of Record.
- 6 semester credit hours of free electives in consultation with the Graduate Advisor of Record. These courses may be in Communication or outside the program.
- Students pursuing the thesis or project option must complete COM 6983 Master's Thesis (6 hours) or COM 6993 Master's Project (6 hours). Students must complete at least 21 hours of coursework and maintain a 3.25 grade point average before they may enroll in COM 6983 Master's Thesis or 6993 Master's Project.
As soon as a student completes 12 hours of graduate coursework in Communication, he or she must meet with the Graduate Advisor of Record to devise a program of study.
In addition to the semester credit hours set forth above, candidates for the degree are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination.
Students in the thesis or project option will present a written prospectus for approval by their thesis or project committee and orally defend the completed thesis or project before the committee as their Comprehensive Examination.
Students in the non-thesis or project option must successfully pass a written Comprehensive Examination tailored to the student's program and specialized coursework.
The Comprehensive Examination is offered two times a year, each fall and spring semester (examinations may be also offered during the summer term). The Examination will normally be taken during the semester in which candidates are due to complete their graduate study.
Enrollment in COM 6961 is required during each term in which the Comprehensive Examination is taken if no other courses are being taken during that term. The Comprehensive Examination may only be taken twice.