Graduate Degree

Communication - Master of Arts

Program:
Communication - Master of Arts
Plan Code:
COMMUNI_MA
Program Level:
Graduate
Award Type:
Master of Arts
College:
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Relevant Excerpt(s) from Academic Programs:
Department:
Communication
Relevant Excerpt(s) from Academic Programs:


Excerpt from the official Academic Programs Catalog:

Listed below are the approved requirements for the program from the official Academic Programs Catalog.
Students must consult their advisors to learn which specific requirements apply to their degree programs.


College of Communication Arts and Sciences

Department of Communication

Graduate Study
Communication - Master of Arts

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

Admission is determined by the Master’s Affairs Committee from the Department of Communication. Applicants are ranked among all that apply for a given year. Selection criteria place emphasis on grade-point average and course work, Graduate Record Examination General Test scores, Test of English as a Foreign Language scores for international students, letters of recommendation, the student’s resume, and the student’s academic interests.

To be considered for admission to the Master of Arts degree in Communication, an applicant must submit:

(1)    Graduate School Application
(2)    One official copy of all transcripts.
(3)    Three letters of recommendation.
(4)    A statement of purpose outlining academic and professional goals.
(5)    Graduate Record Examination Scores (GRE) for the General Test.
(6)    Test of English as a Foreign Language Scores (TOEFL), if applicable.
(7)    A resume.

Application materials should be received by April 1. Students will be admitted only for the fall semester. For additional information please visit our Web site at: http://comartsci.msu.edu/academics/academic-departments/communication/graduate/masters-arts-communication.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Communication

The student must complete the requirements for Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis) as specified below:

Predoctoral (Plan A)
Only Plan A (with thesis) is available to students in the master's degree program in communication who elect the predoctoral concentration. The student must complete at least 30 credits for the degree including:
1. All of the following courses (13 credits):
COM 803 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods 3
COM 820 Communication Theory and Process 3
COM 830 Applied Communication Research II 3
COM 899 Master's Thesis Research 4
2. Nine to eleven additional credits in Communication courses approved by the student's academic advisor. 
3. Six to eight credits in courses outside the Department of Communication approved by the student's academic advisor.
4. Completion of a master's thesis.
One of the following concentrations (Plan B)
Knowledge Utilization (30 credits)
Only Plan B (without thesis) is available to students in the master's degree program in communication who elect the knowledge utilization concentration.  The student must complete at least 30 credits for the degree including:
 1. Both of the following courses (6 credits):
COM 803 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods 3
COM 820 Communication Theory and Process 3
 2. Nine to 17 additional credits in Communication courses approved by the student's academic advisor.
 3. Seven to 15 credits in courses outside the Department of Communication approved by the student's academic advisor.
 The final certifying examination is a written and oral examination that focuses on the student's course work.
 
Communication Science Research and Analytics
Only Plan B (without thesis) is available to students in the master's degree program in communication who elect the communication science research and analytics concentration. The student must complete at least 30 credits for the degree including:
1. All of the following courses (12 credits):
     COM  803 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods  3
     COM  820 Communication Theory and Process    3
     COM  830 Applied Communication Research II    3
     COM  893 Practicum    3
The practicum is arranged with approval from the student’s advisor and the MA Director and can include a semester-long project conducted with an outside group or substantial work conducted with a Communication faculty-led research team.
2. Complete 9 credits from the following. It is strongly recommended that students take at least one course from each group. Students who opt to substitute a different course for each of the Groups listed should receive approval from their advisor and the MA Director prior to enrollment.
      Communication Survey Design and Implementation
     COM  804 Survey Design for Communication Research    3
      Biobehavioral Communication Research Methods
      CAS  892 Special Topics
                      Section: Media Neuroscience and Behavioral Communication Research 3
       Computational Communication Research
      CAS  892 Special Topics
                       Section: Computational Social Science: Principles and Applications  3
       CSE  842 Natural Language Processing    3
       CSE  881 Data Mining    3
3. Nine to 17 additional credits in Communication courses approved by the student's academic advisor.
The final certifying examination is a written and oral examination that focuses on the student's course work to be completed in the final semester in program.