Masters of Communication
The Master of Arts in Communication degree is a course of study for persons in or preparing for further graduate study or mid-level and upper-level professional positions in public and nonprofit organizations. The program emphasizes the theoretical, practical, and analytical abilities required of persons holding responsible communication positions. Centered in the Department of Communication, it also permits the incorporation of specialized fields of interest such as general communication, journalism, mass communication, and corporate communication.
The program is available for enrollment in both online and traditional, face-to-face formats. The online version of the program is ideal for working professionals, parents with children at home, and those who live considerable distances from campus.
The course of study is designed to prepare students for matriculation to doctoral programs in communication and to train degree recipients for teaching responsibilities at the junior college level.
Master of Arts in Communication--Total Semester Hours=30
Admission Requirements
The requirements for admission to the communication MA program are as follows:
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A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
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A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4-point scale on all upper-division course work.
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A writing sample from undergraduate work, such as a term paper. If significant time passed since an applicant was an undergraduate and access to previous work is inaccessible, the department will provide a writing prompt for the applicant to demonstrate writing ability at the graduate level.
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Two favorable letters of recommendation.
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Students who do not have a journalism, mass communication, speech communication, or communication studies major or minor in their undergraduate studies may be required to take leveling courses as determined by the communication graduate faculty.
Degree Requirements
All candidates for the Master of Arts degree in communication must meet the following requirements:
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Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in all course work applied towards the degree.
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No more than six semester hours in independent study courses may be applied to this degree.
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A grade of “B” or better in each core course.
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Students choosing the thesis option must submit a standard master’s quality thesis involving original research and satisfactorily defend the thesis. Students choosing the thesis option must complete 30 hours of coursework and
COMM 5395 Thesis I and
COMM 5396 Thesis II. Students choosing the non-thesis option must complete
COMM 5365 Communication Capstone.
Course Requirements
Core Courses (6 Hrs.)
Elective Courses
18 hours for Thesis Option; 21 hours for Non-Thesis Option
Students on a thesis track have the option to take up to 6 hours of department approved UT Tyler 5000-level elective or higher courses to be applied to the degree.
Students on the Strategic Communication track have the option to take MARK 5320 Advanced Marketing Fundamentals and MARK 5380 Marketing Research and Analysis as elective courses to be applied to the degree.
Thesis Option (6 hrs.)
Non-Thesis Option (3 hrs.)