If you’re working toward a professional career in organizational communication, or perhaps as a consultant, trainer, or development specialist, graduate work through the Organizational and Professional Communication and Development option may be just the ticket you need. It’s also a good building block for doctoral studies.
The degree requires completion of four core courses totaling 12 credit hours: Introduction to Communication Studies, Quantitative Research in Communication, Qualitative Research in Communication, and Studies in Communication Theory.
To that you’ll add four more 3-credit courses: Communication Training in Organizations, Issues in Communication Consulting, and a pair of organizational communication courses, with one focusing on interpersonal and intrapersonal processes, the other examining systems, culture, and critique. You’ll need 9 hours of communication studies electives as well as at least three hours of credit in a paid, professional internship focused on this type of communication work.
Finally, you’ll be asked to demonstrate your competency in the field, by preparing and defending a thesis or research paper or completing a series of comprehensive written and oral exams:
- To pursue a thesis, you must enroll in THES 698, submit your approved thesis, and successfully complete an oral defense of your thesis.
- As an alternative, you may take comprehensive exams. This entails successfully completing a written exam and an oral defense of that exam.
- If you prefer to submit a scholarly research paper, you should enroll in RES 697, submit your approved paper, and complete both the written and oral comprehensive exams.
If you’re enrolled full-time, you should be able to complete your master of arts in communication studies in two years. You also may enroll part-time; completion time will vary depending upon your class load. Find even more details in the graduate catalog for communication studies.