In consultation with graduate faculty, graduate students develop a personalized program of study to foster their own learning objectives and career goals. They are required to complete a set of core courses; and the organizational communication focus identifies four required electives. Thesis and non-thesis options are available.

• Plan I is with thesis. This plan requires a minimum of 33 hours of course work, of which 12 hours are four of the core courses (does not include the capstone course) and up to six hours may be thesis credit.
• Plan II is without thesis and requires a minimum of 36 hours of course work, of which 15 hours are the core courses.

With both plans, no more than six hours of graduate course work may be transferred from other universities to fulfill the degree requirements for the MA in Communication. With both plans, only three credits of COMM 9500 Independent Study and three credits of COMM 6020 Communication Research Practicum may be applied to the degree requirements as electives. Or, students may apply six credits of COMM 9500 Independent Study or six  credits of COMM 6020 Communication Research Practicum.

Plan I (THESIS - minimum of 33 hours credit)

• four core required courses (12 credits)
• minimum of four graduate elective courses in Communication (12 credits)
• one graduate level course from outside the department (3 credits)
• six hours of thesis credit (6 credits)

Plan II (NON-THESIS- minimum of 36 hours credit)

• five core required courses (15 credits)
• six graduate elective courses in Communication (18 credits)
• one graduate level course from outside the Communication Department (3 credits)

Note: Students accepted by the graduate faculty for Plan I are not required to complete a comprehensive examination. Students in Plan II are required to complete a comprehensive examination focused on three content areas chosen by the student.