Communications, Professional Communications Concentration, M.A.

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(30 units)

Students must meet the CSU requirements for admission to a master’s degree program. Please consult the Graduate Admissions section in this catalog for complete information. In addition, each applicant must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 and minimum GRE score of 153 on the verbal portion. If the preparatory work was in a language other than English, a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper) or 80 (Internet) is also required. At least one year of professional experience related to the field of communication is required. The following courses or their equivalents must be completed before undertaking graduate courses:

Communications writing (COMM 201 , COMM 301 , COMM 351 or COMM 362 )
Introductory course in communications or area of specialty (COMM 233 , COMM 332 , COMM 350 or COMM 361 )
COMM 410 - Principles of Communication Research (3)

Note: Undergraduate prerequisite courses must be completed and do not count toward the graduate degree.

Master of Arts in Communications

Graduate Standing - Classified

A student admitted in conditionally classified standing may be granted classified standing upon the development of an approved study plan and satisfactory completion of prerequisite coursework. Satisfactory coursework or its equivalent in the following may be taken concurrently with degree requirements if not completed prior to classification:

Communications Writing (3 units)

Introductory Course in Communications (3 units)

Required Course

COMM 410 - Principles of Communication Research (3)

Study Plan

Students are required to complete their approved studies with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0, including 21 units in 500-level communications courses. A maximum of nine units may comprise 400-level courses appropriate to the student’s area of interest.

The candidate must develop a program of study in consultation with a Department of Communications graduate adviser. The candidate must plan the thesis (6 units) or project (3 units) with a committee. The committee includes at least two faculty members from the Department of Communications.