Areas of Study
Human Communication
Study many different areas, such as cross-cultural communication, interpersonal communication, small group communication, rhetoric (from ancient to 21st century to visual communication), communication apprehension, and more.
The graduate curriculum addresses six major areas of inquiry in human communication: (1) the structure and function of contemporary epistemological, ontological, theoretical, and methodological paradigms in the communication discipline; (2) theories of language and nonverbal symbolic interactions; (3) communication processes in organizational settings; (4) communication as an agent of stability and change in diverse social systems; (5) the role assumed by communication processes in the formation, development, and coordination of intimate human relationships; and (6) the nature and function of argumentative discourse in democratic societies.
Faculty members who research human communication include Dr. Sandy Hsu, Dr. Li Li, Beau Bingham, and Justin Stewart.
Media Communication
Study both traditional and new media including advertising, public relations, visual communication, radio and audio, blogging, news, entertainment, political communication, and other forms of Internet and mobile-driven communication. The master's program in mass media addresses media issues and problems from a theoretical perspective. The program is designed to be flexible so that students can examine questions that relate to their specific interests in the media. Again, areas of interest include but are not limited to, print media, new media, broadcasting, advertising, and public relations.
Faculty members who research media communication include Dr. Hye Soo Nah, Dr. Cindy Price Schultz, Mitzi Stewart, Kayla Clark, and Dr. Shane Epping.
Choose Your Degree Path
Students may choose between a traditional research-oriented thesis or a project-based thesis (also known as "Plan B"). Full-time students will need to make a decision by the end of their 2nd semester (9 credits a semester is considered full time).
Thesis Option
- A traditional research-oriented thesis
- 27 credit hours + 4 hours of thesis credits (31 hour in total)
- At least of 25 hours must be taken within the COJO department, with a maximum of 6 hours of independent study, 3 hours of internship credit hours, and 3 hours of 4000-level coursework
Project Option
- A project that may involve various forms of communication, including visual (photography, printed materials), audio (podcasts), video (documentaries), and more.
- 30 credit hours + 3 hours of Graduate Project credits (33 hours in total)
- A minimum of 27 hours must be taken within the COJO department, with a maximum of 6 hours of independent study, 3 hours of internship credit hours, and 6 hours of 4000-level coursework
Class Schedule
Required classes are completed in the first year so that the second year is used to develop and complete the thesis or project. A typical schedule for a full-time student includes:
Year 1 - Fall
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COJO 5080 – Qualitative Research Methods (required)
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COJO 5800 – Foundations of Journalism and Communication (required)
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COJO Elective or theory class (to meet theory requirement).
*For public speaking Graduate Teaching Assistants, their third course is a 3-hour Teaching Practicum
Year 1 - Spring
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COJO 5070 – Quantitative Research Methods (required)
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COJO Elective or theory class (to meet theory requirement)
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COJO Elective
*Graduate Teaching Assistants add 1 hour of Practicum
Year 2 - Fall
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COJO 5890 – Independent Study (to develop thesis/project prospectus)
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COJO Elective
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COJO Elective
*Graduate Teaching Assistants add 1 hour of Practicum
Year 2 - Spring
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COJO 5960 for Thesis or COJO 5961 for Project
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COJO Electives/Additional classes for Plan B
*Graduate Teaching Assistants add 1 hour of Practicum
