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Communication

Master of Arts (M.A.)

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Earn Your Communication M.A. at UW

Interpersonal communication. Journalism. Public relations. Rhetoric. Media studies. Build advanced, effective skills in myriad forms of communication that are valuable to any career or life path.

Combining communication and media theory with qualitative and quantitative research methods, UW’s Master of Arts in communication will strengthen your education and experience to help you gain a competitive edge in the job market and perform well in any type of environment. At UW, our master’s program in communication will empower you through intellectual inquiry to meet the communication challenges of a globally connected society — and feel confident in your future plans for graduate or law school, college teaching, or finding a job for master’s in communication graduates.

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Program Details

Tuition and Fees

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Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

Department

College of Arts & Sciences
Communication & Journalism Department

About the Communication M.A. Degree Program

Our flexible graduate degree program is designed to provide a supportive environment where you can examine questions that relate to your career goals and interests. Choose from two master’s thesis options:

  • A traditional research-based thesis that will advance communication research, bridge communication theories and disciplines and contribute to practical knowledge in communication
  • A creative or professional project-based thesis (Plan B) that results in an applied communication plan or product ready for implementation

In UW’s communication master’s degree program, we develop knowledgeable, academically grounded, independent-thinking communicators, because the world needs more authentic voices.

Sample communication thesis titles:

  • "Falling out of fandom: An analysis of politically outspoken celebrities and its effect on their Millennial and Gen Z fan bases"
  • "The Impact of Teacher Clarity and Student Receiver Apprehension on Academic Misconduct"
  • "I know Obama, Personally: Examining Parasocial Relationships via the White House Facebook Page"
  • "Objectivity in Question: The Ideal of Objectivity and The Display of Adversarialness and Neutrality by Cable News Interviews"
  • "Recruit. Tweet. Repeat. An Analysis of Social Media Practices by Men’s Division I Basketball Coaches"
  • "An investigation in the Chinese LGBT People’s Online Coming-Out Narratives: Cultural Influences, Cocultural Practices, and Outcomes"
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The Communication and Journalism Department typically offers six to eight graduate assistantships each year, including:

  • Public Speaking Teaching Assistantship
  • Media Writing Teaching Assistantship
  • PR/Marketing Administration for COJO
  • Wyoming Debate Union Administrative Assistantship
  • Wyoming Debate Union Teaching Assistantship

Graduate assistants get all of tuition and most students fees paid for, and they receive a stipend for one academic year. They may also be eligible for student health insurance.

Have Questions?
Visit our FAQ page.

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What Can You Do With a Communication Master’s Degree?

Jobs for graduates with a master’s in communication degree are wide ranging. You could pursue a doctoral degree in graduate or law school, teach at a college or university, work for a nonprofit, enter private industry and much more.

Our graduates who have chosen careers beyond academia have been hired to work in communications, journalism, and media at Yellowstone National Park, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Madwire Technology Company, Hewlett Packard and Civica, among others.

Communication Careers

These are just some of the fields you could work in communication:

  • Media production
  • Public relations or business promotions
  • Journalism
  • Advertising or sales
  • Photography
  • Marketing or management
  • Web design
  • Human relations or diversity training

COJO’s Public Relation Techniques class project recognized in Referee Magazine.

 

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Communication Master’s Degree Program Highlights

These are just some of the reasons to consider joining us at UW for your degree in communication:

Size

Despite being among the largest graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, we offer small graduate program class sizes that provide numerous ways to interact with and get to know your professors and fellow graduate students.

Professors

Top-notch faculty have diverse backgrounds and research interests. For example, Dr. Li Li presented papers about instructional communication at conferences and taught cross-cultural communication. Dr. Sandy Hsu published journal articles about communication apprehension and taught intergroup communication.

Choices

You can take media production classes, such as video production, documentaries, public relations, photojournalism and web design. You can complete a one-on-one independent study with a faculty member to do research. You can complete an internship in a communication or media position for credit toward your graduate degree. In UW’s communication master’s program, you have flexible options to study courses and topics that interest you.

Internships

Earn graduate course credit. Gain real-world experience. Build professional connections. Graduate students in UW’s communication master’s degree program have completed internships with Wyoming Athletics, Student Media, Biodiversity Institute, McNair Program and many other campus units.

Advanced Media

Gain experience using media production technologies and media research. You’ll have access to professional audio storytelling equipment, professional video cameras and Adobe Creative Suite. You’ll also use SPSS, a statistical software program for analyzing data, and Qualtrics, an online survey software.

Networking

Master’s in communication graduate students can network and find opportunities with many on-campus and off-campus organizations. You’ll also be encouraged to network at regional and national communication and media conferences, including the annual conferences of the Wyoming Press Association, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Rocky Mountain Communication Association, National Communication Association and Visual Communication conference.

Oral Communication Center

UW’s Oral Communication Center provides support for public speaking and oral presentation needs. Resources at the Center include multimedia technology and visual aid equipment to practice group and seminar presentations and teaching in a classroom environment. As a graduate student in the master's program in communication, you can practice presenting your thesis proposal with our director and trained lab consultants for constructive feedback.

Financial Aid

UW continues to offer one of the best values for a graduate degree in the United States. Plus, you may be able to apply for a variety of other graduate student funding options, such as graduate scholarships and awards, loans, part-time work, work-study or graduate assistantships in other programs.

The education I received from the University of Wyoming Communication and Journalism Graduate Program was outstanding. I valued the small-class sizes, hands-on learning, and teaching preparation I received in the program. Through its focus on theory and research methods, the program prepared me with foundational skills to pursue a Ph.D degree. Dr. Landreville and other faculty provided me with mentorship to help me grow as a student and scholar. I would absolutely recommend UW to individuals who are seeking a program with all-around great professors, mentorship, and one-on-one learning.

- Isabel Munoz, M.A. in Communication '18, University of Wyoming
Ph.D Student/Researcher at Syracuse University School of Information Studies

Related Programs

You may also be interested in the following graduate programs at UW:

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Dr. Chia-Fang (Sandy) Hsu

437 Ross Hall

1000 E. University Ave., WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-3122

Email: hsus@uwyo.edu