• Master of Arts, Communication
• Certificate, Digital and Multimedia Communication
• Certificate, Health Communication
• Certificate, Strategic Public Relations

Chad Painter, Department Chairperson
Alan Abitbol, Director of Graduate Studies

The graduate program in Communication leads to a Master of Arts degree.

Course work within the Department of Communication focuses upon symbolic processes in human communication in a variety of contexts including health communication, organizational communication, and mass communication. The program will provide a solid grounding in research, theory, message development, and analysis to prepare graduates for careers in education, business, mass media, and/or government.

The master's student should begin study in the Department of Communication with the standard undergraduate competencies. If the student lacks such competencies, they should be developed prior to attempting the master's program. Students receiving the master's degree from the Department of Communication must:

1. Have a thorough grounding in theories relevant to a particular area of interest, and have the ability to apply this knowledge to the solution of a variety of communication-related problems;
2. Have been exposed to a variety of research and analytical or critical methods, have a basic understanding of these, and have demonstrated a working command of at least one methodology; and
3. Have a basic knowledge of and appreciation for approaches to the study of communication from a variety of perspectives.

Assistantships

A small number of graduate teaching assistantships are available annually. The assistantships carry a stipend and tuition remission for courses required for the degree. The assistantships are for one year with possible renewal for one additional year. No student can receive an assistantship for more than two academic years. Assistantships are only offered for the Fall term.  The deadline for applying for an assistantship is March 9th.
The minimum requirements for assistantship in the department are:

1. The equivalent of an academic minor in communication and related areas or a demonstrated successful professional background in a communication-oriented occupation for a minimum of three years.
2. A 3.0 undergraduate cumulative point average (or the equivalent) and a 3.0 in the academic major or minor (communication).
3. Admission to the master's degree program in communication on regular status.

Advising

The advisor serves the student in planning the program of study, supervising the administration of comprehensive examinations, and (when appropriate) directing the student's thesis project.

The graduate program director serves as a temporary advisor to assist the student with initial enrollment and program planning. The student should choose a permanent advisor from among available communication faculty before the middle of the second semester (or completion of nine semester hours). The student must gain approval from the faculty member and the program director before the faculty member will be appointed as permanent advisor. Subsequent changes of advisor require approval of the program director.

After consultation with the permanent advisor, the student should submit a proposed program plan (on the forms provided by the program director) no later than the end of 12 semester hours. A copy of the proposed program should be on file in the program director's office.
 

Master of Arts in Communication (CMM)

General Requirements

All students enrolled in the program are subject to the following general requirements.

¹ Required course for those in Programs A (Communication Non-Thesis Track) and C (Interdisciplinary Track); This course can be taken by thesis students (those in program B) as an elective.

Program A - Communication Non-Thesis Track

Program A consists of 36 semester hours of coursework, of which 30 semester hours must be from the Department of Communication. Students who choose Program A are required to successfully complete the core requirements as early as possible in the academic program.

Program B - Communication Thesis Track

Program B consists of 36 semester hours, which includes 30-33 hours of coursework and three to six credit hours of COM 598 Thesis and/or COM 599 Thesis. Students may take up to six semester hours outside the department.

The student will select a thesis committee consisting of the advisor and at least two other faculty members (one of the faculty members may be from outside the Department of Communication.) Students may register for three semester hours of COM 598 Thesis during the term that the prospectus will be presented to the thesis committee for approval. 

The thesis should report original research on some important question relevant to the study of communication. The prospectus should also include a detailed description of the research methods to be used as well as suggested analytic techniques. 

The prospectus will be developed in consultation with the thesis advisor, although the student must have the methodological competence necessary to complete the proposed project. Once the prospectus is approved by the advisor, it must be presented to the thesis committee for approval. The completed prospectus will constitute the first half of the thesis and serves, essentially, as a contract between the student and the committee. 

After the prospectus has been approved, the student may register for an additional three hours of thesis credit while completing COM 599 Thesis. The student will then collect and analyze the data required to answer the questions raised in the prospectus. Once this has been completed, the prospectus will become the first half of the thesis, followed by a chapter reporting the results of the study and a chapter discussing the implications of those results. The thesis will be revised until the advisor considers it satisfactory, at which time it will be presented to the members of the thesis committee by the student, who will orally defend the thesis in an examination conducted by the thesis committee. The master's degree is not completed until the thesis has been approved by the committee.

Should a student fail the final verbal defense, the thesis may be defended again, provided the student's thesis committee recommends a second attempt. The second attempt to defend the thesis will be final. Failure of the second oral defense will require a majority vote of the student's thesis committee.  

Program C - Communication/Interdisciplinary Track

Courses in business administration, English, psychology and political science have been designated for Communication/Interdisciplinary study leading to the Master of Arts.

Students take 36 semester hours of coursework; 24 of those hours must be in communication and 12 in one of the interdisciplinary areas. Students who choose the Communication/Interdisciplinary Track are required to successfully complete the core requirements.

1. All students must complete the core requirements.
2. Demonstration of satisfactory progress toward the degree which includes the requirement that students maintain a minimum average of B (3.0) in coursework. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be dismissed from the program.
3. Students are permitted no more than six semester hours with grades of C or lower. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be dismissed from the program.
4. It is the student's responsibility to know and to meet the requirements of the University and of the Department of Communication graduate program.

NOTE: It is expected that each master's students will enroll in the required core courses as early as possible.

Program A - Communication Non-Thesis Track

Program A consists of 36 semester hours of coursework, of which 24 semester hours must be from the Department of Communication. Students who choose Program A are required to successfully complete the core requirements as early as possible in the academic program.

Program B - Communication Thesis Track

Program B consists of 36 semester hours, which includes 30~33 hours of coursework and three to six credit hours of COM 598 Thesis and/or COM 599 Thesis.  Students may take up to 6 semester hours outside the department.

The student will select a thesis committee consisting of the advisor and at least two other faculty members (one of the faculty members may be from outside the Department of Communication.) Students may register for three semester hours of COM 598 Thesis during the term that the prospectus will be presented to the thesis committee for approval. 

The thesis should report original research on some important question relevant to the study of communication. The prospectus should also include a detailed description of the research methods to be used as well as suggested analytic techniques. 

The prospectus will be developed in consultation with the thesis advisor, although the student must have the methodological competence necessary to complete the proposed project. Once the prospectus is approved by the advisor, it must be presented to the thesis committee for approval. The completed prospectus will constitute the first half of the thesis and serves, essentially, as a contract between the student and the committee. 

After the prospectus has been approved, the student may register for an additional three hours of thesis credit while completing COM 599 Thesis. The student will then collect and analyze the data required to answer the questions raised in the prospectus. Once this has been completed, the prospectus will become the first half of the thesis, followed by a chapter reporting the results of the study and a chapter discussing the implications of those results. The thesis will be revised until the advisor considers it satisfactory, at which time it will be presented to the members of the thesis committee by the student, who will orally defend the thesis in an examination conducted by the thesis committee. The master's degree is not completed until the thesis has been approved by the committee.

Should a student fail the final oral defense, the thesis may be defended again, provided the student's thesis committee recommends a second attempt. The second attempt to defend the thesis will be final. Failure of the second oral defense will require a majority vote of the student's thesis committee.  

Program C - Communication/Interdisciplinary Track

Courses in business administration, English, psychology, and political science have been designated for Communication/Interdisciplinary study leading to the Master of Arts.

Students take 36 semester hours of coursework; 24 of those hours must be in communication and 12 in one of the interdisciplinary areas. Students who choose the Communication/Interdisciplinary Track are required to successfully complete the core requirements.

The Bachelor’s-Plus-Master’s (BPM) Program
 
The Department of Communication offers a five-year BPM program in communication where students can earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree at an accelerated pace.  This is achieved part through careful program coordination and, in many cases, by allowing BPM undergraduates to take up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework to simultaneously satisfy both undergraduate and graduate program requirements. Communication undergraduate majors maintaining a 3.2 overall GPA are invited to apply during their junior year. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies at 937-229-2053 for further information about the program.

Certificate in Digital and Multimedia Communication (DMC)

Certificate in Health Communication (HCM)

Foundational Courses

Electives

Certificate in Strategic Public Relations (SPR)

This certificate program is designed to provide fundamental theories and knowledge that explore ways to effectively manage mutually beneficial relationships for any organization.  The roles of values are introduced and discussed in every aspect of public relations practices as values are important factors in affecting the publics’ attitudes and behaviors. The elective courses give specific yet advanced skills and abilities that public relations practitioners can use to manage and address the stakeholders with well-crafted messages via suitable communication channels.

The certificate program consists of 12 semester hours of courses. This certificate is offered exclusively online.

Foundational Courses

Electives

¹

The School of Business Administration's transition to the MBA@Dayton online may affect the availability of some on ground MBA courses.  Additionally, MBA@Dayton courses are 10 weeks in length with four starts per academic year.  Graduate Certificate students may enroll in online MBA courses through MBA@Dayton in accordance with Graduate School policy, but should be aware of timing and availability.