MA Degree Requirements
The minimum degree requirement is 30 credits, including 24 credits taken in the Department of Communication; that is, only a maximum of 6 credits taken outside the department may count toward the total credits required. Students must take 24 of the 30 required credits in courses numbered 700 or above. Other limitations are:
- A maximum of 6 graduate credits may be from departments other than Communication, if the student’s major professor approves those credits as substantially contributing to the student’s program in advance of enrollment.
- A maximum of 6 graduate credits may be earned in courses numbered below 700 (i.e., those designated Undergraduate/Graduate).
- A maximum of 6 credits may be earned in Commun 860.
- A maximum of 3 credits may be earned in Commun 998.
- A maximum of 3 credits may be earned in Commun 999.
- A maximum of 9 credits may be earned from the combination of Commun 998, Commun 999 and courses outside the department.
- If a student elects to do a thesis, 1 to 6 credits of Commun 990 may count toward the degree.
Students must complete either an MA Portfolio Project [MAPP] or a thesis.
MA Degree Program: Credits and Courses
Required and elective courses available to MA program students are listed below.
Required Courses
- General
- Commun 800 – Proseminar: The Discipline of Communication (3 credits)
- One of the following Methods Courses
- Commun 700 – Quantitative Research in Communication (3 credits)
- Commun 701 – Critical Analysis of Communication (3 credits)
- Commun 702 – Qualitative Research in Communication (3 credits)
- Commun 770 – Measurement and Evaluation in Speech Communication (3 credits)
Elective Courses
Subject to the credit and/or course restrictions and options listed above, students may complete their program of study with a minimum of 24 credits in elective courses selected from courses in the Department of Communication listed below:
- Undergraduate/Graduate [U/G] Courses (3 credits unless otherwise noted)
- Commun 550 – International and Global Communication
- Commun 627 – Designing and Developing Communication Training Interventions
- Commun 640 – Contemporary Issues in Freedom of Speech
- Commun 655 – Communication Issues in Cultural Adjustment and Training
- Commun 665 – Introduction to Mediation
- Commun 667 – Great American Speakers and Issues
- Commun 672 – Speech Communication and Social Order
- Commun 675 – International Mediation and Peacebuilding
- Commun 681 – Communication in a World of AIDS
- Graduate [G] Courses (3 credits unless otherwise noted)
- Commun 700 – Quantitative Research in Communication
- Commun 701 – Critical Analysis of Communication
- Commun 702 – Qualitative Research in Communication
- Commun 710 – Managerial Communication
- Commun 715 – Technology for Health Communication
- Commun 727 – Seminar in Communication and E-Learning
- Commun 735 – Theories of Rhetorical Communication
- Commun 750 – Theory and Research in Intercultural Communication
- Commun 762 – Argumentation in Theory and Practice
- Commun 768 – Seminar in Theories of Speech Communication
- Commun 770 – Measurement and Evaluation in Speech Communication
- Commun 772 – Rhetorical Leadership and Ethics
- Commun 801 – Seminar in Interpersonal Communication
- Commun 802 – Marital and Family Communication
- Commun 803 – Gender and Communication
- Commun 804 – Seminar on Sexuality and Communication
- Commun 805 – Topics in Interpersonal Communication: [subtitle] (3 credits; repeatable up to 9 credits with change of topic)
- Commun 806 – Understudied Close Relationships
- Commun 807 – Dark Side of Close Relationships
- Commun 810 – Studies of Communication in Organizations
- Commun 812 – Communication Policy for Organizations
- Commun 813 – Seminar in Mediated Communication
- Commun 815 – Communication Technologies in Organizations
- Commun 820 – Communication in Customer Service Settings
- Commun 823 – Seminar in Small Group Communication
- Commun 827 – Seminar in Programs of Adult Communication
- Commun 830 – Negotiation
- Commun 835 – Seminar in Contemporary Public Address
- Commun 837 – Instructional Communication in the College Classroom
- Commun 850 – Seminar in Intercultural Communication
- Commun 857 – Application of Intercultural Communication
- Commun 862 – Public Deliberation
- Commun 864 – Communication and Social Influence
- Commun 865 – Theory and Practice of Mediation
- Commun 872 – Rhetorics of Constituting Community and Social Controversy
- Commun 873 – The Digital Mirror
- Commun 874 – Rhetoric of Women’s Rights in the U.S.
- Commun 881 – Interpersonal Health Communication
- Commun 882 – Rhetoric of Kenneth Burke
- Commun 893 – Rhetoric of/and the Internet
- Commun 902 – Advanced Qualitative Research in Communication-Interviewing
- Commun 913 – Advanced Topics in Group Communication: [subtitle] (3 credits; repeatable up to 9 credits with change of topic)
- Commun 950 – Theory Building in Communication and Culture
- Commun 965 – Discourses of Conflict
- Commun 971 – Meta-Analysis: Practice and Application
- Commun 972 – Methods in Communication Research: [subtitle] (3 credits; repeatable up to 9 credits with change of topic)
- Commun 973 – Topics in Rhetorical Research: [subtitle] (3 credits; repeatable up to 9 credits with change of topic)
- Commun 981 – Communication and HIV/AIDS
- Variable Topics or Individualized Courses in Communication
- Commun 860 – Seminar: Issues in Communication (3-6 credits).
Students may count a maximum of six credits of 860 toward the degree. Only three credits of 860 may be counted in the student’s primary concentration area. - Commun 990 – Research and Thesis (1-12 credits).
Production of a thesis under the supervision of student’s major professor with consultation of the degree committee. Research and thesis credits are repeatable up to 12 credits for doctoral students and 6 credits for MA students. Students must obtain the consent of their Major Professor before enrolling. - Commun 998 – Internship (1-3 credits).
Students may count only three credits of 998 toward the degree. Internship credits earned in the Department of Communication cannot, however, be applied to satisfy minimum credit distribution requirements in required or content areas. They must be considered elective courses. - Commun 999 – Independent Study (1-3 credits).
Students may count only three credits of 999 toward the degree. Independent study credits earned in the Department of Communication cannot, however, be applied to satisfy minimum credit distribution requirements in required or content areas. They must be considered elective courses.
Thematic Course of Study in Communication
Once a student is admitted to this degree program, a faculty advisor will work with the student to identify areas of interest and develop a thematic course of study. One potential option is the 15-credit transcript-designated concentration in Rhetorical Leadership; for details on what that concentration involves, please check the Rhetorical Leadership website. A student need not choose a transcript-designated concentration to have an approved or appropriate thematic course of study in this degree; there are many options that can be formulated with one’s faculty advisor.
Graduate Grievance Procedures
Federal law and UWM policy require programs and departments to have procedures for graduate students to appeal academic decisions such as grades or scholastic standing. These procedures ensure the protection of students’ rights. These pages serve as a reference on procedures for graduate student academic appeals.
For MA Program information, contact:
Sara VanderHaagen, Associate Professor Graduate Program Director
Johnston Hall, Room 227
Department of Communication
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
vanderha@uwm.edu