Accelerated Degree BA/MA Communication, Media, and Persuasion

Department website: https://www.isu.edu/cmp/

Program Description

BA/MA Accelerated Master’s Program in Communication allows exceptional students to complete both programs on an accelerated schedule, thereby saving students money and allowing them to enter the workforce with a Master’s degree more quickly than if a student simply completed the Bachelor’s degree and then entered the Master’s program. For more information on our accelerated BA/MA programs see the Communication, Media, and Persuasion Programs page in the undergraduate catalog.

Mission

For more than fifty years, ISU’s Master of Arts in Communication program has been preparing graduates to be active citizens in public life who critically engage with the world, whether as creative, strategic professionals or as researchers pursuing academic careers in teaching and scholarship. The program continues this mission in the 21st century by using contemporary methods and best practices in communication.

The graduate program offers a flexible integration of knowledge, skills, and research:

  • by Flexible, we mean students are afforded an opportunity to customize a curriculum tailored to their interests among the spheres of public and mediated communication;
  • by Knowledge, we mean that students acquire a thorough understanding of the practices and theories of communication as well as perspective and methods;
  • by Skills, we mean students learn to strategically craft verbal, written, and visual messages for businesses and nonprofit organizations, political campaigns, and/or media industries;
  • and by Research, we mean students utilize the methods and theories of communication to create new, relevant scholarship that critically explores the ethical, mediated, and persuasive aspects of communication.

Goals and Outcomes

The Master’s program in communication encompasses the following goals:

  • Graduates will develop an understanding of communication research methodology and roles of research in academia.
  • Graduates finishing their master’s degree will find professional employment in public or private sectors of business, service, or education.
  • Graduates will further their graduate careers by pursuing a doctorate in communication.

Preparation and Expectations

Undergraduate students at ISU may start graduate coursework after completing 90 undergraduate credits. Up to 9 credits taken at the graduate level may be counted towards completion of the undergraduate degree. Students may apply up to 9 credits of classes taken at the 5500 level to count as 3300/4400 equivalents toward their BA degree at ISU. Students may also take CMP 6601 to count toward an upper-division elective towards their BA degree. Interested students should contact the department directly and work closely with their department advisor to select the proper classes. In addition to the admission requirements for the MA program, applicants to this program must have a 3.0 GPA or higher.

All programs of study will be expected to reflect the following departmental standards:

  • A minimum of 30 MA program credits
  • At least 15 credits must be from 6600-level course work.
  • At least 18 credits must be from course work in Communication, Media, and Persuasion.