GRADUATE PROGRAMS

soc graduate coordinator contact information

	Morgan Kirby, Ph.D. SOC Graduate Program Director  Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism Email:  Morgan.Kirby@917877.com Phone: 713-313-6889 Biography Curriculum Vitae

Master of Arts (MA) in Communication

The Master of Arts in Communication program provides advanced knowledge and skills to individuals who want an in-depth understanding of processes, application, engagement, and discovery in an intellectual climate. We pride ourselves on providing a wide range of perspectives, approaches, research, and practical application in communication and multimedia content. Our graduate students thrive by learning in a diverse environment and the richness provided in the various course offerings. As graduate students discover their strengths in communication research and media production, they become more prepared and confident to work in multiple careers or continue their studies at the doctoral level.

The School of Communication (SOC) seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Provide students with a theoretical, practical, and research foundation in Communication and media so that they may acquire enhanced understandings of their professional specialties;
• Prepare students for further study toward the Ph.D. degree;
• Provide students with advanced skills in content creation, production, and industry technology;
• Provide students a platform to expand their real-world industry experience and creative problem-solving

Graduate students in the Master of Arts in Communication program can either earn a thesis or a non-thesis Master's degree with an opportunity to focus their area of study in one of four concentrations. All concentrations in the Master of Arts in Communication are designed to be completed in four semesters if a student attends full time, completes their master's or thesis project, and defends within that time.

• Media Studies
• Organizational Communication
• Health Communication
• Sports and Entertainment Management

CONCENTRATION DESCRIPTIONS

Media Studies

The Media Studies concentration focuses on the understanding, interpretation, and application of the scholarly study of the mass media. This concentration provides foundations in theory and research on mass media and relates the theory and research to these media's professional and ethical/legal/policy aspects. It prepares students for the further development of the foundations in theory and research in doctoral programs and the application of the theory and research in the corporate, governmental, consulting, educational, and public service environments. Students gain an understanding of mass media in courses on such issues as Theory and Process of Communication; Research on Mass Communication; Media Law and Ethics; Media Effects; International Media Systems; Social Media, Culture, and Communication; Race, Gender, Class and the Media; International Mass Media; and Media Technology.

Organizational Communication

This concentration advances the scholarly skills of students in the theoretical frameworks for the study of organizational contexts, Communication within the organization, communication structures of the organization, and crisis management. This concentration incorporates theoretical foundations and research methodology used to study organizational processes, and current problems in organizational contexts (such as corporate and nonprofit systems, employee and management information flow, and organizational culture).

Health Communication

This concentration allows public health professionals, nonprofit leaders, and researchers to gain advanced knowledge of communication models, processes, strategic Communication, and health campaigns. Students gain advanced knowledge of theories, research, and practice to examine current problems in health care. This degree program allows professionals and nonprofessionals to study how information is generated and shared among health professionals, communities, individuals, and public advocates. Students in this concentration develop new understandings of channels, messages, and cultural and other contexts that influence individuals and groups to seek health information. The concentration is also designed to equip professionals with the skills to analyze, design, and evaluate policies, campaigns, and structures in health communication environments. Students acquire the knowledge and skills to plan campaigns, cultivate initiatives for specific groups, analyze program objectives, develop public speaking skills they apply in addressing various audiences, and assess communication processes within different medical environments.

Sports & Entertainment Management 

The concentration offers a master's program geared toward creating new media, sports entertainment, and recording industry management scholars and professionals prepared to enter a computer-native industry. Our program allows students to gain a critical understanding of advanced technologies and a range of skills in audio production and multimedia production, and management and business. Additionally, graduates will understand the theory, methods, and analytical tools needed to create and contribute to scholarship in fields of Communication that are part of the Sports and Entertainment Management discipline.

MA in Professional Communication & Digital Media (PCDM)

Digital communication tools are an important part of the modern communication workplace. Many media professionals and media studies teachers with undergraduate degrees in communication studies, journalism, public relations, or media production are looking for master’s programs to sharpen their professional skills. The School of Communication (SOC) has designed a new master’s program to support the needs of this type of student.

The Masters in Professional Communication and Digital Media examines the strategic use of digital technologies for communication professionals --it addresses how to use the Web and social media to reach out to diverse publics and how to incorporate digital with traditional communication campaigns.

Courses include:

In the Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Digital Media program, after taking foundational and required classes in professional skills, the master’s candidates will complete a two-semester project in long-form journalism, documentary film, web-based journalism, or digital instructional material for classroom use.

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