|
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION -
GRADUATE
www.com.miami.edu
AREAS OF STUDY
A. The School of Communication offers graduate programs
leading to the Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts and
Master of Fine Arts degrees.
B. Courses are available in the following areas of study
1. COMMUNICATION STUDIES (M.A.)
is a flexible program of study in communication theory and
research that can be adapted to the interests and needs of
the student. All students complete coursework in communication
theory and research methods. The program is tailored to the
individual and emphasizes the student’s development
of research skills under faculty supervision.
Thesis is required.
2. JOURNALISM (M.A.)
is an intensive program of academic study and supervised,
hands-on practice designed to develop competitive, high-level
newsgathering, reporting, news writing, and news editing skills.
Students have the option to concentrate in either PRINT JOURNALISM
or TELEVISION BROADCAST JOURNALISM. Operating in a news bureau
setting, the program begins in the fall semester. No prior
training or experience in journalism is required.
3. FILM STUDIES (M.A.)
examines the creative, historical, critical and theoretical
aspects of the moving image arts. The curriculum seeks to
develop the student’s research, analytical and writing
skills to a high level of professional scholarship and research.
Thesis is required.
4. MOTION PICTURES (M.F.A.)
offers programs with an emphasis in PRODUCTION, PRODUCING,
or SCREENWRITING. Students are required to complete three
critical or analytical courses, three professional development
courses, and three production or screenwriting courses. With
the approval and supervision of the faculty, each student
conceives and executes or produces a major creative project
– either a motion picture or a feature-length screenplay.
All M.F.A. students must demonstrate competence in a required
list of readings or films included in required Film Culture
classes. Students deficient in production or screenwriting
may be required to take one or more undergraduate courses,
or to complete the Summer Motion Picture Production Institute.
5. PUBLIC RELATIONS (M.A.)
offers two programs. The thesis track program provides and
opportunity to supplement a working foundation and knowledge
with pertinent theory and research methodologies. A thesis
is required. A second non-thesis track program builds from
a foundation of public relations and communication courses.
A practicum is required in lieu of a thesis for this 36-credit
program.
6. SPANISH LANGUAGE JOURNALISM (M.A.)
offers a news media graduate program where various journalism cultures of the Americas are studied and compared. It is open to recent
graduates of communication and related programs and to mid-career
professionals who want to update their skills and advance
their knowledge of media theories with information technologies, industry and management, and ethical and policy issues, among others.
Graduate students are encouraged to pursue independent and critical thinking, research and creative work as appropriate to the fulfillment of the requirements of their degree. In addition, the graduate program seeks to support innovative approaches and ideas and to aid in the pursuit of relevant scholarly and creative endeavors.
ADMISSION TO GRADUATE STUDIES
Requirements for admission to graduate status for the Master
of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degree in the School of Communication
are:
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• The School’s official application
• A $50.00 non-refundable application fee
• Official transcripts of all college work, both undergraduate
and graduate
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official TOEFL scores for international students
• A 500-word typed statement of academic and professional
goals
• Essays or other writing samples as required by the
Journalism, Film Studies, and Motion Pictures programs.
Additional requirements may apply for admission to the motion
picture production and screenwriting concentrations.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
A. Programs of Study for the Master of Arts and Master of
Fine Arts degrees are available with these options:
1. MASTER OF ARTS - THESIS TRACK
For the program including a thesis, the candidate must
complete a minimum of 30 credit hours on the graduate
level with the approval of a faculty advisor. Of the 30
credit hours, 15 credit hours must be at or above the
600 level. 6 credit hours will be earned for thesis work.
The thesis may represent an applied research project,
original research, or a critical review on a topic approved
by a thesis committee. The thesis committee chair must
be a member of the Graduate Faculty of the University.
A thesis is required of all Communication Studies, Film
Studies, and thesis-track Public Relations students.
2. MASTER OF ARTS - NON-THESIS TRACK
Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours on
the graduate level with the approval of a faculty advisor.
Of the 36 credit hours, 18 must be at or above the 600
level.
3. MASTER OF FINE ARTS
The candidate must complete a minimum of 42 credit hours
with the approval of a faculty advisor. Of the 42 credits
hours, at least 24 must be at or above the 600 level.
B. GENERAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
1. All students in the Master of Arts (M.A.) program
will complete the following core courses :
COM 601 Theories of Communication or CMP 667 Film Culture
II
COM 602 Methods of Communication Research or COM 603
Qualitative Research Methodologies
2. All students in the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program
will take 3 courses from Critical and Analytical studies,
3 courses from the Professional Development offerings,
6 to 9 credits from the Production courses, and the M.F.A.
project.
3. With the approval of a faculty advisor, a student
may take from 6 to 15 credits hours in courses outside
the School of Communication.
4. Candidates who complete a thesis must have their proposals
formally approved by their thesis committee following
a personal meeting with committee members. Candidates
will be given final oral examinations in defense of their
theses.
5. Comprehensive Examinations are required for all M.A.
programs. At least one member of the examining committee
must be a member of the Graduate Faculty of the University.
Ph.D. IN COMMUNICATION
The Ph.D. program is a highly individualized and innovative
program. Students are paired, after their first year of
study, with a faculty member who assists the student in
developing research techniques and teaching and writing
skills necessary for an outstanding media, business, industry,
or educational career.
Research interests of the School of Communication faculty
are diverse. Possible areas of specialization for doctoral
work include intercultural communication, health communication,
organizational communication, international communication,
political communication, interpersonal communication, film
studies, public relations and mass communication.
A. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
1. Students will not be admitted to the doctoral program
until they have earned a masters degree in communication
or in another appropriate field.
2. Courses
Students must complete 57 credits of course work beyond
the master’s degree. 24 credits must be in courses
at the 600-level. No transfer credits may count toward
these 24 credits. At a minimum, 12 of the 57 credits must
be dissertation credits.
Communication students will complete the following:
Core courses (15 credits):
COM 601 - Theories of Communication
COM 602 - Methods of Communication Research
COM 603 - Qualitative Research Methodologies
COM 604 - Advanced Communication Research Methods
COM 610 – Doctoral Colloquium
COM 613 – History of Communication
6 credits of doctoral seminars (COM 698)
Communication Electives (9-12 credits)
Courses outside the School of Communication (12-15 credits)
3. Examinations
All School of Communication Ph.D. students will be given
written and oral comprehensive examinations following
the conclusion of all course work prior to being admitted
to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. A majority of the examination
committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty of the
University. A failure to pass the comprehensive examination
will require the student to retake and pass the examination
within one calendar year. Any student who fails to be
admitted to candidacy for the degree within this one-year
period will be dismissed from the program.
4. Dissertation
Students must complete a minimum of 12 dissertation credits.
Students must proceed with the dissertation after the
dissertation committee has been appointed and the dissertation
proposal has been approved by the committee and accepted
by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate School.
The dissertation must be an investigation of a substantial
scholarly topic. A final oral defense of the dissertation
is required.
Admission Requirements for Doctoral Status
• A Master’s degree in communication, or in
another appropriate field, is required of all applicants.
The degree must be in addition to a bachelor’s degree.
All degrees must be from accredited institutions.
• The School’s official application
• A $50.00 non-refundable application fee
• Official transcripts of all college work, both undergraduate
and graduate
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
• Official TOEFL scores for international students
• Letter of intent – a minimum 500 word typed
statement of academic and professional goals
• A copy of the completed master’s thesis or
comparable scholarly work if no master’s thesis has
been completed. If the master’s thesis is in progress,
completed chapters should be submitted.
All students should consult the School of Communication Graduate
Studies Handbook for additional requirements.
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
JAMES BATTEN SCHOLARSHIP
Awarded to a qualified student enrolled in the graduate
program in professional print journalism.
Information regarding other scholarships is available on
the School’s web page.
• COMMUNICATION COURSES: Dept. Code: COM
• COMMUNICATION STUDIES COURSES: Dept. Code: COS
• PUBLIC RELATIONS COURSES: Dept. Code: CAP
• TV BROADCAST JOURNALISM COURSES: Dept. Code: CBR
• PRINT JOURNALISM COURSES: Dept. Code: CNJ
• MOTION PICTURES COURSES: Dept. Code: CMP
|
