Communication, BA/MA

Admissions Requirements

Students will be admitted to the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences under the requirements for the BA in Communication.  The requirements and sequence of courses will be the same as the Communication major for their first 3 years. All incoming students will be informed of the option to pursue the combined degree program in the required freshman experience course during their first semester and then advised accordingly, on an individual basis, if they wish to pursue it. Students will be counseled that the combined program is not meant for every communication student but is for those who demonstrate the required commitment and maintain an excellent academic standing. As such, only the highly motivated and top-quality students will be admitted to the combined degree program. Students who are admitted to the combined program will complete their application process for the MA degree and the GS Form 27 in their junior year for admission at the beginning of their 7th semester (senior year).  The students will have a primary classification as an undergraduate and a secondary classification as a master’s student. They will then be reclassified as master’s students at the end of their senior year, after the award of the undergraduate degree.

Degree Requirements

The 4+1 program in CCA is a 30-credit hour program that begins in students’ senior year (semester 7).  During the students’ first semester of their senior year, they will enroll in COM 50000 (fall only) and one other 50000 level course.  During the spring semester of their senior year, they will enroll in COM 58400 (spring only) and one other 50000 level course.  Should students want to apply for a teaching assistantship, they should do so by February of their senior year.  Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 at the completion of MA degree, complete 18 graduate credit hours in 5th and final year for a total of (30 graduate credit hours) and successfully pass comprehensive exams in final semester.  Students also complete program assessment questions during their final semester of their 5th year as part of their comprehensive examinations.  During the students two years of graduate coursework, they must present at least once at a conference, and 

complete 18 credit hours of content specific courses.  The teaching assistantships for the final year of the combined program are not guaranteed.  There is a separate application for the assistantships.  Students who apply and receive a teaching assistantship in their 5th and final year of the program, will receive tuition remission and a stipend for each section of COM 11400 they teach (maximum is 2 sections per semester).  Please contact the Department of Communication & Creative Arts for more information.