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M.A. Handbook
M.A. Handbook |
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These requirements are effective for students entering the MA program July 1999 through May 2000. Contents
WelcomeWe are pleased that you have chosen the University of Maryland at College Park as the institution for graduate study in Communication. The following pages describe our M.A. program (for those entering the program after 1 July 1999). The program offers a competency-based degree which is particularly well suited to students who wish to pursue the following areas of concentration: Applied Communication (including Public Relations, Intercultural Communication, Negotiation and Conflict, and Political Communication), Persuasion and Social Change, and Rhetoric and Public Discourse. This website is the official requirements for your degree. We recommend that you make a hard copy of this guide when you matriculate into the program. We have tried to present you with a sufficient amount of information to guide you through to the completion of your degree. Still, you may have additional questions or concerns throughout your course of study. If so, the Director of Graduate Studies and the rest of the Graduate Faculty in Communication will be happy to try to answer your questions. Return to the Contents of this Page Expectations of Previous PreparationNormally our students will have a degree in a communication related discipline. Prior to entering our program, students should have a background which includes: (1) an introduction to statistical reasoning, (2) experience in the analysis of discourse, and (3) experience with writing in an academic context. In some cases, students from other majors and students who do not have this preparatory work may be admitted provisionally with additional course work required prior to admission, and/or additional credit hour requirements imposed as a part of the minimum requirements for the Masters degree. Return to the Contents of this Page Appointment of the Advisory CommitteeUpon entering the program students are assigned a temporary advisor to assist during enrollment for the first semester. During the semester of the sixth hour of graduate credits (normally the first semester), students should select a member of the graduate faculty in Communication to serve as their advisor. Once the faculty member agrees to serve as advisor, students should ask at least two additional graduate faculty to serve on the advisory committee. One of the committee members may be from outside the department. The advisor and committee should then be presented to the Director of Graduate Studies for formal appointment (use the departmental form, Request for Appointment of Advisor and/or Committee). It is possible to change advisors and/or committee members at a later date. Return to the Contents of this Page Constructing the M.A. Program of StudyThe graduate school requires that all students have a unified, coherent program. During the semester of the sixth hour of graduate courses (normally the first semester), students should prepare a preliminary program in consultation with their advisor. This program should be presented to a meeting of the student's advisory committee. The committee may suggest changes, and finally must provide preliminary approval by unanimous vote. During the semester of the twelfth hour of coursework (normally the second semester), students and their advisors should review the preliminary program and present any changes to the advisory committee for approval. The graduate faculty meets once each semester to review these preliminary programs and all programs must be presented prior to this meeting. Changes in the program after approval are possible and even encouraged if appropriate. To make changes, students and their advisors must submit the changes to their advisory committees and to the Director of Graduate Studies. Return to the Contents of this Page Requirements for the M.A. DegreeRequirements for All Students1) All students must complete COMM 700 (Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication). This course must be taken during the first semester of a student's work. 2) All students must complete six hours drawn from the following methods courses with a grade of "B" or above: COMM 600 (Empirical Research in Communication), COMM 711 (Historical-Critical Research in Communication), COMM 714 (Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Communication Research). Students who have not had prior preparation in quantitative social scientific methods must select COMM 600 to partially satisfy this requirement. Students who have not had prior preparation in historical critical methods must select COMM 711 to partially satisfy this requirement. We strongly recommend that students enroll in these methods courses during their first year of study. 3) All students must pass the foundations exam. The foundations exam is offered twice a year (once during Fall semester and once during Spring semester). Students may take the exam during any semester of their program. A three-member committee of the graduate faculty administers the exam, giving identical exams to all students taking the exam in a given semester. The committee grades the exam by blind review. Students who fail the exam on the first attempt may take it one more time during a subsequent semester. More detailed information about the nature of the foundations exam appears below. 4) Students must remain in good standing within the graduate program. In addition to the requirement of the Graduate School that a student maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above, the Department requires that students attend Departmental Colloquia. For more complete requirements for "good standing" see below. Additional Requirements for the Nonthesis Option Additional Requirements for the Thesis Option Additional Requirements for the Nonthesis OptionAlthough this option does not entail preparation of the thesis, it does require completion of a writing project which revises a scholarly paper in the student's major area of concentration. Following are the additional requirements for completing the nonthesis option: 5) Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours including a minimum of 18 hours numbered 600 and above. At least half of the hours must be in Communication. Limited internship credits (up to 3 credit hours of COMM 488 or 1 hour of COMM 688) may be counted toward satisfying requirements for the degree, but not toward satisfying the minimum credits in Communication. Programs must also identify the primary area of concentration in which the student will refine a seminar paper and take a comprehensive exam. 6) Students must revise a successful scholarly paper within their primary area of concentration. This revision should be completed in conjunction with the student's advisor. Following approval by the advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies will also review the paper to certify that it has been prepared in compliance with the Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation Manual (the format for the title page of scholarly paper submissions is illustrated as an appendix to this Handbook). Students are encouraged to complete the scholarly paper revision process in the semester prior to their graduation. 7) In addition to the foundations exam, students must successfully complete an area examination. The examination consists of two parts: (a) a written examination over the student's identified area of concentration, and (b) a one-hour oral examination. The area for the written exam is approved during the review of the student's program of study. At least two faculty examiners, appropriate for the subject matter of the area and appointed by the student's advisory committee, prepare the exam. The examiners do not have to be members of the student's advisory committee. Each student's exam may be unique. Normally the examination will be four hours and will be taken in-camera. The oral exam takes place one to two weeks after the written exam and concentrates primarily, but not exclusively, on the content of the written exam. Both the written and oral portions are evaluated by the student's advisory committee and any additional faculty who have served as examiners. Return to the Contents of this Page Additional Requirements for the Thesis OptionStudents who wish to take the thesis option must fulfill certain preliminary requirements to establish the appropriateness of their more concentrated program: 5) A student who wishes to write a thesis must first present a general statement of the thesis topic to the advisory committee prior to the program review meeting. The committee must then recommend to the faculty that the student is a candidate for the thesis option. The graduate faculty must approve the recommendation as part of their review of the program of study. The decision will rest on the student's academic suitability, the development of a coherent area of expertise in which the student's thesis will be located, and the appropriateness of the thesis option for the student's career objectives. 6) A thesis student must complete a minimum program of 30 credit hours including six hours of COMM 799 (thesis research), and at least 24 hours in course work including a minimum of 12 hours in courses number 600 and above. At least 15 course hours must be in Communication. Internships do not satisfy the minimum requirements for the thesis option. The program will also identify the area of study within which the thesis research will be conducted. 7) In their review of the program, each thesis student's committee will consider additional methods courses which might be required beyond the basic methods requirements to prepare the student to conduct research for the thesis. 8) A student must pass the foundations exam prior to presenting a formal thesis proposal. 9) A student must prepare a formal proposal for a thesis in cooperation with the advisor. The proposal will be presented to the advisory committee at least one semester before the student graduates. After unanimous approval by the advisory committee, the prospectus functions as an agreement between the student and the committee about the scope and nature of the thesis project. 10) Once a student has obtained approval for pursuit of the thesis option, the thesis work should begin. A thesis project must meet the rigorous standards of academic research and must make an original contribution to the research literature in communication. 11) Students must defend their thesis at an open meeting of the thesis examining committee following completion of all other requirements for the thesis option. The degree will be awarded upon unanimous vote of the examining committee. Return to the Contents of this Page DeadlinesThe following pages delineate timetables for the completion of both the thesis and nonthesis options. For each milestone, we have provided (1) the steps students must complete; (2) the time by which student must complete each step; and (3) the appropriate form to verify completion of each step. The Graduate School requires a student to complete all of these steps within five years of matriculation. The student is responsible for making sure that all requirements are met and all forms are turned in on time. The dates listed in the timetables are approximate. Each semester, the Department of Communication and the Graduate School announce exact dates for the completion of each step. Departmental deadlines may vary somewhat from semester to semester. For example, we may move the date for the foundations exam up or back a week if the sixth week of the semester falls on a holiday. A number of forms are required to process a student's progress toward the M.A. degree. Electronic versions of graduate program forms are available on the internal section of the departmental website. Return to the Contents of this Page A Step-by-Step Guide to Completion of the M.A.A Step-by-Step Guide to the Non-Thesis M.A.
Return to the Contents of this Page A Step-by-Step Guide to the Thesis M.A.
Return to the Contents of this Page Procedures for the Foundations ExamWhat is the foundations exam?The foundations exam arose from a conclusion by the graduate faculty that our students often have great facility for discussing some of the specifics of their masters education, but often have much more difficulty articulating the basic underlying precepts of communication study. The exam is not tied to any one course; indeed, material for the examination will be in every course a graduate student takes within the department. Basically, the exam attempts to assure that, before receiving a masters degree, students have a familiarity with the "prerequisite knowledge" for graduate work in communication. Procedure for examThe M. A. rules specify that this exam should be graded anonymously (as possible) by the foundations committee. Once students finish the exam we will make copies of it for the members of the committee who will all read the exam. A majority of the committee must vote "pass" in order for the student to pass the exam. Students who fail the exam may retake the exam in a subsequent semester. Information to prepare students for the examThe members of the examining committee apply two frameworks for evaluating the examination:
These are very general criteria. They do not hide additional criteria of a more specific nature. In fact, the foundations exam is designed to test the student's preparation at this level of abstraction. No one single right answer exists for any of the questions that will be asked. Indeed, many questions may be framed by controversies within the discipline. It is far more important that students be able to express and defend their understanding of the question than that they "discover" the "one right answer." Sample questions
Return to the Contents of this Page Teaching AssistantshipsMany of our M.A. students receive financial aid in the form of teaching assistantships. Anyone who receives an assistantship typically teaches two sections of SPCH 107 or another lower level course each semester. Assistantships provide a stipend and full tuition remission for up to ten credits a semester (Fall and Spring). M.A. students may be reappointed for up to four semesters of funding contingent upon satisfactory progress. M.A. students may not apply for additional semesters of funding. Return to the Contents of this Page Satisfactory ProgressThe faculty may determine that a student is not making satisfactory progress
if the student fails to meet any one of the following standards:
When a student fails to meet any of these criteria for "Good Standing," the Graduate Director will request that the student's Advisory Committee review his or her academic progress. The review will consider overall academic progress and not just the triggering deficiency. Upon conclusion of the review, the student's advisor must submit a letter to the Graduate Director signed in support or dissent by all members of the student's committee: (a) certifying that the student is making satisfactory progress despite the deficient grades, (b) stipulating probationary requirements that the student must meet to remain in the graduate program, or (c) recommending dismissal of the student from the graduate program. (If a student has no Advisory Committee when the deficiency occurs, the Graduate Committee will serve in the place of the Advisory Committee.) All recommendations for termination must be referred by the Graduate Director to a meeting of the Communication graduate faculty for approval. Termination from the program requires a 2/3 majority vote of Communication graduate faculty present and voting at the meeting. Return to the Contents of this Page Appendix A: Title Page Format for Scholarly Paper |
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Department of Communication 2130 Skinner Building University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-7635 Phone: 301-405-8979 Fax: 301-314-9471 |
Last updated:
June 26, 2003
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