Communication, M.A.

Communication (M.A.) 45 units

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Program Description

Students who complete the Master of Arts degree in Communication will gain understanding and expertise in media studies, organizational and interpersonal communication. By enabling them to critically analyze and improve spoken and written messages, the program prepares students to play valuable roles in business, industry, government, and education; to pursue doctoral study; and to communicate effectively in day-to-day life.

The study of Communication includes theories and critical methods of rhetoric and communication, as well as critical analysis of messages as they occur within and across public, interpersonal, and organizational contexts, and across disciplines. The department focuses upon relating theory to practice in ways that recognize and explore the profound influences of ethics and cultural experience on how we communicate. Cal State East Bay’s Communication program is widely and highly regarded for its excellence in preparing business, government, teaching professionals, and Ph.D. students.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with an M.A. in Communication will be able to:

1. Engage critical and creative thinking toward a convergent praxis of theory and applications relevant to tensions, transitions, and transformation in the communication discipline;
2. Develop a program of original research adding to the discovery of knowledge, theory and practical applications toward issues in the communication discipline;
3. Demonstrate results of original research development in the communication discipline through presentation in written, oral, and mediated formats;
4. Develop critical and cultural perspectives toward the role of the communication discipline in promoting equity, social justice, and solutions to complex problems in various communities.

Career Opportunities

Students with an M.A. in Communication are educated to speak, think, and write clearly and effectively. Because these are highly-sought-after skills, graduates are valuable employees in many jobs, including but not limited to teaching, consulting, human resources, personnel, communication training in organizations, management, banking, sales, government, and politics. The degree is also excellent preparation for Ph.D. and law degrees.

Faculty: Areas of Specialization

The graduate faculty is comprised of seven professors committed to teaching excellence and research. The faculty are well respected and are involved in professional organizations, in campus activities, and in community service.

Katherine Bell, Ph.D., 2012, University of Washington; MA, 2006, York University: Critical cultural studies, celebrity culture, consumer culture, race, gender and sexual identities in media, journalism.

Lonny Brooks, Ph.D. 2004, University of California, San Diego; M.L.I.S. 1995, University of California, Los Angeles: organizational communication, information technologies, critical ethnography, communication theory and research

Mary Cardaras, Ph.D., 2011, Department of Political Science: M.S.1980  Northwestern University Broadcast Journalism:  Public and International Affairs, Political Communication, Media and Politics.

Grant Kien, Ph.D., 2006, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, M.A., 2002, York University: technography, technology and organizational/social change, digital media and culture, qualitative research, globalization.

William H Lawson, PhD, 2008 Florida State University, M.S. 2005 Florida State University: rhetorical criticism, agency, and visual communication 

Yung-I Liu, Ph.D., 2008, The Ohio State University, M.A., 1998, The Ohio State University: strategic communication, political campaign communication, communication geography, quantitative and statistical research methods, media effects on different ethnic groups.

Terry West, Ph.D., 1994, Southern Illinois University, M.A., 1985, Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University): communication education, argumentation, critical thinking, persuasion, forensics, debate.

Areas of Emphasis

Students in the department take regularly-offered seminars and upper division courses in organizational communication, interpersonal communication, media studies, and intercultural communication. In addition, students may choose among special-topics seminars, upper division courses, and independent study. Advisors work with students to create programs of study that meet their goals.

Features

The Communication Department is proud to be responsible for The Pioneer and The Pioneer Online. These are the centerpieces of our digital media production, multimedia journalism and ad sales initiatives. The Pioneer is not only a campus paper, but an East Bay community newspaper. It is distributed on campus and to 150 news stands in seven surrounding communities, from Fremont to San Lorenzo including 5 BART stations. Our growing online newspaper, which includes video and radio podcasts is available to anyone around the world. http://thepioneeronline.com/  In the coming months, we will be launching College Newsnet International (CNI), which our East Bay journalism students students will govern. It is a global news service written and produced by college journalism students from around the world. Our students and others from the Bay Area and indeed all of California will contribute content to this new online publication.

Students post their video work through a portal called Pioneer Web TV and have access to one of the largest studios in the East Bay, fully equipped with lighting gear, sets and a control room. http://pioneerwebvideo.com/home.html#3 The Department is also well endowed with field ENG equipment, including cameras, lights, mixers, and microphones and editing labs with software, which includes both AVID and Final Cut Pro. Students also produce radio podcasts and have full access to appropriate studio and field gear. They provide the campus and surrounding communities with news, special events coverage, profiles and web streaming for sports, concerts, and featured campus lectures. 

The Pioneer has a very successful sales advertising force, which operates under the auspices of our public relations and advertising option in the curriculum.  Their work selling ads to our community businesses supports the award-winning journalism in the newspaper and online. 

The Department of Communication manages the Communication Lab, which serves the entire university providing communication-related support services. Upper division Communication majors and graduate students serve as tutors, who help students research, organize, and deliver their speeches and presentations.  The Department also offers campus internship programs for credit and each year awards a number of scholarships to Communication majors. Juniors, seniors and graduate students are trained to be tutors to all students enrolled in the presentation of public speeches in a supportive environment. The lab is also home to a new Debate Club, which competes regionally and nationally and which will soon sponsor “Speech Night” regularly on campus.

The department has affiliations with the National Communication Association (NCA), the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA), and the California Intercollegiate Press Association (CIPA). The department also sponsors a campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Work Study: If you are interested in the work study program, consult with the Financial Aid Office, 3rd Floor, Student Services and Administration.

Internships: With the permission of your committee chair, students may earn up to four units of internship credit by working in the Communication Lab, by mentoring in COMM 1000 or COMM 1004, by internship through Co-op Education, by internship in Organizational Communication, or by other work-related internships.

Teaching Associates

Qualified students may be granted opportunities to teach, to assist in forensics, or to assist a professor on a project. To be eligible for consideration in teaching COMM 1000 and/or COMM 1004, students must show satisfactory achievement in COMM 6250 (Teaching Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication), successful completion of specified coursework. and must have mentored with a faculty member in the course(s) they wish to teach .Interested students should consult with the Graduate Coordinator or the department Chair.

Scholarships and Awards

• The Karl Robinson Scholarship is awarded to outstanding Communication students and M.A. candidates who show potential for excellence in scholarly achievement.
• The Outstanding Graduate Student Award is given to students who demonstrate outstanding scholarship, leadership, and contribution to the program.
• The Outstanding Teaching Associate Award is given to students who demonstrate outstanding performance in teaching.

Admission

Application for admission includes two parts:

1. submit the university application form, with fee, to the Admissions Office, Student Services and Administration Building, Cal State East Bay, Hayward, CA 94542;
2. submit the department application form, a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, and a sample of scholarly writing to the Graduate Coordinator, Department of Communication, Cal State East Bay, Hayward, CA 94542. Both university and department application forms are available on the Department of Communication website. You may be admitted under one of the following:

“Classified Graduate” Standing

For admission with “Classified Graduate” standing to the M.A. program in Communication, students must:

1. submit an application to pursue a specific program of graduate study and be accepted by the department and the university
2. have completed a baccalaureate major in Communication from an accredited institution, or appropriate preparatory coursework approved by the faculty
3. have maintained an overall grade point average of at least 3.00, and
4. satisfied the University Writing Skills Requirement.

“Conditionally Classified Graduate” Standing

If a student’s communication major did not include prerequisite courses, if a student’s degree is in another field, or if the University Writing Skills Requirement has not been satisfied, it may be possible to be admitted with “Conditionally Classified Graduate” standing. In this case, students are admitted graduate students but have conditions to meet. Student status will remain conditional until the work is completed with a minimum of “B” or better grades and the Writing Skills Test has been passed. (See the following section, “Degree Requirements,” for prerequisite courses.)

Degree Requirements

The M.A. in Communication requires completion of 45 units in an approved program of study, with a “B” (3.0) or better.

Up to 12 units at the 4000 level may count toward graduation.

Up to 12 units of Independent Study may be taken (by advisor approval) which may also count towards your degree. No more than two Independent Study units may be taken as mentee or intern credit.

Up to 12 units of graduate seminars outside the Communication Department may be taken (by advisor approval) at or above the 4000 level.

All courses are four units unless otherwise specified. In cases of transferred credit, a minimum of 32 units must be completed at CSU East Bay.

Writing Skills Requirement

All students must meet the University Writing Skills Requirement (UWSR) to become fully “Classified Graduate” students. Graduate students must begin satisfaction of this requirement in their first quarter of their residency.

Attainment of “Classified Graduate” Standing

To attain “Classified Graduate” standing, a student must have completed all prerequisites with grades of “B” or better and satisfied the University Writing Skills Requirement. Notify the graduate advisor immediately upon completion, and request that s(he) complete the necessary paper work.

Advancement to Candidacy

To be Advanced to Candidacy for the M.A. degree in Communication, the student must:

1. be a “Classified Graduate” student in good standing;
2. complete 12 quarter units beyond the prerequisites with at least “B” grades;
3. choose a program advisor;
4. submit a study plan for completion of the degree program to the program advisor;
5. have the thesis proposal or project proposal approved by their graduate adviser, if applicable;
6. show evidence of progress and ability to complete the program.

Capstone Experiences

1. Project (5 units): Upon approval of his/her graduate committee, a student may elect the Project option (5 units); enrollment commits the student to a production of a piece of work which is to follow prescribed forms; a permanent record is to be filed in the departmental office.
2. University Thesis (9 units): Upon approval of his/her graduate committee, a student may elect the University Thesis; s/he will carry out research on a specific topic in the field and will report, review, and file the results; s/he will be examined on the thesis (see 3, below under “Examinations” heading); the University Thesis carries 9 units of credit.
3. Comprehensive Examination: A student may elect a program made up entirely of a minimum of 45 units of approved coursework, including COMM 6901 - Comprehensive Examination Preparation. A comprehensive examination must be passed.

Examinations

1. Students electing the Project option (5 units) will sit for a two-hour oral defense of their project at its completion.
2. Students electing the University Thesis option will sit for a two-hour oral defense of the thesis at its completion.
3. Satisfactory achievement on comprehensive written and oral examinations will be required of students electing the coursework and project options. For the comprehensive examinations, the student will be tested on all coursework taken during their graduate study, including all required courses and any coursework in progress during the quarter of examination.

Course Descriptions

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Other Graduate & Post-Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

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In addition to departmental requirements, every student must also satisfy the university requirements for graduation as described in the  chapter in this catalog. These include the 32-unit residence requirement, the five year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 6000-level courses, the 3.00 grade point average, and the University Writing Skills Requirement. For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at www.csueastbay.edu/testing or call 510.885.3661.