Idaho State University offers an online Masters of Arts in Communication through its Communication, Media, and Persuasion department. The program is offered in a completely digital format that does not require students attend class on campus. Idaho State University uses the Moodle learning management system which allows for both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. This means students may be required to attend live online sessions for classes utilize synchronous instruction.
A minimum of 30 credit hours are required to receive and Master of Arts, which takes approximately two years to complete, though an accelerated pace is possible. The program’s curriculum emphasizes the breadth of approaches in the communication discipline and their contemporary applications to help students develop a robust background in communication methods and learn how to apply them in academic and professional contexts.
All students are required to take a graduate research methods course, and then select between a rhetorical criticism and an introductory course on social scientific communication research called Communication Inquiry. Students choose a minimum of nine elective credit hours from courses in Media, Criticism and Theory, and Strategic Communication.
Faculty at Idaho State University have diverse specializations and courses taught include topics in rhetoric, media studies, and visual criticism, as well as mass communication, journalism, corporate communication, strategic communication, public relations and advertising. Example courses include Social Movements, Rhetoric of Identity, Media Culture, Crisis Communication, and Project Management. The program also offers a signature course called “Communication Revolution,” designed to help students keep pace with the rapidly changing nature of communication research in the 21st century.
To complete the degree requires students to select either a Graduate Degree Paper track or a Thesis track. The first requires the completion of a research paper (worth three credit hours) while the latter requires the completion and defense of a thesis project (worth six credit hours). Students who take the Thesis route only have to complete 24 credit hours of course work, versus the 27 required for students who select the Graduate Paper track. An oral defense is required for either track.
The breadth of course offerings, flexible structure, and digitally accessible mentorship provided by Idaho State University’s Online Master of Arts program is designed to foster students’ intellectual and professional interests and help the program meet its goal of providing students a path to teaching, academic research, or working in the private sector after graduation.
Idaho State University is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission of College and Universities.
Online Master of Arts in Communication
Overview
Department: Department of Communication, Media, & Persuasion
Websites: Department
and Program
Program Format
Structure: Online program with no required campus visits
Instruction Methods: Program uses synchronous and asynchronous instruction
Campus Visits Required: No
Program Length: Program is designed to be completed in 2 years, although students maybe able to complete the program at a more accelerated pace
Start Dates: Fall, Spring and Summer admission
Curriculum and Graduation Requirements
Credits Required: 30 credit hours (8 to 9 courses plus graduate paper or thesis)
Thesis Required: No
Capstone Options: Graduate degree paper or thesis
Example Courses: Introduction to Graduate Research Methods; Communication Inquiry; Rhetorical Criticism; Mass Communication and Society; Gender and Communication; Mass Media History, Law, and Ethics; Conflict Management; Management Communication
Application Requirements
GPA Requirements: Minimum GPA 3.0
Testing Requirements: GRE required (The GRE is waived for students with a GPA > 3.5 in the last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate degree)
Admission Requirements: Bachelor's degree; letter of intent
Tuition Costs
Estimated Tuition*: ~$13,740 + fees (in-state), ~$22,255 + fees (out-of-state)
Cost per Credit Hour: $458 per credit hour (in-state), $741.82 per credit hour (out-of-state)
State Authorizations: Program accepts students from all 50 states
