New Mexico State University's Department of Communication Studies - Online Master of Arts in Communication Studies

New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Communication Studies Department offers an online Master of Arts in Communication Studies that features concentration options in Leadership Communication, and Analysis and Decision-Making. NMSU uses Canvas as its learning management system, which enables students to access online courses and assignments, connect with fellow students for group projects and discussions, and reach out to faculty for support and mentorship. All courses and assignments are offered asynchronously, and courses are delivered in an 8-week format.

The MA in Communication Studies consists of 36 course credits, divided between 18 credits of required core courses and 18 credits of electives. The curriculum for this program varies substantially between the two concentration options. The Leadership Communication concentration includes core courses in Organizational Communication, Leadership Communication, Case Studies in Leadership Communication, and Ethics and Diversity in Leadership Communication. Through these courses, students learn about the patterns of organizational communication across industry sectors, as well as principles of leadership through communication, fostering organizational diversity and ethics, and contemporary issues and innovations in leadership communication. Meanwhile, the core courses for the Analysis and Decision-Making concentration are Management of Change, Diffusion, and Adoption of Innovations; Risk and Crisis Communications in Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences; Topics in Engineering Administration; and Large Scale Systems Engineering. These core courses are offered through NMSU’s Department of Agricultural & Extension Education, as well as its Department of Industrial Engineering, making the Analysis and Decision-Making concentration a highly interdisciplinary master’s degree that prepares students to address communication risks and challenges in fields like engineering, science, and agriculture.

Once students of both concentrations have completed their core coursework, they progress to their electives. Students of the Leadership Communication concentration can take electives in Small Group Communication, International Communication, Environmental Communication, Persuasion Theory, Health Communication, Political Communication, Communication Technologies, Sports Communication, Communication and Culture, and Strategic Communication, among other topics. In addition, they have the option of taking some or all of the courses that comprise the Analysis and Decision-Making concentration’s core, if they want to pursue an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary course of study, while still focusing on leadership communication.

Students of the Analysis and Decision-Making concentration have the same elective options as their peers who chose the concentration in Leadership Communication. In addition to the electives listed above, they can take courses in Family Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Deception and Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Quantitative Research Methods, and Qualitative Research Methods in Communication. Students of both concentrations can also elect to complete an internship for graduate credit, explore special topics in communication studies, or conduct an independent study for course credit under the supervision of a faculty member.

For their culminating experience in the program, all students, regardless of concentration, must complete a Master’s Project that counts for 6 course credits. Through their Master’s Project, students investigate a topic that is of interest to them within the field of leadership communication and/or analytical decision-making in communication. Throughout their work on their final project, students receive support and feedback from program faculty.

New Mexico State University receives regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.