There are currently seven schools in Georgia that offer a total of 10 master’s in communication programs: seven of which are campus-based programs and three which are online master’s in communication programs. Students interested in completing their master’s in communication program in Georgia can choose from specializations such as mass communication, communication studies, professional communication, health communication, and interpersonal communication.

All of the schools included on this page are non-profit institutions of higher education that have received regional accreditation through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in Georgia

Georgia Southern University (GSU), which recently consolidated with Armstrong State University, offers a Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership through its Department of Communication Arts. The Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership, which is available at GSU’s Statesboro and Savannah (Armstrong) campuses, seeks to provide students with interdisciplinary training in written communication, leadership, and critical thinking. It features core courses in professional communication strategies, organizational communication, technical editing, and public leadership. Students then have the option to choose from electives in areas such as digital media management, non-profit sector writing, publication design, conflict resolution, communication theory, leadership and group dynamics, and health communication. This program incorporates fully online and partially online courses, as well as evening classes in order to provide optimum flexibility for students. While a master’s thesis or applied project is not a requirement for graduation, students looking to pursue doctoral studies are encouraged to take the comprehensive project course that involves research and an oral presentation.

Georgia State University’s Department of Communication in Atlanta offers a Master of Arts in Communication with concentrations in Communication Studies and Digital Media Strategies. For the Communication Studies concentration, students take nine credit hours of core courses, covering communication issues and perspectives, communication research methods, and the principles of persuasion. They are also required to take three to nine credit hours of experiential learning courses, which include classes on specialized reporting, feature writing, digital editing, critical writing, and cross-media design. Depending on whether they decide to write a thesis or submit a course research paper for their final graduation requirement, students can take between 12 and 24 credits of communication studies courses, which include classes in media industries, communication ethics, visual communication, health communication, communication and aging, media and politics, and strategic communication. Students who choose the thesis option complete a work of original scholarship in their area of interest in communication studies.

Students of the Digital Media Strategies concentration must complete a core course in digital journalism before selecting one of three courses in communication issues, persuasion principles, and communication ethics. They are also required to take a course in either communication research methods or communication law. From there, students have the flexibility to choose 12 credit hours of applied media skills classes, which cover topics in areas such as specialized reporting, media entrepreneurship, public relations writing, graphic communication, and social media strategies. Students also complete nine credit hours of courses in media studies, which includes classes on media effects, rhetorical theory, political campaigns, educational entertainment, language and communication across the lifespan, e-Health communication, and international communication. The final graduation requirement for this concentration is a digital media capstone, which can take the form of an advanced practicum, a communication consulting project, a media business plan, a special production, or an internship. Students receive faculty guidance during their capstone, and must submit a research paper they completed in one of their media studies courses to demonstrate research competence.

Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) School of Communication & Media offers a Master of Arts in Integrated Global Communication that prepares students to engage in global communication campaigns and initiatives across different industries. Students in this program take a survey of global communication course, classes in the foundations of communication theory and research, international public relations, communication research methods, and communication for multinational corporations, and a communication and technology seminar. They then take an integrated global communication course or practicum that allows them to travel abroad to a KSU partner institution and study how American forms of communication compare with international communication practices and traditions. During their final semester, students take a crisis leadership communication class, and complete an integrated global communication capstone course during which they develop an original research project relating to global communication, or a professional project for an international client.

The University of Georgia’s Department of Communication Studies in Athens offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies with tracks in Interpersonal & Health Communication, and Rhetorical Studies. The Interpersonal & Health Communication track provides students with a theoretical and methodological foundation in interpersonal and health communication that is applicable to political, organizational, health-related, relational, and sociocultural contexts. Students in this concentration can take classes in medical interviewing, patient-provider communication, public health communication, interpersonal conflict, education through communication, relational communication, and communication for social movements. The Rhetorical Studies concentration prepares students for advanced scholarly study of rhetorical processes and their connection to civic life. Students take classes that cover qualitative and quantitative research methods; written, visual, oral, and mass-mediated communications and how they relate to social traditions; communication and religion; scientific communication; women in American public discourse; and family communication. For their final graduation requirement, students can choose to complete a master’s thesis that they defend before a committee, or a non-thesis option that requires students to take two additional courses and pass a comprehensive examination.

The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication also offers a Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with concentrations in Advertising, Integrated Advertising & Public Relations, Emerging Media, Journalism, Health Media and Communication, Mass Media Studies, and Public Relations. This program aims to prepare students to understand how communication impacts institutions, sociopolitical processes, and communities, while providing students with the necessary skills for careers in journalism, health and medical writing, advertising, public relations, or further study in academia. Regardless of their concentration, students take a class in mass communication and communication research methods. They then select four to five courses in their area of concentration, choosing from electives that cover topics such as emerging media design and aesthetics, project management, storytelling, the foundations of public relations, media culture and diversity, research in media industries, international mass communication, media planning, telecommunications policy, and risk communication. For their final graduation requirement, students can choose between completing a master’s thesis or a comprehensive examination and additional coursework.

Valdosta State University’s Department of Communication Arts offers a Master of Arts in Communication Arts with emphases in Mass Media and Communication. Students of this program complete core classes in communication theory and mass communication theory, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods, before taking classes that are specific to their chosen emphasis. For their electives, students can choose from courses in intercultural communication, crisis communication, the theory and design of emerging communication, pedagogy and instruction, conflict negotiation, international media, communication law, and rhetorical criticism and theory. For their final graduation requirement, students can choose between completing a master’s thesis or passing a set of comprehensive exams.

Online Master’s in Communication Programs in Georgia

At present, there are three schools in Georgia that offer online master’s in communication programs. These programs may be a good option for students who do not want to relocate for graduate school and who live far away from a campus-based program, such as students in Albany, Augusta, or Gainesville.

Brenau University, based in Gainesville, offers a Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies online through its College of Business and Communication. Students take foundational courses in communication theory and applied communication research during their first semester, then move on to advanced coursework in various communication skills and aspects of the media industry. Required courses cover topics in communication’s role in society, negotiation and mediation, media globalization, film theory, media industries and business practices, emerging media technologies, the new media landscape, and communication consulting and training. The curriculum also includes a communication seminar in which students learn about contemporary issues and trends in communication, and also present and discuss their own research in the field.

Georgia Southern University offers its Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership fully online. This program is equivalent in courses and final graduation requirements to the campus-based and hybrid versions of this program that are available at GSU’s Statesboro and Savannah (Armstrong) campuses.

Located in Macon, Mercer University’s School of Engineering has a Master of Science in Technical Communication Management (MSTCM) program that features 100% online instruction with no required campus visits. The goal of the program is to prepare students for leadership roles in highly technical fields, with a curriculum that emphasizes both advanced technical communication and managerial skills. Along with exploring the history and theory behind technical communication, students take courses in user interface and experience, multimedia management, project and team leadership, instructional design, visual communication, instructional systems, international project management, and AI-powered strategies in communication. Mercer students must also choose two electives offered by the school’s Technical Communication Department, but may petition to take their electives through another department or institution, if they wish. While the MSTCM program is entirely online, a weekly video conference is required to help foster interaction among classmates and faculty. For their final graduation requirement, students complete a capstone project that involves intensive research and writing culminating in a publishable research paper, conference presentation, or professional proposal.

There are also numerous out-of-state schools with online master’s in communication programs that accept applications from residents of Georgia. However, prospective students should know that not all programs are able to accept online students from all 50 states, due to state authorization policies and procedures that vary from state to state. In addition, there are some online programs that require students to visit campus to attend in-person sessions or intensives, which are typically two to three days, but can be up to a week or longer, and include lectures and discussions, career workshops and networking events, written and oral exams, and other activities that aim to solidify students’ grasp of course content and to connect them with faculty and peers. Students are typically responsible for the costs of attending these events, therefore, prospective applicants should always research online programs to see if they include mandatory in-person sessions. While some students may welcome these sessions as an opportunity to meet classmates and instructors, others may have personal or work obligations that make it difficult to attend these required sessions.

To learn more about online programs, visit our Online Master’s in Communication Programs page, which features a comprehensive directory of all accredited online master’s in communication programs available in the United States, as well as additional details on campus intensives, curriculum structure and graduation requirements, geographical restrictions, and asynchronous versus synchronous instruction.

Directory of Master’s in Communication Programs in Georgia

All Master’s in Communication Programs in Georgia

Campus programs, Campus/Hybrid programs, Online programs (fully online to 2 campus visits per year), Hybrid-Online programs (3 to ~5 campus visits per year)

Brenau University

(Gainesville)

College of Business & Communication

• Online Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies

Georgia Southern University

(Statesboro)

Department of Communication Arts

• Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership

• Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership (Savannah)

• Online Master of Arts in Professional Communication and Leadership

Georgia State University

(Atlanta)

Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (with Concentrations in Communication Studies, and Digital Media Strategies)

Kennesaw State University

(Kennesaw)

School of Communication & Media

• Master of Arts in Integrated Global Communication

  Interview with Josh Azriel, Ph.D. - Kennesaw State University

Mercer University

(Macon)

School of Engineering

• Online Master of Science in Technical Communication Management (MSTCM)

  Interview with Pam Estes Brewer, Ph.D. - Mercer University

University of Georgia

(Athens)

Department of Communication Studies

• Master of Arts in Communication Studies (with Tracks in Interpersonal & Health Communication, and Rhetorical Studies)

Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication

• Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication (with Concentrations in Advertising; Integrated Advertising & Public Relations; Emerging Media; Journalism; Health Media and Communication; Mass Media Studies; Public Relations)

Valdosta State University

(Valdosta)

Department of Communication Arts

• Master of Arts in Communication Arts (with an Emphasis in Mass Media and Communication)