There are eight schools in Indiana that offer a total of 10 master’s in communication programs, seven of which are campus-based and three of which are online. Among these programs, students can choose from a variety of specializations such as organizational communication, communication studies, and interpersonal communication. All schools listed on this page are non-profit educational institutions that have been regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA).
Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in Indiana
There are schools throughout Indiana that offer master’s in communication programs. Ball State University’s Department of Communication Studies offers a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies with tracks in Communication Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and Organizational and Professional Communication Development (OPCD). Students in this program, regardless of which track they select, complete core classes in quantitative and qualitative research methods for communication, as well as classes in rhetorical criticism. Afterwards, students in the CLAS concentration take classes on rhetorical theory, interpersonal communication, and communication theory, while students of the OPCD concentration complete classes in organizational communication at the macro and micro levels, employee training principles, and communication consulting.
Indiana State University’s Department of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Communication that gives students the option to tailor their program to their interests through electives. The core curriculum of this program includes classes in communication inquiry, communication research and analysis, and experiential learning. Electives cover such topics as global media, organizational communication, media theory, public campaigns, media criticism, and communication law. Students are also required to work with a faculty member on a scholarly paper, creative project, or professional project that applies their graduate knowledge to a practical issue in communication. Students who do not want to complete a project may elect to take a comprehensive examination instead.
Search Master's in Communication Programs
Indiana University Indianapolis’ Department of Communication Studies offers a Master of Arts in Applied Communication with optional concentrations in Public Communication, Health Communication, Corporate Communication, and Media Criticism. The program’s objective is to help students understand communication dynamics at the individual, group, community, national, and global levels, and to be able to address complex communication problems through knowledge of communication theory, research, and strategies. Students in this program take classes in advanced communication theory, qualitative and/or quantitative communication research, and a communication seminar as part of their core courses. For their electives, students can choose from classes in health provider-patient communication and other forms of health communication, media strategies, organizational communication, conflict mediation, media theory and criticism, community partnership building, and family communication. For their final graduation requirement, students complete either an Applied Learning Project or a Thesis. The Applied Learning Project gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to solving a real organizational communication challenge. The Thesis allows students to identify and explore a scholarly question about communication.
Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communication offers a campus-based Master’s in Communication program with Areas of Study in Health and Risk Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Communication; Public Relations; Media, Technology, & Society; and Interdisciplinary Studies. Students in this program are able to customize their curriculum based on their academic interests and professional goals, and work with faculty advisors to create a tailored plan of study. Students’ coursework will vary depending on their selected concentration. For example, courses for the Health and Risk Communication concentration cover such topics as organizational health communication, interpersonal communication and its impact on health, risk communication, health campaigning, patient-provider communication, health advocacy, and mass media and health. Students in the Organizational Communication concentration take courses in collaboration and innovation, organizational communication, workplace rhetoric, conflict mediation, social networks, and corporate decision-making. In addition to completing the required course credits for graduation, students must either complete a master’s thesis investigating a research question of interest to them, or take and pass a comprehensive examination.
Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW) offers a Master of Arts in Professional Communication with specializations in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication Theory, Critical/Cultural Studies, and Media Studies. Students in this program complete a core curriculum featuring classes in communication research, theories of persuasion and interpersonal communication, rhetorical theory, cultural studies, mass communication trends and research, and organizational communication before progressing to their specialization courses. In their specialization coursework, students can learn about topics such as political communication, classroom communication, interpersonal communication (verbal and non-verbal), communication ethics and legal issues, advanced interviewing, public policy in telecommunications, and more. During the latter half of their program, students must begin their synthesis paper, which is a culminating paper that demonstrates students’ understanding of graduate-level communication research, theory, and practice. Students receive the support of an advisory committee during the completion of their paper, and must present to this same committee on the topic of their synthesis paper at the end of their program.
Located in Hammond, Purdue University Northwest’s Department of Communication & Creative Arts offers a Master of Arts in Communication program that covers essential topics in organizational communication, mass communication, interpersonal communication, political communication, speech communication, performance studies, and rhetoric. Students collaborate with an advisor to develop a graduate plan of study that meets their academic interests and professional goals. This program is geared towards students residing in Northwest Indiana, and is the only master’s in communication program specifically in this region.
Finally, the University of Southern Indiana (USI), located in Evansville, offers a Master of Arts in Communication through its Communications Department. The comprehensive program covers a wide range of areas, such as international relations, conflict and negotiation, personal relationships, corporate responsibility, and communication outreach. Core curriculum consists of courses in Qualitative Research Methods, Quantitative Research Methods, and Foundations of Communication Theory. Students can then choose from a diverse array of electives, including Gender, Communication, and Culture; Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism; Health Communication; Performance in Social Contexts; Advanced Public Relations; Telecommunications Operations; and History of Mass Media. As a graduation requirement, USI offers the option of completing either a thesis or capstone project. Students of this campus-based program can also take several of their courses in an online or hybrid format, in consultation with their program advisors.
Online Master’s in Communication Programs in Indiana
At present, there are three universities in Indiana that offer master’s in communication programs online. Online programs are an alternative option for students who do not live near a campus-based program, for example, in cities such as South Bend, Columbus, and Bloomington, for students who need additional flexibility while earning their degree, and for students who do not want to relocate in order to attend a graduate program in communication.
Butler University offers an online Master of Science in Strategic Communication that prepares students to work at the intersection of public relations, marketing, and advertising in order to adapt to new industry trends in strategic communication. Students take core courses on the foundations of strategic communication, communication research methods, strategic communication ethics, and strategic visual communication, followed by their choice of electives in areas such as social media strategy, crisis communication, brand strategy, media relations, strategic storytelling, and health and risk communication. All students are required to complete a strategic communication capstone wherein they apply everything they have learned to a senior-level strategic organizational communication plan.
Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communication offers an online Master of Science in Communication program with concentrations in Strategic Communication and Public Relations; Branding and Marketing Communication; Digital Media and Communication Technologies; Health Communication; and Management Communication and Leadership. This program aims to educate working professionals in the design and analysis of communication strategies. Students can choose up to two concentrations, and can also work with faculty advisors to create their own course of study. For example, students in the Branding and Marketing Communication concentration take courses in areas such as integrated marketing communication, strategic corporate branding, advertising, and social media. Meanwhile, students of the Management Communication and Leadership concentration can choose from courses that cover topics in leadership and global strategic communication, strategic personal branding, organizational culture, and communication education and training. Unlike Purdue’s campus-based program, this online program does not have a master’s thesis requirement.
Purdue University also offers an online Master of Science in Corporate Training and Communication, which prepares students for developing corporate training materials and strategic organizational communication plans. This program was designed through a partnership between Purdue University’s College of Education and the Brian Lamb School of Communication, and features courses in learning theory and instructional design, learning systems design, assessment and evaluations, strategic communication, social media, crisis communication, organizational culture, e-learning, and communication as leadership. Students are required to complete a Learning Design and Technology Practicum as their final graduate requirement, which consists of a supervised field experience through which students engage in hands-on instructional development.
In addition to the online programs offered by Butler University, Indiana University Indianapolis, and Purdue University, there are numerous out-of-state online master’s in communication programs that accept applications from Indiana residents. This is especially important for students who would like to pursue a different concentration than the ones offered by the schools in Indiana. For more information, visit our Online Master’s in Communication page for a comprehensive directory of online programs.
Directory of Master’s in Communication Programs in Indiana
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Online Master of Arts in Communication with Concentrations in Public and Media Relations, Political Communication, Health Communication, Digital Communication, and Corporate and Non-Profit Communication
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Online Master of Arts in Communication (Organizational/Workplace Communication)
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Online Master of Science in Communications with Specializations in Strategic Communications, Journalism Innovation, and Media Management
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Online Master's in Strategic Communication and Leadership with an Optional Concentration in Emerging & Digital Media
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Online Master of Arts in Communication with Tracks in Communication Leadership, Brand Communication, and Public Affairs and Advocacy
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All Master’s in Communication Programs in Indiana
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)
