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 of Arts in Communication Studies with concentrations 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. For students of both the CLAS and OPCD tracks, their culminating experience is either a master’s thesis or a directed study; both options require students to engage in research under the guidance of faculty advisors.

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.

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, 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; Political Communication; 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 flexible core curriculum featuring classes in descriptive and experimental communication research, qualitative and historical research methods, theories of interpersonal communication, classroom communication, rhetorical theory and criticism, cultural studies, small group communication, mass communication trends and research, and organizational communication. Through their specialization coursework, students can learn about topics such as political communication, health communication, interpersonal communication (verbal and non-verbal), communication ethics and legal issues, advanced interviewing, public policy in telecommunications, special problems in communication, and more. During the latter half of their program, students must choose one of three culminating experience options: a comprehensive examination with written and oral components, a professional project that is tailored to students’ career goals, and a master’s thesis that is ideal for students who want to pursue further academic study in communication. Students receive the support of an advisory committee during the completion of their culminating experience, and must present and defend their final product (thesis, project, or written exam responses) to this same committee.

Located in Hammond, Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) 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. There are two required courses in the program that cover graduate studies in communication and historical and critical research methods in communication. After fulfilling their required courses, students progress to content-specific coursework, choosing from classes in the following areas: Rhetoric and Persuasion, Media Studies, and Interpersonal/Small Group Communication. Examples of topics that students can explore through content-specific coursework include semiotics, social movements, cultural studies, advanced interviewing, and the rhetoric of mass media. The culminating experience for this program is a comprehensive examination and the presentation of a communication research paper at a professional conference. PNW’s MA in Communication is the only master’s in communication program specifically in the Northwest Indiana region.

Finally, the University of Southern Indiana (USI), located in Evansville, offers a Master of Arts in Communication through its Communications Department. The program covers a wide range of topics within communication, such as international relations, conflict and negotiation, personal relationships, corporate responsibility, and communication outreach. Core curriculum consists of courses that cover qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as foundational communication theories. Students can then choose from a diverse array of electives in areas such as gender and culture, contemporary rhetorical criticism, health communication, mass media history, advanced public relations, telecommunications, digital communication, organizational advocacy, workplace conflicts and problematic communication, crisis communication, media ethics, and instructional communication. 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 a helpful alternative option for students who do not live near a campus-based program (such as individuals living in cities like South Bend, Columbus, and Bloomington) and do not want to commute or relocate in order to attend a graduate program in communication. Online programs can also be ideal for students who need additional flexibility while earning their degree due to personal or professional responsibilities.

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 law and 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, global strategic communication, leadership communication, 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. The core courses for this program include two seminars in strategic communication practices, theories, and research methods, and a course on strategic communication ethics. From there, students take courses according to their desired concentration(s). 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 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

All Master’s in Communication Programs in Indiana

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

Ball State University

(Muncie)

Department of Communication Studies

• Master of Arts in Communication Studies (with Concentrations in Communication Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Organizational and Professional Communication Development)

Butler University

(Indianapolis)

College of Communication

• Online Master of Science in Strategic Communication

Indiana State University

(Terre Haute)

Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (General Program with Electives)

Indiana University Indianapolis

(Indianapolis)

Department of Communication Studies

• Master or Arts in Applied Communication (with Optional Concentrations in Health Communication, Corporate Communication, Media Criticism, and Public Communication)

Purdue University

(West Lafayette)

Brian Lamb School of Communication

• Masters of Communication (with Areas of Study in Health Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Communication; Public Relations; and Media, Technology, & Society)

• Online Master of Science in Communication (with Concentrations in Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Branding and Marketing Communication, Digital Media and Communication Technologies, Health Communication, and Management Communication and Leadership)

  Interview with Bart Collins, Ph.D. - Purdue University

• Online Master of Science in Corporate Training and Communication

Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW)

(Fort Wayne)

Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Professional Communication (with Specializations in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication Theory, Media Studies, and Critical/Cultural Studies)

Purdue University Northwest

(Hammond)

Department of Communication & Creative Arts

• Master of Arts in Communication (General Program with Electives)

  Interview with Jeff Shires, Ph.D. - Purdue University Northwest

University of Southern Indiana

(Evansville)

Communications Department

• Master of Arts in Communication (General Program with Electives)