There is one school in Montana that currently offers a master’s in communication program. The University of Montana’s main campus in Missoula offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies program that can be completed on-campus. This is a general program that allows students to tailor their course of study by selecting from different elective options. In addition to the program offered by the University of Montana, students can explore online master’s in communication programs offered by out-of-state colleges and universities that accept students from Montana. There are numerous public and private institutions that offer online programs in the field of communication, and students can pursue specializations in strategic communication, organizational communication, integrated marketing communications, public relations, mass communication, health communication, and more.
The University of Montana is a non-profit institution that has received regional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
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Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in Montana
The University of Montana’s College of Humanities and Sciences’ Department of Communication Studies offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies that prepares students for improving channels of communication between organizations and the public, and for developing and improving communication plans. Students in this program complete core classes in communication research methodology, rhetorical criticism, and qualitative research methods in communication. They are then required to complete several elective courses in areas such as non-profit organizational communication, technology in communication, interpersonal communication, conflict mediation, health communication, risk and crisis communication, activism and political advocacy, science communication, legal communication, and rhetorical criticism.
Online Master’s in Communication Programs for Montana Residents
At present, there are no schools in Montana that offer online master’s in communication programs. However, numerous out-of-state schools have online master’s in communication programs that accept applications from residents of Montana. For individuals who do not live near the University of Montana’s main campus in Missoula, or who would like the scheduling flexibility that online education afford, an online program may be a viable option. This is also true for students who are interested in specializing in a field of communication not offered by the University of Montana.
While the majority of online master’s in communication programs are fully online, a limited number of online programs require students to attend on-campus sessions, which are multi-day events that are held on the school’s main campus or at a different location. During these events, students typically participate in in-person lectures and discussions, learning activities, practical assessments, and career development workshops. Programs vary in terms of how many campus visits they require students to attend, when during the year they hold these events, and how long each visit lasts. Furthermore, students are typically responsible for the travel costs associated with attending these on-campus sessions. As a result, students who are interested in programs that require campus visits should research these requirements thoroughly to see whether the travel requirements work with their personal and professional obligations, as well as their budget. For a program to be classified as an online program on MastersinCommunications.com, it must require two or fewer campus visits per year.
All Master’s in Communication Programs in Montana
Campus programs, 
Campus/Hybrid programs, 
Online programs (fully online to two campus visits per year)
