2024 Master's in Communication Programs in North Carolina (Charlotte, Online)

Campus Programs in North Carolina
Online Programs in North Carolina
Directory of All Programs in North Carolina

There are currently eight schools in North Carolina that offer a total of 13 master’s in communication programs. Of these 13 programs, nine are campus-based, while four are online. Students researching master’s in communication programs in North Carolina have a variety of specializations to choose from, including interpersonal communication, health communication, political communication, and mass communication. All of the schools listed on this page are non-profit institutions of higher education that are regionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in North Carolina

In Greenville, East Carolina University’s School of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Communication with two concentration options in Health Communication and Strategic Communication. While the concentration in Health Communication prepares students for jobs in health marketing, media, and journalism, as well as organizational communication roles within health organizations, the Strategic Communication concentration prepares students for versatile roles in public relations, consumer-facing marketing and media, organizational communication leadership, and business-to-business communication. Students take core courses in communication theory and research methods followed by concentration-specific courses. Depending on their chosen concentration, students can select from courses in media and health communication, communication and health organizations, health communication campaigns, strategic communication, risk communication, organizational communication, and more. For their final graduation requirement, students must choose between two options: a traditional master’s thesis, which is a structured work of scholarly research on a communication-related research question; and an applied communication project, wherein students select a professionally relevant topic and develop an applied project on that topic.

High Point University’s Nido R. Qubein School of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication with concentration areas in Public Relations, Health Communication, and Political Communication. Students take core courses in strategic communication, persuasive rhetoric, the impact of media, research methods and analysis, video and audio messaging, and communication technology trends. Students then take classes according to their chosen concentration, such as health communication research, health communication campaigns, crisis communication, international and intercultural public relations, politics and the media, or contemporary political campaigns. Students must complete a strategic communication practicum and write a master’s thesis, and are also required to work with a team of students on a community-based communication campaign.

In Raleigh, North Carolina State University’s Department of Communication offers a Master of Science in Communication with specializations in Public Relations, Organizational Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Cultural Studies, Mediated Communication, and Digital Media. Students take core classes in critical inquiry in communication, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and communication theory. They can then take electives in areas such as the history of rhetoric, communication campaigns, risk communication, environmental communication, international public relations, visual content analysis, and non-profit marketing and public relations.

North Carolina State University’s Department of English offers a Master of Science in Technical Communication with elective clusters in Web Design and Development, Environmental Communication, Medical/Health Communication, Training and Development, Organizational Information Systems, and Agricultural Communication. This program prepares students for a variety of technical communication roles, and includes core courses in the theory and research of professional writing, the rhetoric of science and technology, publication management for technical communicators, and advanced technical writing and editing. Elective courses include verbal data analysis, usability studies, science media writing, information design, and design of instructional material.

Queens University of Charlotte’s James L. Knight School of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Communication with optional specializations in Strategic Communication, and Organizational Communication. This program features a core curriculum that prepares students to apply communication theory and ethics, intercultural communication competencies, and communication research methods to a wide variety of internal and external-facing communication challenges and initiatives. After the core curriculum, students can either specialize in one or both of the aforementioned areas, or they can tailor their own course of study by choosing their own electives. Students of the Strategic Communication specialization learn how to optimize public relations communications and design multimedia communication campaigns for organizations in the public and private sectors. Students of the Organizational Communication specialization take courses in the principles and processes of organizational communication, group and team dynamics, and leadership in communication.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media offers a Master of Arts in Media and Communication with programs of study in Journalism, Strategic Communication, Visual Communication, and Theory and Research. Students of the Journalism, Strategic Communication, or Visual Communication programs take core classes in mass communication research methods, media law, reporting and writing news, and multimedia storytelling, as well as electives in areas such as medical and science journalism, market intelligence, public relations foundations, and graphic communication. The Theory and Research program of study includes core classes in mass communication research methods, theories of mass communication, and media law, followed by classes courses that are relevant to students’ chosen research emphasis (substantive areas of study include media processes, health communication, political and social communication, and media effects).

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Communication Studies offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies that allows students to craft their own area of focus through their selection of electives in dedicated Interest Areas that include Health Communication; Organizational Communication; Rhetoric, Media Studies, and Popular Culture; and Public Relations/International Public Relations. Students take core courses in communication studies for professionals, communication research methods, and contemporary perspectives in communication theory, followed by their choice of electives in areas such as communication and leadership, gender and communication, health communication, global media, and organizational communication. Students of this program can choose from three Capstone Experiences for their final graduation requirement in the program: a master’s thesis, a directed project that involves applied professional research, and a comprehensive examination (students choosing the exam for their final graduation requirement must also complete two additional electives).

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Communication Studies offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies, which is a generalist program with electives. Students take core classes in communication theory and research methodology, followed by electives covering topics such as communication for social change, communication ethics, risk communication, communication pedagogy, and relational communication. Students must also complete a final research project that investigates a communication practice or phenomenon.

Wake Forest University’s Department of Communication, located in Winston-Salem, offers a Master of Arts in Communication that is a flexible generalist program that students can shape according to their interests. Students take core classes in rhetorical theory and criticism and quantitative research methods in communication studies, followed by electives in areas such as health communication, democratic theory, argumentation, public address, international communication, social movements, and the rhetoric of science. At the end of their first year, students collaborate with their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies to develop a research question for their master’s thesis.

Online Master’s in Communication Programs in North Carolina

Online master’s in communication programs may be a good option for students who do not live in close proximity to a university that offers a master’s in communication program. For example, residents of Asheville, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, or Wilmington who do not want to or cannot relocate for graduate school. (Note: Currently, Fayetteville State University, UNC Wilmington and UNC Asheville do not offer master’s programs in the field of communication). Online programs may also be a good option for students who do not want to commute to Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Charlotte or another city that houses a campus-based program.

There are currently four schools in North Carolina that offer online master’s in communication programs. East Carolina University’s School of Communication offers an Online Master of Arts in Communication with concentrations in Health Communication and Strategic Communication. This program is equivalent in graduation requirements and curriculum to the campus-based version of the school’s program. Queens University of Charlotte’s James L. Knight School of Communication offers an online Master of Arts in Communication with optional concentrations in Strategic Communication and Organizational Communication. This program is equivalent in curriculum content and structure to the campus-based version of the program. Students engage with course concepts through Skype conferences, instant messaging, online community tools, and shared blogs.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media offers an Online Master of Arts in Digital Communication with an emphasis in Digital Media that prepares students to understand how digital media intersects with culture, society, and economics. After attending an on-campus orientation at the start of their enrollment, students take online classes covering areas such as writing for digital media, research methods and applications, digital data analytics, information visualization, new media and society, strategic communication, media law in the digital age, and digital media leadership. During the spring of their first year, students also attend a five-day residency during which they collaborate with classmates and faculty to develop an audio-visual narrative project. Students must complete a final comprehensive examination, as well as a non-traditional thesis that involves investigating an issue or a digital media challenge facing an organization, developing a proposal to solve it, and building and presenting the completed solution to faculty and peers.

Wake Forest University’s School of Professional Studies in Winston-Salem offers an online Masters of Communications that prepares students for careers in strategic, organizational, and/or digital communications. This program is comprised of 10 courses, totaling 30 credits. Core courses cover topics in communications research, contemporary communications concepts and applications, digital communications engagement, crisis communications, strategic communications, public relations principles and strategies, organizational culture and leadership, and intercultural communications. Students select one elective to tailor their professional training according to their interests, and can choose from courses in areas such as corporate branding, social media marketing, digital branding and storytelling, and change leadership and management. For their culminating experience, students complete a capstone project, which involves solving a real-world communications challenge for an existing organization by developing a comprehensive communications plan, utilizing skills and principles learned in the program.

Directory of Master’s in Communication Programs in North Carolina

Featured Online Master's in Communication Programs that Accept Students from North Carolina
Queens University of Charlotte	Online Master of Arts in Communication with Specializations in Organizational Communication and Strategic Communication	Program Website
Johns Hopkins University	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	Program Website
Syracuse University	Online Master of Science in Communications with Specializations in Strategic Communications, Journalism Innovation, and Media Management	Program Website
Southern New Hampshire University	Online Master of Arts in Communication with Optional Concentrations in New Media & Marketing, and Public Relations	Program Website
Georgetown University	Online Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations & Corporate Communications	Program Website