Course Information

Curriculum
Each student will be required to complete three Core communication courses.  It is recommended that each student complete any three of the sixFoundation courses. All remaining Elective courses will be selected in consultation with the student's advisor in the development of the Plan of Study. The program offers the flexibility to individualize the curriculum to meet the interests of each student. Students must satisfactorily complete the following:

Core Courses (required for all students)                                 9 credits

COMM600 Communication Theory 
or COMM650Rhetorical Theory & Criticism

COMM610 Communication Research 
or COMM620 Qualitative Communication Research

COMM710 Communication Ethics

Foundation Courses (3 courses recommended)                 9 credits

COMM605 Communication Strategies in Advertising 
COMM630 Interpersonal Communication Strategies
COMM640 Small Group Communication
COMM655 Political Communication
COMM660 Organizational Communication
COMM675 Intercultural Conflict 

Electives                                                                                        18 credits

Electives may include any Foundation course not taken to fulfill the Foundation recommendation. Students select electives based on their chosen area of emphasis, and may fulfill elective requirements outside of the communication studies curriculum up to 9 credit hours, in consul­tation with the MACS program head and the faculty member teaching the course.

COMM607             Criticism of Mass Media
JOUR640              Public Relations Management 
COMM635             Integrated Marketing Communication
COMM645             Technology of Communication 
COMM655             Political Communication 
COMM665             Managing Conflict
COMM680             Gender and Communication 
COMM700             Language and Human Conduct
COMM725             Negotiating Intractable Conflict
COMM730             Communication and Social Process
COMM740             Communication Consulting 
COMM750             Persuasion and Propaganda 
COMM760             Managerial and Leadership Communication
COMM770             Communication Issues 
COMM793             Independent Study 
COMM796             Internship (up to 12 credits)
COMM798             Practicum in Communication
COMM799             Thesis
Students should take a minimum of three 700-level courses.  

Program Emphases. In conjunction with the Core Courses, and in addition to the Certificate in Conflict Management, students select courses to develop expertise in one or more of the following emphases:

Managerial and Leadership Communication
COMM630 Interpersonal Communication Strategies
JOUR640 Public Relations Management
COMM660 Organizational Communication
COMM665 Managing Conflict
COMM740 Communication Consulting
COMM760 Managerial and Leadership Communication

Integrated Marketing Communication
COMM605 Communication Strategies in Advertising
COMM635 Integrated Marketing Communication
JOUR640 Public Relations Management
COMM645 Technology of Communication
COMM665 Organizational Communication
COMM685 Crisis Management

Cultural and International Communication
COMM640 Small Group Communication
COMM675 Intercultural Conflict and Communication
COMM680 Gender and Communication
COMM700 Language and Human Conduct
COMM725 Negotiating Intractable Conflict
COMM730 Communication and Social Process

Public Communication
COMM615 Criticism of Mass Media
COMM645 Technology of Communication
COMM655 Political Communication
COMM730 Communication and Social Process
COMM750 Persuasion and Propaganda
Elective courses available in web design, digital communication (audio or video), animation, social networking, and cognate areas with permission of advisor or instructor. 

Course Descriptions
 

COMM600 Communication Theories (3 sem hrs.)
This course on communication theory concen­trates on its classical roots and moves into the post modern era. It focuses upon the process­es, major approaches, and communication contexts of theory building and classifies the­ories into the three contemporary paradigms: Covering Laws, Human Action, and Systems perspectives.

COMM605 Communication Strategies in Advertising (3 sem hrs.)
This course teaches dynamics of communica­tion in the creation, implementation, and criti­cism of advertising. Students learn to analyze communication research, message strategies, execution of advertisements, and client­ media-consumer relationships from theoreti­cal, critical and applied perspectives.

COMM607 Criticism of Mass Media (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines methods for the critical analysis of mass media messages generated through radio, television, film, and newspa­pers. Students gain insight into the effect of media on society with particular focus on news bias, mediated politics, advertising, cen­sorship, television violence, economic support systems, and media stereotyping.

COMM610 Communication Research (3 sem hrs.)
This course introduces research methods and tools in communication studies. Students become proficient in communication design and analysis using quantitative measures, with particular emphasis databases, constructing and applying measurement instruments, and conducting statistical analyses.

COMM620 Qualitative Communication Research (3 sem hrs.)
This course provides students with the requi­site knowledge and skills to design and carry out qualitative research on communicative practices, interactions and events. Students learn principles of and applications for partic­ipant-observation research and how interpretive analysis can serve as the basis for hypoth­esis generation and quantitative design.

COMM630 Interpersonal Communication Strategies (3 sem hrs.)
This course reviews recent theories of inter­personal interaction and introduces methods for analyzing communication between persons in significant relationships. Students examine how relationships develop and deteriorate through communication practices, and how differences in gender, ethnicity, age, class and race affect interpersonal perception.

COMM635 Integrated Marketing Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course is concerned with the creation and implementation of communication campaigns using a mix of promotional methods including public relations, advertising, and related concepts. Goals and objectives, audience analysis, message strategies, tactics, and evaluation research are presented in an applied communication context with particular emphasis on the non-profit sector.

JOUR640 Public Relations Management (3 sem. hrs.)
This course provides in-depth study of how organizations manage media, consumer, government, investor, employee, and community relations. It focuses on successful program development through the knowledge and application of public relations management principles and communication techniques.

COMM640 Small Group Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines the theory and practice of small group communication, with a focus on developing productive interaction in teams, meetings, negotiations, and other group set­tings. Students take up issues of consensus-building, group leadership and effective deci­sion-making through communication prac­tices.

COMM645 Technology of Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines how technology is used as a medium of communication, with a partic­ular focus on Computer Mediated Communi­cation (CMC), Group Decision Support Sys­tems (GDSS), and net meetings. It takes up how communication technology structures perceptions and interactions through web pages, digital stories and multimedia texts.

COMM650 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism (3 sem hrs.)
This course surveys selected theories of rheto­ric from the classical to the postmodern, and examines methods for the critical analysis of discourse and texts of various genres.

COMM655 Political Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines communicative aspects of national political campaigns and related decision-making processes. The role of mass media in political processes is of particular concern, but interpersonal, group, and organi­zational practices as they pertain to electoral procedures are also examined.

COMM660 Organizational Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines the major theories, classical and contemporary, that drive research in organizational communication, with a focus on systems theory, technological development, organizational climate, information networks, management style, and human relations skills. 

COMM665 Managing Conflict (3 sem hrs.)
This course teaches strategies for productive conflict management in interpersonal, group, and organizational contexts. It examines the causes and types of conflict, develops knowl­edge of the communicative and relational nature of conflict, and reviews strategies and tactics for resolving conflict situations.

COMM675 Intercultural Conflict & Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course focuses on conflict in institutional and organizational contexts between persons and groups with varying histories, ethnicities, interests and needs.  Emphasis is on developing and promoting recognition, respect, and understanding of others in the face of differences, asymmetrical power relations, and perceived threats in order to promote productive working relationships.

COMM680 Gender and Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course considers the intersection of com­munication, culture, and gender. It examines the implications of socially constructed gender roles, identifying and challenging communica­tion practices that create inequities for both men and women. Emphasis is placed on how such knowledge aids in solving communica­tion problems.

COMM685 Crisis Management (3 sem hrs.)
The purpose of this course is to develop a conceptual understanding of the process of crisis communication and crisis management. Students will explore issues relevant to the planning, development and execution of crisis management plans including risk assessment, media relationships, image restoration, and crisis response strategies.

COMM700 Language and Human Conduct (3 sem hrs.)
This course investigates the relation between language and human conduct, as the under­standing of this relation has developed in Western thought during the 20th century.

COMM710 Communication Ethics (3 sem hrs.)
This course focuses on the analysis and inter­pretation of communicative conduct from eth­ical points of view. Students examine ethical issues relevant to a variety of interests in inter­personal, corporate, international, mediated and other forms of communication, and inter­rogate the extent to which a universal commu­nicative ethics is possible. 

COMM725 Negotiating Intractable Conflict (3 sem hrs.)
This course addresses the roles that communication and culture play in the development, management and potential resolution of intractable international and institutional conflicts.  Students research issues such as group and cultural identity, nationalism and historicity, institutional interests, power relations, mediation strategies, the rhetoric of reconciliation, and transitional justice.

COMM730 Communication and Social Process (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines the role of communica­tion in the constitution of institutional and organizational ‘realities.’ The ways in which persons internalize, legitimate and alter exist­ing social structures through discursive prac­tices are emphasized. Issues of leadership, agency, power, change, positioning and prob­lem resolution in small group contexts are also addressed.

COMM740 Communication Consulting (3 sem hrs.)
This course presents consulting strategies as solutions to communication problems with a focus on research and intervention in the orga­nizational communication situation. Commu­nication theory is applied in the study of con­sultant-client relationships, organizational communication audits, and the design and implementation of communication change programs. Legal issues related to consulting such as privacy, liability and property are addressed.

COMM750 Persuasion and Propaganda (3 sem hrs.)
This course focuses on the communicative aspects of persuasion and the persuasive aspects of propaganda. Students engage in advanced theoretical and critical consideration of the persuasive functions of media, especial­ly television, through an analysis of the rheto­ric of popular trials and other media events.

COMM760 Managerial and Leadership Communication (3 sem hrs.)
This course focuses on the characteristics and practices of management and leadership as communication-based phenomena within the organizational setting. It addresses the demands of management and leadership in business, non-profit, social service, and educa­tional organizations, with emphasis on issues of control and change.

COMM770 Seminar: Communication Issues (3 sem hrs.)
This course examines, analyzes, and interprets contemporary communication issues as they relate to a broad spectrum of personal, social and organizational concerns. It explores topics in public relations, management, business, government, the media, international areas, and other communication concentrations.

COMM793 Independent Study in Communication Studies (3 sem hrs.)
This experience meets the needs of students who wish to prepare, under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty, individual studies or projects in the field of communica­tion studies.Prerequisites: consent of the department chairperson, COMM601, research course, admission to candidacy.

COMM796 Internship in Communication Studies (12 sem hrs.)
The internship provides an integrating experi­ence, one which allows the graduate student to observe how specific components of the com­munication process work together and to test conceptual knowledge and skills against the reality of the work place.

COMM798 Practicum in Communication (3 sem. hrs.)
The Practicum in Communication provides students with the opportunity to conduct communication audits, develop crises management plans, or other communication and conflict case studies in an organization where they currently are employed, or in an institution that they determine has an interest in developing such audits, plans, or studies.  Prerequisite:  Candidacy and completion of 24 hours of coursework; consent and contract with work site.  

COMM799 Thesis (3 sem hrs.)
Written under the direction of a graduate fac­ulty member, the thesis is a major piece of scholarship that defines a problem in commu­nication, reviews the relevant literature, explores a specific topic, and offers conclu­sions using quantitative or qualitative research methods. The final document makes a coher­ent, cogent, and sustained argument about communication processes, theories, or prac­tices.

Admission Requirements

1. Complete the graduate application online (gradschool.edinboro.edu).

2. Application fee of $30 (if not former EUP student), or $7 (if former EUP student).

3. An official transcript verifying an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.

4. Scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), the general aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). If you possess a master’s degree you do not need to complete the exams listed above.

5. Waiver of MAT/GRE/GMAT requirement for applicants with two or more years professional experience; these applicants must submit an 8-10 page writing sample showing research, analytical and writing ability.

6. Two letters of reference.

7. Statement of purpose (1-2 pages) for pursuing a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies at EUP.

If you are interested in transferring credits from another degree you will need to fill out the Transfer Credit Form and submit it to the address listed above.

For information or assistance regarding services, activities and facilities that are accessible to and usable by persons with a disability, contact Dr. Robert McConnell, Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), at (814) 732-2462 t/tty or mcconnell@edinboro.edu. For additional information, visit the OSD web page.

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