Master of Arts in Communications

Earn a Master of Arts in Communication with a concentration in research and theory, professional communication or tourism and entertainment. Leverage our extensive industry network to find new opportunities or use your degree to advance your career where you currently work. Your master’s degree can also help prepare you to teach in the community college system or to enter a Ph.D. program. Students can complete their degree in as little as 18 months as a full-time student and 24 months as a part-time student. A standard full time load for a semester is 9 units or 3 courses. There are online and evening options available. You will design a study plan, in consultation with the graduate advisor, which will map out your course of study. Students may transfer up to 9 semester units of approved graduate study plan coursework from other accredited institutions. In designing a flexible study plans, you may select from courses in mass communication, advertising, entertainment and tourism, journalism and public relations. In consultation with the graduate advisor, students are able to customize a course of study to meet their own academic, personal, or professional goals and objectives. Completing your master's degree in communications provides you with the critical thinking and knowledge you need to compete and excel in media professions. Use our extensive networking system to enter a media profession, or, use your professional project degree to advance into executive or management positions at your present workplace. You can also use your master's degree to teach in the community college system or to enter a Ph.D. program by writing a thesis. See the flexible study plans webpage for details about the concentration in Mass Communications Research and Theory and the concentration in Professional Communications and Communications in Tourism and Entertainment. Before completing the first 9 units of coursework, you will design a study plan, in consultation with the graduate coordinator, which will map out your course of study. Study plans can be amended, but they provide a sense of direction at the outset. Students may transfer up to 9 semester units of approved graduate study plan coursework from other accredited institutions. In designing a study plan, you may select from courses in mass communication, advertising, entertainment and tourism, journalism and public relations. The uniquely interdisciplinary curriculum may also incorporate courses from other departments such as American studies, business, psychology, public administration, and sociology. In consultation with the graduate advisor, students are able to customize a course of study to meet their own academic, personal, or professional goals and objectives.

For your application to be considered you must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year institution. For the professional and tourism and entertainment tracks, a minimum 2.75 GPA is required. For the research and theory track, a minimum of a 3.0 GPA is required. Prerequisites (an undergraduate principles course and a writing course or equivalent experience) are required, but may be completed at CSUF after admission. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Admissions are competitive based on the evaluation of all submitted admissions materials. In addition, each applicant must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. The following courses or their equivalents must be completed before undertaking graduate courses: Communications writing (COMM 201, COMM 301, COMM 351 or COMM 362);; Introductory course in communications or area of specialty (COMM 233, COMM 332, COMM 350 or COMM 361) Note: Undergraduate prerequisite courses must be completed and do not count toward the graduate degree.