The College of Communications offers work
leading to the Master of Science in Mass Communications degree, with majors
in journalism and radio-television and jointly offers a Master of Arts
degree in Speech Communication and Theatre.
M.S. in Mass Communications
The flexible curriculum in the MSMC is a research-oriented program. Some
students follow a curriculum to prepare for advanced decision-making responsibilities
in mass communications. Still others choose the academic option to go
directly into careers in higher education or to prepare for doctoral studies.
Students must have a 3.00 GPA in all graduate coursework taken in the
College of Communications and be admitted to candidacy 1) to qualify to
take the Comprehensive Examination and 2) to meet graduation requirements.
All general Graduate School requirements listed elsewhere in the bulletin
are applicable to this degree program.
M.A. in Speech Communication and Theatre
This program is jointly offered by the Department of Speech Communication
and the Department of Theatre. Students choose their courses according
to whether they are interested in speech communication or in theatre.
Contact the two departments for more information.
Admission to the Master of Science in Mass Communications program is based on a variety of evidence, including educational experience and record, professional experience, recommendations, and a written statement of purpose. Grade point average requirements are the same as in the Graduate School.
Applicants to the master's degree programs must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four year institution with the appropriate undergraduate background in the field of proposed academic emphasis. Applicants must submit the following to the graduate school:
1. A completed Application for Admission. Applications should be submitted at least six weeks before the registration date of the term which the applicants plan to attend.
2. A $15 nonrefundable application fee. Checks must be payable to Arkansas State University. If applications are received without payment, the Graduate School will hold all application materials and notify the applicants that no action will be taken until payment is received. (A $25 application fee is required of international student applicants.)
3. One copy of official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate course work attempted to be sent directly from the Institution(s) previously attended.
4 . International student applicants must demonstrate a satisfactory level of proficiency in the English language if English is not their native language. To demonstrate English proficiency, international student applicants must submit scores of 550 or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language or must satisfactorily complete level 8 of the university's Center for English as a Second Language program.
Unconditional Admission
To establish unconditional admission at the master's degree level applicants must have a grade point average of 3.00 on the last sixty hours of undergraduate work, or a 2.75 average on all undergraduate work (A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1, F-0). The appropriate undergraduate background must include a minimum of eighteen semester hours of coursework, exclusive of any basic education courses, in the proposed field of the graduate major. All courses attempted, including any repeated courses, are considered in the computation of the grade point average unless academic clemency was approved.
Conditional Admission
Students who do not meet the requirements for unconditional admission as stated above may be granted conditional admission at the master's degree level as follows:
1. Applicants who do not meet grade point average requirements may be granted conditional admission provided they have a grade point average of 2.75 on the last sixty hours of undergraduate work or a 2.50 average on all undergraduate work. Students granted conditional admission based upon grade average become fully qualified in the event the grades on the first twelve hours completed at Arkansas State University average "B" or better. If a "B" average is not maintained on the first twelve hours completed following admission, the student will be dropped from the Graduate School.
2. Applicants for admission to the master's degree program who have not completed the appropriate undergraduate background will be assessed undergraduate course deficiencies.
3. Applicants from an unaccredited college, who have satisfactory grades and a satisfactory undergraduate program, may be admitted with an entrance condition of twelve semester hours with a grade average of "B" or better.
Courses:
Courses required of all candidates:
MCOM 6043, Theory of Mass Communications
MCOM 6053, Research Methods in Mass Communications
MCOM 6163, Applied Research in Mass Communications
Courses required of Journalism majors:
Twelve hours selected from the following:
MCOM 5023, Public Opinion, Propaganda and the Mass Media
MCOM 6023, Advanced Studies in Communication Law
MCOM 6801-3, Independent Study
JOUR 5043, Studies in Newspaper Management
JOUR 5053, Public Affairs Reporting
JOUR 5083, Sports, Business and Opinion Writing
JOUR 5373, Internet Communications
JOUR 6013, Specialized Reporting Problems
JOUR 6023, Journalism Seminar
Courses required of Radio-Television majors:
Twelve hours selected from the following:
MCOM 5023, Public Opinion, Propaganda and the Mass Media
MCOM 6023, Advanced Studies in Communications Law
MCOM 6801-3, Independent Study
RTV 5053, Comparative Broadcast Systems
RTV 5323, News Production and Performance
RTV 5333, Special Topics
RTV 5363, Multimedia Production Techniques
RTV 5373, Internet Communications
RTV 6023, Advanced Studies in Broadcast Management
RTV 6033, The Broadcast Documentary
Electives required of all candidates:
Nine hours of graduate-level electives, subject to approval of the student's advisor. The nine hours may include six hours of thesis credit, courses in the college and/or courses outside the college.
The topic of the thesis is subject to the approval by the student's thesis committee. The thesis may be a continuation or extension of research begun in a Communications graduate class.
Minimum hours required for these programs: 30.
Mass
Communication
MCOM 5023. Public Opinion, Propaganda, and the Mass Media. Survey of public
opinion formation and change, with special attention to the role of the
mass media in the creation and use of public opinion and propaganda. (Also
listed as PR 4023)
MCOM 5603. Crisis Communication. An investigation of communications during
crises, focusing on public relations, advertising and other persuasive
efforts by institutions, corporations, movement leaders, and citizens
to describe, persuade and shape human interactions with their environment
during a crisis.
MCOM 6023. Advanced Studies in Communications Law. An advanced study of
communications law problems, issues, and responsibilities. Selected publications
in the field will be examined. Individual projects concerning legal problems
in freedom and responsibilities of the mass media.
MCOM 6043. Theory of Mass Communications. Study of mass communications
models, theory development, mass communications theories and theory relationships
to research in mass communications.
MCOM 6053. Research Methods in Mass Communications. Study of the tools
and techniques of empirical research as they may be applied to mass communications.
MCOM 6163. Applied Research in Mass Communications. Guided research dealing
with practical problems in mass communications. A primary outcome of the
course will be a formal research paper acceptable for publication. Prerequisite:
MCOM 6053.
MCOM 6701-6. Thesis
MCOM 6801-3. Independent Study
Department of Journalism and Printing
Journalism
JOUR 5043. Studies in Newspaper Management. Study of business and editorial
management of the print media, including newspaper organization, publishing
policies and economics, print media technology, circulation and promotion
problems.
JOUR 5053. Public Affairs Reporting. Instruction and practice in gathering
material and writing stories on public affairs; emphasis on courts and
government. Requires two hours of laboratory work per week. Prerequisite:
JOUR 2013.
JOUR 5083. Sports, Business and Opinion Writing. Techniques of newswriting
and information gathering in business and sports reporting. Techniques
of opinion writing. Prerequisite: C or better in JOUR 2013 or permission
of professor or chair.
JOUR 5113. Integrated Communications Strategies. Focuses on the strategic
integration of various channels and methods of communication for the purpose
of delivering key messages to diverse target audiences in order to elicit
reponses, create a dialogue and engender relationship-building. Prerequisites:
JOUR 3023; PR 3003; or MKTG 3013.
JOUR 5323. Race, Gender and Media. Survey
of the interface between Americans and the mass media in the United States.
JOUR 5373. Internet Communications. Provides students with a thorough
understanding and practice in the use of the Information Superhighway.
Students will develop skills and strategies to access and create news,
advertising, and public relations messages in this new electronic medium
for mass communications. The course will also look at new opportunities
for communications professionals, examine critical social, political,
and economic issues for the medium, and prepare for future technological
advances. Prerequisite: basic computer competency.
JOUR 6023. Journalism Seminar. Study of the press as an institution; its
problems, roles, content, effects, and responsibilities as a cultural
force in society.
Department of Radio-Television
Radio-Television
RTV 5053. Public Affairs Reporting for Electronic Journalism. Coverage
of municipal and county government agencies, public school boards, community
planning and development agencies, and special events within the local
community for the electronic media.
RTV 5063. International Communication Seminar. Critical discussion and
analyses of the social, cultural, economic, political, technological and
institutional forces governing the exchange of mediated information across
national frontiers.
RTV 5323. News Production and Performance. Experience in producing news
programs. Students exercise judgment and make editorial decisions about
news content and program continuity. Experience in verbal and non-verbal
communication relative to oncamera delivery.
RTV 5333. Special Topics. A seminar that addresses current topics in the
area of communication.
RTV 5363. Multimedia Production Techniques. Introductory course in multimedia
concepts, media elements, platforms, and production. Training in the use
of computer-based multimedia authoring systems, hardware and software
for media creation/acquisition, and multimedia delivery systems. markets
for multimedia products and on-line services that utilize multimedia will
also be explored.
RTV 5373. Internet Communications. Provides students with a thorough understanding
and practice in the use of the Information Superhighway. Students will
develop skills and strategies to access and create news, advertising,
and public relations messages in this new electronic medium for mass communications.
The course will also look at new opportunities for communications professionals,
examine critical social, political, and economic issues for the medium,
and prepare for future technological advances. Prerequisite: basic computer
competency.
RTV 6023. Advanced Studies in Broadcast Management. An advanced study
of the elements, problems, and responsibilities of radio and television
station management.
RTV 6033. The Broadcast Documentary. This course provides for the graduate
student in broadcasting an opportunity both to study the broadcast documentary,
its structure and role, and to gain some hands-on practical experience
in organizing, structuring, and producing this broadcast form.
A graduate assistantship carries with it a waiver of out-of-state tuition.
To be awarded an assistantship, a graduate student must have been admitted to a graduate program at Arkansas State.
To be eligible for an assistantship, a graduate student must have unconditional admission or conditional admission with an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.50 and either 2.75 average on the last sixty hours of the undergraduate work or a 3.00 average on undergraduate work in the major field of study.
Policies Concerning Graduate Assistantships include the following:
1. The appointee must complete at least six semester hours of graduate work and no more than twelve hours of both graduate and undergraduate work each semester during the academic year and three hours of graduate work during each summer term to remain a GA.
2. A graduate assistant should have a definite schedule of duties and responsibilities assigned by the dean of the college and the chair of the department in which the assistantship is held.
3. Graduate assistants are not considered to be a part of the faculty of the University, are not entitled to faculty privileges, and will not be included in the Group Life and Hospital Insurance Program sponsored by the University. However, GAs are not required to work at any time that neither faculty nor students are required to be on campus.
4 . If a student is unable to complete a semester's work due to circumstances beyond his or her control, that semester may not be counted as one of the semesters included in the maximum amount of time for which he or she may hold the assistantship. In those instances, the Graduate School must be notified immediately by the department and student of any such situations warranting consideration of this policy. Final authority for granting an exemption from counting the semester as part of time for holding the assistantship rests with the Graduate School.
5 . The assistantship will be awarded on an academic year or summer term or terms basis. Reapplication is necessary for the student to be considered for reappointment each period. There is no automatic renewel.
6 . The appointee must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 or better on all graduate work completed in order to remain eligible for the assistantship.
7 . The master level assistantship will have a maximum time limit of five semesters. Summer terms do not count in calculating the maximum time limit.
8. Graduate assistants may not be employed elsewhere on campus.
E-Mail Dr. Joel Gambill, Chair of the Department of Journalism and Printing or Mr. Richard Carvell, Chair of the Department of Radio-Television, for graduate assistantship information and application.
Phone: (870) 972-2468 ___Fax: (870) 972-3856
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Questions and comments should be sent to comm@astate.edu
