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Mission Statement

The College of Liberal Arts and Communication provides innovative educational opportunities that will enable lifelong learning, professional leadership, and engaged lives.

The College participates in an interdisciplinary program of study leading to the Graduate Certificate in Health Communication and also in various graduate programs in three areas: Music, Media and Communication, and Humanities and Social Sciences, as described below.

Music: Graduate classes leading to the Master of Music Education Degree and the Master of Music - Performance Degree are offered, designed to elevate the student’s standards of performance and scholarship. The Department of Music requires auditions and examinations prior to or soon after the first registration for graduate study. These examinations may be used as placement and/or entrance criteria. Final project requirements for the Master of Music Education Degree include passing written and/or aural comprehensive examinations in music history, theory and music education; for the Master of Music - Performance Degree written and/or aural comprehensive examinations in music theory and music history must be passed. Master of Music - Performance Degree candidates in voice must present or achieve proficiency in two foreign languages and keyboard candidates in one. All general Graduate Program requirements listed elsewhere in the bulletin are applicable to these degree programs. Specific program requirements must also be met; see the Department of Music Student Handbook for details.

Media and Communication: The School of Media and Journalism offers work leading to a Master of Science in Mass Communications and a totally online Master of Science in Media Management.

Students must have a 3.00 GPA in all graduate coursework taken in the School of Media and Journalism and have completed 18 hours of course work 1) to qualify to take the Comprehensive Examination and 2) to meet graduation requirements. Students in the online Master of Science in Media Management degree will complete a capstone course in lieu of taking the Comprehensive Examination.

The Department of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies in person and online and a totally online Master of Science in Strategic Communication. Students must complete a thesis or pass Comprehensive Examinations to meet requirements for the MA in Communication Studies. Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in all graduate coursework taken in the Department of Communication and completed at least 18 hours of graduate course work to qualify to take Comprehensive Examinations. Students in the online Master of Science in Strategic Communication degree will complete a capstone course in lieu of taking the Comprehensive Examination.

All general Graduate Program requirements listed elsewhere in the bulletin are applicable to these degree programs and the specific program requirements must be met.

Humanities and Social Sciences: Courses leading to the Master of Arts degree with majors in English, history, political science, sociology, criminology and criminal justice, and to the Master of Public Administration degree are offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Communication.

The College of Liberal Arts and Communication coordinates programs of research and study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies. Designed for those interested in public sector work in museums, archives, folk arts centers, historical societies, and similar agencies, the Heritage Studies program is interdisciplinary. It involves faculty from several departments and colleges at Arkansas State University.

The Master of Arts programs have been planned for flexibility and offer courses of general cultural and educational value. They are designed not only to provide knowledge in special fields but also to enhance professional qualifications for careers in teaching, law, writing, and governmental service, to provide a humanistic foundation for most other careers, and to prepare students for more advanced work at other institutions of higher learning.

The Master of Public Administration degree program provides a course of study for students who wish to serve in various levels of local, state, and national government, in nonprofit organizations, and in international public management.

The graduate programs leading to the Master of Science in Education degree are designed for graduates who plan careers in secondary school teaching. Twenty-one hours of major field courses and nine hours of professional education courses are required.

The Graduate Certificate in History offers 18 credit hours for those who wish to meet state and HLC qualifications for teaching History at the college level and/or concurrent courses in Arkansas high schools.

All general requirements of Graduate Programs are applicable to these degree programs. The student should refer to the specific program requirements which are listed elsewhere in this bulletin.

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