The Master of Arts in Communication Studies provides a flexible program based on research and theoretical foundations. The curriculum can be tailored toward interpersonal and organization communication or rhetorical criticism, providing opportunities for students interested in pursuing advancement in communication professions or preparing for doctoral studies and positions in higher education.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies must submit a sample of writing, which could be a recent term paper or research paper.

With approval of the adviser, a student may complete up to six hours in cognate courses.

Accelerated Master of Arts in Communication Studies

The Accelerated Master of Arts in Communication Studies degree option allows outstanding Arkansas State University undergraduate communication studies or strategic communication students to begin taking Master of Communication Studies courses after they complete 60 hours of undergraduate education. Eligible students are allowed to apply up to 12 hours of graduate credits toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. The dual counting of a course for both undergraduate and graduate credit will only occur after the student completes the undergraduate degree. Only courses with a “B” or better will be eligible to count for graduate credit. After completing the undergraduate degree, this dual counting enables a student to earn Master of Arts in Communication Studies degree with only six additional courses (18 credits). For enrolling in the accelerated MA program, a student needs to have 3.0 overall or cumulative GPA. Students in accelerated plan who decide not to immediately continue with graduate education will still earn undergraduate credits for a completed course. However, they cannot get graduate credits for the same course if they pursue the master’s degree at a later time. 

Eligible students interested in pursuing accelerated degree plan are encouraged to discuss more with their academic advisor, preferably early in their undergraduate degree plan. Please also read the general university requirement for accelerated program in both the graduate and undergraduate bulletins.

Eligible communication students may receive undergraduate and graduate credit from any 5000-level COMS or STCM courses, COMS 6103 Communication Theory, or COMS 6203 Introduction Communication Studies. Students from other undergraduate majors may also apply if they meet the general requirements, but their admission will be considered on a case-to-case basis.