Degree and Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students accepted into the IPFW Communication graduate program before Fall 2011 are required to complete 33 credits in approved courses. Beginning in Fall 2011, all students are required to complete 36 credits in approved courses.  Students enrolled in the IPFW Department of Communication graduate program are able to earn either a Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Science (M.S.) in professional communication. The M.A. is recommended for those intending to pursue a doctoral program. Some students, particularly from abroad, have specific reasons for earning an M.S. Both degrees are awarded by Purdue University.

International students are generally required to take (at least) 9 credit hours to fulfill their student visa requirements. If an international student has a teaching assistantship, that requirement is met with 6 credit hours.

Graduate students who earned an undergraduate degree from IPFW normally may not repeat 500-level Communication graduate classes to fulfill the Masters degree. Degree candidates may petition the Graduate Director in certain limited cases, such as when the student can show that the course topic will vary considerably. In such instances, the burden of proof is on the student, who may assemble a dossier for consideration by the Graduate Director. The dossier may include copies of syllabi, a statement from the instructor, and other materials showing that the course will be taught in a significantly different way.

Graduate students must create an Advisory Committee. Committees will be comprised of graduate faculty members, and should be composed after you have completed 15-21 credits. You are encouraged to choose individuals who are familiar with the subject of your synthesis paper, and the chair should be the person most knowledgeable about the area or the approach you are writing about. This committee will evaluate your synthesis paper. The chair of the committee will administer comprehensive examinations, as well.

Once you have your advisory committee and 15-21 credit hours, you need to complete and have approved a Plan of Study. The plan of study is simply a list of courses you have completed and plan to complete along with the names of your committee. It must be signed and approved by your committee, the Graduate Director and the Graduate Dean at Purdue, West Lafayette. If the plan of study is not approved by two semesters before you intend to graduate, you will not be allowed to graduate. Once you are ready to complete the Masters Plan of Study form (GS-6), make sure you carefully follow these important instructions.

To be considered for graduation from an IPFW program, you must submit an application for graduation. If you do not apply for graduation by the deadline posted, you may not be considered for honors, your name may not appear on the program, and your spring degree may not be available at Commencement.

Course Requirements

Beginning in Fall 2011, the graduate curriculum consists of 36 credits in approved courses. To fulfill degree requirements, students must take 15 core credits in communication. The additional 21 credits should be approved by the Graduate Program Director and your Advisory Committee. Courses rotate each semester.

In some circumstances, you may need to request a Curricular Exception from your Advisory Committee, and/or the Graduate Program Director.  See the Graduate Program Director for more details.

Communication Core (15 Credits)

• COM 500 00 Intro to Grad Studies

At least one of the following (3 credits) in Research Methods:

• COM 582 00 Descriptive/Experimental Research in Communication
• COM 584 00 Historical/Critical Research in Communication
• COM 585 00 Intro to Qualitative Research

At least three of the following (9 credits) in Theories Courses:

• COM 512 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
• COM 518 Theories of Persuasion
• COM 520 Small Group Communication
• COM 521 Theories of Rhetoric
• COM 527 Introduction to Cultural Studies
• COM 559 Current Trends in Mass Communication Research
• COM 574 Organizational Communication

Specialization Courses (Up to 21 Credits)

• COM 502 Classroom Communication
• COM 507 Introduction to Semiotics
• COM 508 Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction
• COM 515 Persuasion in Social Movements
• COM 516 Analysis of Persuasive Messages
• COM 517 Communication in Politics
• COM 522 History and Criticism of Public Communication      
• COM 523 Communication in Personal Relationships
• COM 525 Advanced Interviewing
• COM 531 Special Topics in Mass Communication
• COM 534 Comparative Telecommunications Systems
• COM 537 Educational/Instructional Television
• COM 557 Legal Dimensions of Communication
• COM 560 Rhetorical Dimensions of Mass Media
• COM 563 Public Policy in Telecommunications
• COM 576 Health Communication  
• COM 590 Directed Study of Special Problems
• COM 597 Special Topics in Comm

Cognate Studies (0-12 Credits)

Credits selected, with the approval of your advisor or advising committee, from graduate-level coursework relevant to Communication. In some rare circumstances, the advisor or advising committee may approve upper-level coursework in a cognate area, although we generally discourage counting undergraduate coursework toward a graduate degree. To count cognate courses toward your Plan of Study, you first must gain approval. If you have not put together your Advisory Committee, you must propose cognate coursework to the Graduate Program Director. If you have put together your Advisory Committee, then you must get approval from your Committee, who then will make a recommendation to the Graduate Program Director. To request approval for cognate coursework, complete a Request for a Curricular Exception, available as a form. Because you are requesting approval, your request may not be approved. Please plan accordingly.

COM 590 Directed Study of Special Problems

COM 590, Directed Study of Special Problems, is a variable topic, variable credit [1-3], repeatable course which requires the consent of the instructor for enrollment. This course provides a valuable opportunity for students to pursue interests that are not addressed appropriately or at all in regularly scheduled courses. This course is not to be used as a substitute for a regularly scheduled, titled course.

When a graduate student seeks to enroll in COM 590, s/he must accomplish several efforts.

S/he must present a plan of study that is acceptable to the COM faculty member[s] who will direct the study. The agreeable faculty sponsor should inform the student's advising committee [if one is formalized] and the Graduate Program Director of his/her willingness to direct the study. The sponsor must advise the student that the course needs to obtain approvals before it will count for graduation credit.

No graduate student registered for COM 590 Directed Study of Special Problems will serve as an instructor in a 500-level class, nor will any graduate student evaluate and grade graduate student work as part of a COM 590. The academic quality of the proposed project will serve as the primary basis for approval of a COM 590.

The student should complete a Request for Curricular Exception to obtain written approval of the course as part of the graduate curriculum from the advising committee chair [if one is formalized] and the Graduate Program Director.

It is the student's responsibility to file a plan of study or an amended plan of study that shows the title of the COM 590 exactly as that title appears on the student's transcript. Any inconsistencies will result in a rejection of the student's plan of study, and may delay graduation.

Any progress on the COM 590 project must be considered tentative until the necessary approvals are obtained properly.