The Communication Studies program offers a Masters of Arts at the Lawrence campus. The program in Communication Studies at the University of Kansas is research intensive and primarily designed to train students for careers doing research and teaching in the field of human communication at institutions of higher education. More specifically, our graduate program expects students to focus on one of the department’s two primary areas of research, with a narrower focus on one or two of the research subareas:

• Relationships & Social Interaction, with an emphasis on digital media, interpersonal, intercultural, and organizational communication.
• Rhetoric & Political Communication, with an emphasis on argumentation, democratic inclusion, digital media, political institutions, and public memory.

Across both areas of research, our department collectively focuses on communication as it relates to gender, race, social class, national identity, and other cultural indices. Moreover, the department offers training in qualitative, quantitative, and rhetorical methods.

Almost all Communication Studies graduate students are funded through the department as either Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) or Graduate Research Assistants (GRA), which both include competitive stipends, tuition coverage, and health care benefits. In addition, all GTAs and GRAs are provided annual travel assistant to attend academic conferences, and the department awards approximately $25,000 a year in graduate awards for research, teaching, and service.

Admission to Graduate Studies

An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Graduate Admission

Eligibility criteria for admission to the M.A. program follow Graduate Studies' admission policy. Non-native speakers of English must meet Graduate Admissions' English proficiency requirements.

Potential students must submit a complete online graduate application. For all domestic or international M.A. applicants, please check the application requirements and deadline on the MA Admissions webpage.

For additional questions regarding program requirements and application processes, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Yan Bing Zhang, or the Graduate Program Coordinator, Alec Graham. 

M.A. Degree Requirements

Communication Studies

The Master of Arts in Communication Studies is a 30-credit hour program. Both a thesis and an exam option are available to M.A. students.

THESIS Option

This option is designed for students who are interested in becoming researchers in the Communication Studies field, and/or view themselves as potential Ph.D. candidates. Students must complete a minimum of 6 thesis hours, with a minimum total of 30 credit hours of course work, and pass a final oral thesis defense.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COMS 851	Communication Research: Historical and Descriptive	3
or COMS 852	Communication Research: Behavioral and Social Science
A second methodology course chosen in consultation with your advisor		3
COMS 859	Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication Studies	3
COMS 899	Master's Thesis	6
Select at least 6 hours in each of 2 areas of communication		12
Select 3 additional credit hours from any communication studies courses or from outside the department		3
Final oral examination
Total Hours		30

Thesis and Final Oral Examination

M.A. students who have selected the thesis option are required to complete a written thesis in consultation with their faculty advisor and two additional committee members. In addition to the written thesis, students will be required to pass a final oral examination (thesis defense) conducted by their committee.

Exam Option

This option is designed for students who are primarily interested in acquiring knowledge and skills that they can apply in the areas of their professional activities. Students finish a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework and then must pass a written and oral examination. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Communication Studies
COMS 859	Introduction to Graduate Studies in Communication Studies	3
COMS 851	Communication Research: Historical and Descriptive	3
or COMS 852	Communication Research: Behavioral and Social Science
Select at least 9 hours in each of 2 areas of communication		18
Select 6 hours of electives		6
General examination structured as follows: 1
1 hour written over required courses
2 hours written over the first major area of communication
2 hours written over the second major area of communication
1 hour oral examination

¹

Each student must complete an examination over the 2 course work concentrations.

All new GTAs must take COMS 920 Introduction to Teaching Oral Communication. This can be an elective or potentially part of a content area.