Communication, MA

About the Program

Communication studies at Purdue University celebrate a long and distinguished history, having offered masters degrees since 1947 and granted doctoral degrees since 1948. As the field has developed over time, Purdue faculty and graduate students have been at the forefront leading those advancements in discovery, learning, and engagement.

The Department’s award-winning faculty are some of the most prolific scholars in the field and have made major theoretical, methodological and applied contributions to the study of Communication. Indeed, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Top Research University Faculty Scholar Productivity Index” for 2007 placed Purdue at No. 2 in the nation.

Communication graduate students are award-winning as well and have received national and international recognition for their research and teaching. Many graduate students have solo-authored or published collaboratively and are actively involved in individual research projects or research teams. Graduate students have also received university and national recognition for excellence in teaching. They work with faculty as teaching assistants and teach courses on their own. Many students also work on grant-funded research with faculty.

The Communications graduate program is organized along six instructional units:

• Health and Risk Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Media, Technology & Society
• Organizational Communication
• Political Communication
• Public Relations

Purdue graduate students can earn either a thesis or non-thesis Masters degree or a Doctoral degree with the opportunity to develop their own major and minor area(s) of study. Each degree program consists of certain requirements, yet at the same time, our graduate students have tremendous flexibility in designing a plan of study that meets their interests. The Department also offers an online Master’s of Science in Communication.

Program Website

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Concentrations

Departmental concentrations:

• Communication and Philosophy

Interdisciplinary concentrations and programs:

• Information Security, MS  
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Concentration (GR)  

Graduate Programs Disclaimer

• The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
• Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary. 
• Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
• Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
• Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.