Media and Communication - 2022-23 Graduate Catalog

Chair: Laura Stafford
Graduate Coordinator: Louisa Ha
Address: 306 Kuhlin Center
Phone: 419-372-8349
E-mail: smcgrad@bgsu.edu
Program Web Page: Media and Communications Program Website

Degrees Offered
MA
Ph.D

Programs Offered
Ph.D. in Media and Communication
MA in Media and Communication (Generalist)
MA in Media and Communication with specialization in International/Intercultural Communication
MA in Media and Communication with specialization in Strategic Communication & Social Media
Certificate in International/Intercultural Communication
Certificate in in Social & Interactive Media
Certificate in Strategic Communication

Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the doctoral degree, students in Media and Communication are expected to be able to:

• Understand the following:
  • History of the field, as well as the areas of emphasis within SMC.
  • Important theories related to Media & Communication.
  • Social scientific and humanistic research methods in communication.
• Evaluate theories and research methods appropriate to test theories.
• Design theoretically driven research questions and propose new ways to obtain answers to the questions.
• Conduct original and significant research independently and compose a quality report based on it.

Upon completion of the Master's degree, Media and Communication students in the thesis and research project option are expected to be able to:

• Understand the following:
  • History of the field, as well as the areas of emphasis within SMC.
  • Social science research methods or humanistic research methods.
• Develop theoretically driven research questions and propose competent projects to answer those questions.
• Conduct a research project and compose a quality report based on it.

Upon completion of the Master's degree, Media and Communication students in the comprehensive exam option are expected to be able to:

• Understand the following:
  • History of the field, as well as the areas of emphasis within SMC.
  • Social science research methods or humanistic research methods.
  • Important theories related to Media and Communication.

Upon completion of the Online Master's degree in Media and Communication with a specialization in strategic communication and social media, students are expected to be able to:

• Explain the discipline of strategic communication, including its relevant history and theories;
• Explain and apply at least one research method and its application in strategic planning;
• Describe the elements and activities that comprise strategic communication and social media campaigns; and
• Explain how strategic communication contributes to organizational success.
  

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
Applicants to the Graduate Certificate or MA program must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a satisfactory academic record. Usually, applicants should have an undergraduate major or minor in a communication-related discipline; others will be considered for admission on an individual basis.

Admission to the doctoral program requires an appropriate master's degree from an accredited institution with an excellent academic record, evidence of research proficiency, and a record which otherwise indicates potential for successful advanced work.

Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in media and communication should follow the instructions outlined in the Graduate Admission webpage.  All application materials should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office.

In addition, applicants should review the admissions requirements specific to the program to which they seek admission.  Non-native speakers of English must have a minimum of 80 TOEFL IBT, 53 PTEA, or 7.0 IELTS score.

Requirements for the Ph.D. program include: (1) a statement of purpose that clearly expresses interests within one of the three areas of emphasis in the program, and explanation of key faculty with which the applicant may work; (checklist in SLATE application system); (2) a current CV; (3) three letters of reference submitted directly by the writers to the online application system; (4) transcripts from institutions from which an MA degree was earned; (5) academic writing example; (6) if pursuing social scientific research, must submit a quantitative reasoning writing example or description of coursework in statistics and research method. 

Requirements for the MA program include: (1) a statement of purpose; (2) a current CV; (3) three letters of reference submitted directly by the writers to the online application system; (4) transcripts from undergraduate institutions;  (5) writing example; (6) if pursuing scientific research, must submit a quantitative reasoning writing example or description of coursework in statistics and research method.  

Requirements for MA with Strategic Communication specialization program include: (1) a statement of purpose; (2) a current resume; (3) three letters of reference submitted directly by the writers to the online application system; (4) transcripts from undergraduate institutions; (5) writing example; (6) if pursuing scientific research, must submit a quantitative reasoning writing example or description of coursework in statistics and research method. A minimum of three years of full-time work experience is required for this program.

Requirements for graduate certificate programs include: (1) a statement of purpose; (2) two letters of reference submitted directly by the writers to the online application system (3) a current resume.

Degree Requirements

Ph.D. in Media and Communication
The doctoral program requires the following: 64 hours of coursework beyond the MA: 16 hours of dissertation credit; 9 hours in three core courses; 9 hours in three tool courses; 15 hours in MC emphasis areas; 15 hours of elective MC courses or an approved cognate area outside of the School of Media & Communication. A maximum of 12 hours may be taken outside of the School of Media & Communication; 15 hours if the student is enrolled in a certificate program. A maximum of 6 hours of readings, internship, or workshop may be counted toward the degree, if deemed to fit into one of the categories above. [Note: Doctoral students can take 5000-level courses, but none of its credit hours may count toward their doctoral degree in Media and Communication. The co/prerequisite graduate-level statistics course may also count, if approved by the graduate program committee.)

The preliminary examination, administered at or near the completion of coursework, consists of written examinations taken at home for a span of one-week time period. Although other topics may be included, the following categories must be addressed: (1) primary area of interest; (2) secondary area of interest/cognate; (3) theory; (4) methods/tools. The advisor and the student work together to coordinate the execution of preliminary examination. The student’s committee will consist of at least four members: an advisor from Media and Communication, two other Media and Communication faculty members, and an outside member appointed by the Graduate College. The preliminary examination is followed by the dissertation.

MA in Media and Communication
Plan I: Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit, including a minimum of three hours of thesis credit and a thesis. Students who write a thesis must pass an oral final examination with a committee composed of two Media and Communication faculty members and a third member either from Media and Communication or another program.

Plan II: Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit, including a minimum of three hours of comps or project credit. Those who chose the comprehensive exam option need to pass a written comprehensive examination; those with the project option need to produce a project. Plan II approval is not granted after the student has requested and received official approval of a thesis topic. In the comprehensive examination for the master’s degree, candidates are expected to demonstrate apt knowledge of the discipline of media and communication, research methodology, and theories or concepts related to two courses in the program. Students in Plan II have the option of completing a project in the place of comprehensive examination. The projects are carried out under the supervision of at least two Media and Communication faculty members.

Candidates under both plans must complete 6 hours in the core. In addition to the core, candidates under both plans must also complete 18 credit hours of electives or specialization courses. Furthermore, candidates need 3 hours of electives and minimum 3 hours of thesis/comps/project. No more than 6 hours of readings or internship count toward the 30 hours

Certificate in International/Intercultural Communication
This certificate program consists of 5 courses (or 15 credit hours), which can be earned by taking 2 core courses (6 credits), 2 of 4 pre-selected courses (6 credits), and 1 elective course in the School of Media & Communication Graduate curriculum (3 credits) at the 6000/7000-level.

Certificate in Social & Interactive Media
This certificate program consists of 5 courses (or 15 credit hours), which can be earned by taking 2 core courses (6 credits), 2 of 4 pre-selected courses (6 credits), and 1 elective course in the School of Media & Communication Graduate curriculum (3 credits) at the 6000/7000-level.

Certificate in Strategic Communication
This certificate program consists of 5 courses (or 15 credit hours), which can be earned by taking 4 core courses (12 credits) and 1 elective course (3 credits) at the graduate level offered by a BGSU academic program.

Visit the media and communication website for a list of the approved program courses.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online by Browsing the Course Catalog. Graduate courses offered by the School of Media and Communication use the prefix: MC.