Department of Communication

The Master of Arts in Professional Communication is an applied, professional degree. The degree is designed to focus on advanced applied research skills required for effectiveness in the communication industry. Survey findings and discussions with industry representatives indicate that for most enrollees this degree will be a terminal preparation for industry success. The program is available to candidates from, though not limited to, industrial settings where companies need research capabilities for advertising and public relations campaigns, internal organizational analysis, human resource development, and media production. It is anticipated that some students will also pursue a Ph.D. following the completion of the master's degree.

Announcements

• Scott Church and Tim Gray are presenting the paper "The Internet as medium of political influence: YouTube as a political Web site" at the 2008 National Communication Association Conference. This paper was conducted under Dr. Paul Husslebee's supervision.
• Dr. Patricia Paystrup and Adam Bair are presenting their ideas on" Buzz and chatter: Modeling the interplay of traditional news media and new media in covering and critiquing crisis communication" at the Scholar to Scholar session at the 2008 National Communication Association Conference
• Dr. Suzanne Larson, Elizabth Wittwer, and Adam Bair are presenting a paper at the 2008 annual Religious Communication Association Conference titled " Holocaust denial: Using Burke's grotesque to analyze Iranian holocaust denial cartoons.
• Dr. Matt Barton is presenting his work on "Testing a general model of instructional communication across four institutions" at the 2008 National Communication Association Conference
• Dr. Kevin Stein is presenting his paper at the 2008 National Communication Association Conference titled Leff vs McGee: Close textual analysis and the marriage of theory and object