Professional Communication, MA

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The program provides students with the knowledge and training for superior oral, written, and visual communication skills. It is designed for people who seek the techniques and knowledge required to be communication specialists in a wide range of fields in an ever-shifting 21st century workplace.

The curriculum consists of core seminars, one of three concentrations from which to choose, one-on-one advising and mentoring, a host of electives, and a capstone project that culminates the degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Write and edit a substantial amount of revised, professional prose at an advanced level, meeting standards and applying conventions defined by a specific discipline.
Define, identify, and apply the rhetorical conventions and strategies appropriate to editing, grammar, mechanics, style, and audience-related needs.
Revise work based on instructor feedback and conduct skilled research in chosen industry and profession.
Complete a capstone project, which would be an analytical paper related to an internship, a traditional thesis paper, or a reflective-analysis related to a professional portfolio.

Graduate Requirements (30 Graduate Units)

Required

Foundations of Communication
Research Methods in Communication
Ethics in Communication
Capstone Project

Health Communication Concentration

Health Communication
Health Communication Policy
Health Risk Communication
Health Communication and Cultures

Strategic Communication Concentration

Strategic Communication
Strategic Planning and Leadership
Crisis Response Communication
Conflict Management Communication

Technical Communication Concentration

Foundations of Technical Communication
Pragmatics of Technical Communication
Information Design
Emergent Media
User Experience and Usability Testing

Electives

Fundamentals of Health Communication
Visual Rhetoric
Publication Layout and Design
Grant and Proposal Writing
Speechwriting and Professional Presentation
Intercultural Communication
Rhetoric and Game Theory
Communication and the Law
Seminar in Rhetoric
The Teaching of Communications

Graduate Internship

Graduate-level fieldwork experience in an approved work setting under the supervision of the MAPC Administrative Director.