(SIUE) Masters in Mass Communications: Graduate Handbook

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Master of Science Degree in Mass Communications: Introduction | Admission | Program Requirements | Graduate Facility | Additional Programming Information | Applications

Introduction

The Department of Mass Communications offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science degree in mass communications. Our MS is designed for students who wish to concentrate in Professional Media Practice (media message design, and media policy and management) or Media Studies (media and politics, media influence, media ethics, media literacy, transnational media, and media and representation). These concentration areas reflect the expertise of the department's graduate faculty, and thus enable students to attain high levels of competence in pragmatic considerations in media, theoretical sophistication and research design. Recent graduates from the program have applied their degree professionally in television journalism, advertising, public relations, sports marketing, and public policy, as well as gone on to pursue law and doctoral degrees.

The Mass Communications' MS program maintains an enrollment of about 30 students. This size assures small class sizes (normally about 8-15), personalized program advising from the Graduate Program Director based on your career goals, and well as a close working relationship with your graduate thesis/final project committee.
Students typically begin courses in August at the beginning of the fall semester and can finish their program as early as the following fall. However, admission to the program is open all year and applications are assessed for acceptance as they arrive.

To assure that students will be able to apply the degree to their professional and intellectual goals, the program stresses a foundation in


•	Mass Communication Theory
•	Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods of Mass Communication
•	Design, Production and Application of Media Messages

These core foci of our curriculum are pivotal for both what practitioners in the field might need as well as what doctoral program selection committees look for when evaluating students for their programs. In short, these three core areas of curriculum concentration combine to foster:


	a.	Critically thinking;

	b.	The ability to communicate clearly, both written and oral;

	c.	Understanding the relations between theory and research, and it application;

	d.	The development of independent and original research;

	e.	The analysis of issues relevant to investigation.

At the present time the Mass Communications Department is able to mentor students who wish to specialize in:


	•	Media theory and practice
	•	Media cultural studies
	•	Media campaigns
	•	Media management
	•	Media law
	•	Media research methods
	•	Media ethics
	•	History of mass media
	•	Documentary media

How to Contact Us:

The Department of Mass Communications is located in the Katherine Dunham Hall, Room 1031. Questions about the graduate program that are not answered in this handbook may be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies at the following address:

Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Mass Communications
Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville, Il. 62026-1775
Ph: 618-650-2248; Email: pmurphy@siue.edu

Additional information about SIUE and the Graduate School through at : www.siue.edu

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Admission:

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School that are described in the Graduate Catalog, students applying to the graduate program in Mass Communications must have the following:


1.	Undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)

2.	Three letters of recommendation

3.	Department of Mass Communications application

4.	Statement of purpose

Students with undergraduate majors in fields other than mass communications will be considered for admission, provided that their statement of purpose, as contained in the Mass Communications Department Graduate Program Application, shows the relationship between the undergraduate major and MS program in mass communications. Students lacking sufficient undergraduate preparation (as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies), will be required to take up to three prerequisite courses (nine hours) that will not count toward the graduate degree. With permission from the Director of Graduate Studies, these courses may be taken concurrently with those toward the M.S. degree.

The application process:

Applicants are responsible for meeting all requirements and deadlines specified in the SIUE Graduate Catalog

Students apply for admission to the Graduate School, submitting the Application for Admission to Graduate Study along with all supporting materials. The application is available from the SIUE Graduate School, Box 1046 Edwardsville, IL 62026, or by calling (618) 692-3160. The Application should specify Mass Communications as the area of study.

The prospective student must complete and submit the Mass Communications Department Graduate Program Application which appears as Appendix A in this handbook.

The following supporting materials are to be submitted directly to the Director of Graduate Study, Department of Mass Communications:


A.	Mass Communications Graduate Program Application.

B.	Three letters of recommendation from references familiar with the applicant’s academic or professional work.

C.	Statement of purpose. An essay outlining the student’s interest in pursuing the graduate degree, as well as his or her professional goals.

Applicants are notified by the Graduate School of their acceptance to the program.
Following admission, each student should make an appointment with the Director of Graduate Studies for an initial advisement appointment. Please consult the material in the Advisement Information section of this handbook prior to meeting with the director.

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Program Requirements:

The minimum number of semester hours credit required to complete the Master of Science degree in Mass Communications is 30. Within the total program twelve hours of coursework must be completed at the 500 level.

All students complete the following program:


1.	Core (Required) Graduate Seminars Courses (9 hours):
	MC 500 Mass Communication Theory: Media Interrelationships MC 501 Mass Communication Research: The Social-Scientific Approach MC 502 Media Campaigns 2. Electives (15 hours, typically 5 courses).

2.	Electives (15 hours, typically 5 courses
	These courses are selected in consultation with the student’s graduate advisor. Up to 6 hours may be taken outside the Department of Mass Communications. Please consult the Mass Communications Graduate Handbook "Electives" section or the SIUE Graduate Catalog for current elective course offerings.

3.	Thesis or Professional Project (6 hours): MC 598 or MC599.

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Graduate Facility:

The following are members of the graduate faculty and are approved to direct graduate committees.


	Ralph Donald, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts

	Gary Hicks, Ph.D., University of Texas

	Riley Maynard, Ph.D., St. Louis University

	Patrick Murphy, Ph.D., Ohio University

	Robert Trumpbour, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

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Additional Program Information

Before the first advisement appointment, the student is expected to be familiar with the requirements of the program as outlined in the Graduate Catalog and departmental descriptions, and to have planned a tentative program of study within the offerings of the current Class Schedule.

Initial Advisement

Initial advisement is handled by the Director of Graduate Studies. After the Graduate Committee is appointed (see below), the chairperson of that committee becomes the advisor.

Undergraduate Preparation

The Director of Graduate Studies will examine each student’s transcripts to determine if that student has satisfactorily completed the minimum coursework in mass communications required by the department. Students might be asked to provide detailed information about courses taken in order for the transcript to be adequately evaluated. Students with insufficient preparation may be required to take up to three undergraduate level courses (nine hours) as prerequisites, which will not count toward the graduate degree.

Seminars

MC500, which covers theories of mass communications, MC501, which covers research methods, and MC502, which is a media campaigns course, are the core of the M.S. program. These courses must be taken at the beginning of each students program, typically in the first and second semester of the coursework. The seminars may be taken in any order, but taking MC 500 before MC 501 is recommended. Virtually all of the program will relate to these three primary courses. Students who must drop a course should not select MC500, MC501 or MC 502 to drop.

Electives

Electives should be related in a meaningful way to the student’s interests and professional future. Each student should develop a plan for these electives prior to the initial advisement appointment.

500-Level Courses

Within the student’s total program of study for the M.S. degree, 12 hours of course work must be at the 500 level.

Graduate Committee

The graduate committee consists of three graduate faculty members, one of whom serves as chairperson and thesis or project advisor. Students have the responsibility for formally asking graduate faculty members to serve on their committees. The committee should be established by the middle of each student’s second term of coursework if full time. This is approximately spring break for those entering in the fall semester, and mid-October for those entering in the spring semester. The Director of Graduate Studies is to be notified, by the student, in writing, when a committee has been selected.

Once established, the graduate committee approves the student’s final course choices, approves the student’s thesis or project proposal, and conducts the final oral examination.

Advanced Independent Study Courses

Independent study courses (MC590 and 595) are to be used only for advanced independent research projects and after students have completed their core requirements. Students wishing to take MC590 or 595 must have an Independent Study/Readings/Thesis Form accepted by a faculty member prior to registering for the course. In no case are independent study courses to be substituted for regular required coursework. In some unusual cases, MC590 and 595 will be used for students doing advanced graduate work while also attending an undergraduate course. Such arrangements must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Thesis or Project

Following completion of coursework, each student completes a master’s thesis or project. Typically a thesis is a research study of a mass media problem or topic; a project is an applied work in mass communications such as documentary videotape and associated pre-production materials.

A thesis or project is not simply a degree requirement. It is a major piece of work, available for public examination, which demonstrates a level of attainment in the field sufficient to merit a Master’s degree. It should be a work the student is proud of and one that can up to scholarly scrutiny.

Thesis

Six hours credit may be earned for the thesis under MC599. Before beginning work, each student should be familiar with Guidelines for the Preparation of Thesis, issued by the Graduate School. The preparation of a thesis involves the following steps:


Step 1:	Before beginning a thesis proposal, students should discuss their topic area with the chairperson of their graduate committee in order to determine if the topic is appropriate, and to get helpful research advice.

Step 2:	Students should prepare a complete thesis proposal and set up a proposal meeting with their committee. Thesis proposals normally include Sections I, II, and III of "A Brief Guide for the Preparation of A Research Study" (Appendix D). The chairperson of the graduate committee will then schedule a committee meeting to approve or disapprove the thesis proposal. Students must register thesis titles with the Graduate School as soon as the proposal is approved.

	Please note that the Graduate School requires that a thesis title be registered two semesters prior to a student’s anticipated graduation.

Step 3:	Once the proposal has been accepted by the committee, students may complete their thesis with the help and advice of their graduate advisors.

NOTE: Each thesis must relate to the theories of mass communication taught in MC500 and use, as appropriate, the research methods taught in MC501.

Professional Project

Six hours of credit may be earned for the project under MC598. The preparation of a project involves the following steps:


Step 1:	Before beginning a thesis proposal, students should discuss their topic area with the chairperson of their graduate committee in order to determine if the topic is appropriate, and to get helpful research advice.

Step 2:	A student should prepare a project proposal that includes: (1) An overview of the project; (2) A summary of relevant research; and (3) A statement of the significance of the project.

Step 3:	Once the proposal is accepted, a student may complete his/her project with the help and advice of the graduate committee.

The finished project includes three sections:


1.	Overview of the project including review of relevant research and statement of the significance of the project (essentially a more elaborate and revised version of the proposal, Step 2).

2.	A lengthy statement describing how the communication theories studied in MC500 will guide the completion of the project.

3.	The project itself.

It is the student’s responsibility to provide a complete copy of the project for the department’s permanent records.

Final Examination for Master’s Thesis or Project

Once the advisor and the graduate committee is satisfied with the student’s thesis or project, the advisor schedules a final oral examination over the thesis or project and the coursework.

Application for Graduation

No later than the first day of the term preceding the term in which the degree is expected, an "Application for Graduation" must be filed in the Graduation Department of the Office of Admissions and Records.

Continuing Registration

Students who have completed six hours in MC599 or 598, and who are continuing to use the SIUE library, to meet with an advisor, or to continue work on thesis or projects, must register for UNIV 500 for every term which they are active.

Funding and Financial Aid

SIUE provides a number of funding programs for graduate coursework and completion of the Master’s thesis or project. Please consult the graduate catalog for additional information about these programs. Information regarding Graduate Assistantships in the Department of Mass Communications is available from the director of graduate studies.

Assistantships

There are a limited number of competitive graduate assistantships, which pay approximately $385 and $770 per month during the fall and spring semesters for 10 and 20 hours per week, respectively. Assistantships carry a tuition waiver. If you are interested in applying for one of these opportunities, please fill our enclosed form along with the other application materials in this packet. Assistantships are competitive, and selections are generally made in early April for the following academic year.

Time Limit

All requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed within six years. Consult the Graduate Catalog for more information.

Transfer Hours/Hours Completed Before Admission to the Program

Please consult the current Graduate catalog for these policies.

Completing the M.S. Degree in a Timely Manner

Many students discover that if they have not identified a thesis/project topic prior to completing coursework, a lot of time passes before they make substantial progress on the thesis or project. Further, many students find that the process of preparing a proposal to be far more time consuming than they had imagined. (Indeed, a good proposal represents a substantial portion of the total thesis/project). With these considerations in mind, the faculty recommend the following:


1.	Students should identify a thesis or project topic as early as possible, and certainly prior to completing coursework. Discussions in the graduate seminars frequently lead to viable topics.

	Before coursework, or as soon as possible thereafter, each student should develop a complete thesis or project proposal, as discussed above, for presentation to the student’s graduate committee. If this is done in a timely manner, the time spent registered for thesis or project credit can actually be spent working on the thesis or project rather than searching for a topic.

2.	The minimum time required for faculty members to read and critique a proposal or chapters of a thesis is about two weeks. Please keep this in mind when trying to meet Graduate School deadlines.


•	Graduate Program Application

•	Assistantship Application

•	Post-Baccalaureate Program Application

URL: www.siue.edu/MASSCOMM/grad/masters_in_mc/program_info/grad_handbook.html
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