Global Strategic Communication, M.S.

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Major Code: 8181	Degree Awarded: Master of Science
Delivery Mode(s): Classroom	Admission Status: Graduate
Admission Materials: letters of recommendation, résumé, objectives, transcripts	Location(s): Main Campus - Melbourne

Program Chair
Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Ph.D.

The master of science program in global strategic communication stresses the development of strategic communication, new media and various forms of corporate communication. The degree program combines theory and document analysis with practice in generating written documents in a wide variety of forms and styles, from research-based papers and academic articles to formal reports and proposals; revising and editing technical, scientific and managerial documents for a variety of professional purposes; designing and publishing professional-quality documents; and problem-solving and communication-oriented decision making in collaborative team environments.

Admission Requirements

An applicant should have a bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S. or B.B.A.) prior to admission. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this graduate program, students with undergraduate degrees in a wide variety of fields (e.g., biological sciences, business, communication, computer science, engineering, English, journalism, management, psychology, and physical and social sciences) are encouraged to apply.

The admission decision is based on a review of the application documentation including transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work taken previously, two letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources, a statement of objectives and previous work experience. Although taking the GRE is not required, a satisfactory GRE score can strengthen the applicant’s admission package.

General admission requirements and the process for applying are presented under Graduate Academic Information .

Degree Requirements

The program consists of 36 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, including required, advanced and elective courses tailored to meet the student’s professional needs. Students are required to complete 15 credit hours of core courses, 12 credit hours of advanced coursework in strategic global communication and three elective credit hours. To complete the program, a student either produces and defends a design project (six credit hours of COM 5990 Design Project ) or thesis (six credit hours of COM 5999 Thesis ) or takes an additional six credit hours of coursework and passes a final program examination. Students may choose to focus their study in the technical specialization (takes the place of nine credit hours of advanced coursework).

Curriculum

Candidates for the degree must successfully complete the following curriculum.

Core Courses (12 credit hours)

Advanced Courses (15 credit hours)

Technical Specialization (9 credit hours)

Electives (3 credit hours)

Choose one elective from fields such as business or psychology, or from the advanced course list.

Nonthesis Option

A student may choose to complete 36 credit hours of coursework without completing a thesis or design project. In that case, the student must take a final program examination no earlier than the last full semester in which the student is registered for courses.

Thesis/Design Project

In lieu of six credit hours of coursework, the student may choose to complete either a traditional, research-based thesis or a design project (an extended problem-solving project exploring and resolving a designated situation in business, industry, government or education).

A thesis or design project proposal must be approved in advance by the student’s committee. A defense of the thesis or the design project before the student’s faculty committee is required. A unanimous vote of the student’s committee is necessary for acceptance of the thesis or design project.