San José State University : Communication Studies : Graduate Program Fall 2009

Graduate Program Fall 2009

The Communication Studies Department has revised its graduate program curriculum. These changes will take effect in Fall 2009 and will apply to all those admitted in Fall 2009. This page describes the changes and compares the previous curriculum with the new one.

Currently enrolled students in the M.A. program will receive individual counseling to navigate the transition process. In some cases the new program requirements may not affect your current plan of study.

Please contact the graduate coordinator, Dr. Deanna L. Fassett, at MACommSt@email.sjsu.edu, or the Department Chair, Dr. Dennis Jaehne, at chairjaehne@gmail.com with any questions you have about this transition.

Overview

What do we want our M.A. graduates to know and do after they have successfully completed their program of study?

Students will be able to identify, explain, and critique the major paradigms, theories, and conceptual frameworks for understanding communication, and demonstrate an appreciation of the significance of ethics and social responsibility as they engage in communication. (Conceptual Foundations)
Students will be able to analyze and evaluate published research, and design and conduct communication research studies using quantitative social scientific, interpretive, critical, rhetorical, and/or performative methods. (Inquiry and Research)
Students will be able to demonstrate advanced competency in scholarly writing, oral communication, and the application of conceptual foundations and research methods in professional contexts by designing and conducting applied communication activities. (Professional Practice)

All new graduate curriculum offerings (outlined in Table 1) are designed to integrate and provide meaningful connections between three areas: (1) Conceptual Foundations (paradigmatic, theoretical, and ethical underpinnings of the discipline), (2) Inquiry and Research (methodologies used in the study of communication), and (3) Professional Practice (advanced application of communication foundations and methods in professionally applied contexts).

Table 1: Comparison of Present Requirements to New Requirements

PRIOR TO FALL 2009

FALL 2009 AND AFTER

CORE

200 - 3 units
Graduate Study in Communication
201 - 3 units
Social-Behavioral Studies in Communication
202 - 3 units
Critical Studies in Communication

Subtotal - 9 units

CORE

200R - 4 units
Graduate Study in Communication
203, 204, 205, 206, plus two advanced workshops - 6 units Methods
294 - 2 units
Proseminar in Communication Scholarship
297 - 2 units
Advanced Writing Workshop

Subtotal - 14 units

THESIS OPTION

ELECTIVES - 15 units
Thesis Work (COMM 299) - 6 units

THESIS OPTION

ELECTIVES - 18 units
Thesis Work (COMM 299) - 6 units

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM OPTION

ELECTIVES - 21 units

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM OPTION

ELECTIVES - 24 units

PROJECT OPTION

ELECTIVES - 18 units
Project Work (COMM 298) - 3 units

PROJECT OPTION

ELECTIVES - 20 units
Project Work (COMM 298) - 4 units

TOTAL - 30 UNITS

TOTAL - 38 UNITS

Changes to the M.A. Program

The primary changes in the M.A. program are:

Revise the introductory course to 4 units (200R) to enable students time to develop their trajectories as independent scholars (i.e., articulate what their contribution to the discipline will be through additional academic speaking and writing activities).
Revise the methods courses (currently two 3 unit courses) into a series of one-unit methods workshops, enabling greater depth and practice of research methods through focused instruction and appropriate scheduling.

203: Introduction to Communication Methods

204: Quantitative Methods

205: Qualitative Methods

206: Critical Methods

All students will take 203, one workshop each from 204, 205 and 206, and 2 additional advanced workshops from any category (i.e., 204A, 205A, and 206A).

Redesign all graduate seminars to 4 units, enabling more customized instruction for students as they work toward their culminating experience in the M.A.
Require a two unit mid-program proseminar, COMM 294.
Require a two unit, repeatable advanced writing workshop, COMM 297.

Impact on Students in the M.A. Program

Our re-envisioned M.A. program speaks to the importance of centering graduate student success on two key factors, as indicated in research about graduate education: a) mentorship activities with faculty members and b) educational activities that foster the development of graduate students as independent scholars. The proposed curricular structure foregrounds both of these key factors by moving to four-unit seminars, one-unit methods courses, a two-unit mid-program proseminar, and a two-unit writing workshop.

The primary impact on students will be a more streamlined and coordinated M.A. experience, one that helps enhance not only a sense of program identity, but also of students’ and faculty members’ scholarly community and engagement. IMPORTANT: While students under the new structure will complete eight more units, they will ultimately take about the same number of classes and will still be able to complete the degree in two years. The total units are in line with M. A. programs offered across the University.

By increasing courses to four units, graduate students who benefit from financial aid will have a less stressful and more productive experience in the program as they will be able to worry less about their unit load for a particular semester and more about the content of their seminars. Given the diversity of our enrollees, students in our M.A. program will take various amounts of time to complete their degree. However, with effective enrollment management, including revised admission processes, we hope to facilitate cohesion among students by creating more opportunities to build a cohort among student that enter the program together.