Graduate Degrees, page 3

Graduate Degrees, page 3
Annenberg School for Communication

The School of Communication's degrees are awarded under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Graduate School section of this catalogue and the Requirements for Graduation section for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Master of Arts in Communication Management

Each student's program of courses is chosen with help from an academic advisor in order to build on earlier academic and work experience and to achieve desired professional goals.

Residence

Students may pursue the Master of Arts degree on either a full- or part-time basis. Full time, the degree can be finished in 10 months; part time, all degree work can be finished in one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half years. With permission of a School of Communication committee, a maximum of four graduate units toward the M.A. may be transferred from another accredited institution.

Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirements

There are no foreign language or research tool requirements for the M.A. degree.

Course Requirements

Twenty-eight units (usually seven courses) in approved graduate level course work are required. Of the seven required courses, at least two (a minimum of eight units) must be selected from the following core courses: COMM 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 560, 570 or 571. With the approval of an academic advisor, up to eight units may be taken at USC outside the School of Communication; these courses may be selected from a variety of disciplines, depending upon student needs and career interests. All remaining course work must be chosen from Annenberg School offerings, either from the core course list or from approved electives.

Comprehensive Examination

A comprehensive examination is required of all students. There is no thesis option. The examination is usually taken in the last semester of course work, but students may elect to take it following the completion of all courses. The comprehensive examination is offered at least once each semester. It consists of written sections (in-class and take-home) and an oral portion.

Master of Arts in Communication

Individuals seeking the master of arts in communication are expected to acquire and demonstrate a general knowledge of human communication, including humanistic and social scientific approaches.

The program, arranged in consultation with the school's coordinator of graduate studies, provides two options: degree with comprehensive examination requires a total of 32 units (normally eight courses), including core courses COMM 525, 526, 550 and 552 and four electives. Degree with thesis requires successful completion of core courses, three electives and four units of COMM 594ab Master's Thesis.

Not more than two approved 400-level courses may be applied to a student's program and a maximum of four semester units with grades of B or better may be accepted by transfer from another institution of higher learning. The minimum acceptable GPA for successful completion of this program is 3.0.

The majority of students choose the comprehensive examination option. The examination consists of six hours of writing, taken on two different days. Permission to take an M.A. degree with thesis can be obtained only by application to the school screening committee.

Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu