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Department of Communication Studies

Graduate Program

Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree in Communication Studies

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About the Program

Graduate study in Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island is based on an interdisciplinary philosophy designed to enhance options for graduates. The Department of Communication Studies offers a 30-credit-hour program leading to the Master of Arts degree. In consultation with faculty advisors, students develop a program of studies to foster their developing career needs. The curriculum prepares students interested in establishing or furthering their careers as professionals in communication or related fields such as personnel, business administration, or human services, or for continuing study in a Ph.D. program.

Graduate courses in Communication Studies are small interactive classes that average 10-15 students. Most of the classes offered in the graduate program in Communication Studies are offered in the late afternoon, early evening, mostly on weekdays. Some courses may be offered as week-long intensive seminars or over several weekends.

Most courses are taught at the Feinstein College of Continuing Education in the Shepard Building, Providence, Rhode Island. Some courses are taught at the Kingston campus. Still other classes will be presented via multimedia technologies.

The graduate faculty in Communication Studies consists of 17 tenure-track faculty with Ph.D.s from prestigious research institutions. The faculty has well-earned reputations as outstanding teachers and productive researchers.

Graduate faculty in Communications from Rhode Island College supplement the graduate faculty from the University of Rhode Island. This cooperative process assures graduate students the best possible faculty for the specific courses offered.

The University awards a limited number of fellowships, including some for minorities. Generally, funding for graduate studies is available through loan assistance.

The Department strongly encourages teaching experience as part of the M.A. degree program and as a means of professional development and preparation. Many of our graduates choose teaching or related professions. Others go on to PhD programs where they are expected to teach. In fact, teaching experience is highly regarded when accepting students to PhD programs. Further, Com Studies graduate students enrolled in Com503 (Graduate Practicum: Teaching Communication) are strongly encouraged to teach Com100 as per course instructors or as graduate teaching assistants. Therefore, the teaching experience is critical to the graduate studies experience in the Communication Studies M.A. program.

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Graduate Program Faculty

Graduate Director:
Professor Rachel DiCioccio
210A Davis Hall
Dept. of Communication Studies
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 02881
Phone: 401-874-9072
Email: dicioccio@uri.edu

Graduate Faculty:

Full Professors
Winifred Brownell
Guo-Ming Chen
Sandra Ketrow
Norbert Mundorf
Abran Salazar
Judith Swift
Stephen Wood

Associate Professors
Lynne Derbyshire
Rachel DiCioccio
Geoffrey Leatham
Kevin McClure
Vanessa Quainoo
Kathleen Torrens

Assistant Professors
Ian Reyes
Adam David Roth
Yinjiao Ye


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Specializations

Specializations are offered in applied communication, interpersonal communication, media studies, organizational communication, political and public communication. In consultation with advisors, students prepare for careers in public and private industry, government, or academic areas. Students are encouraged to develop their course plans to foster their evolving career needs. Thus, one might advance specific interests and competencies in areas such as communication technology, conflict management, political media, organizational communication consulting, or public relations. Individual specialties can be developed within each of the specialization areas.

Courses are generally offered in late afternoon or evening in Providence and Kingston for the convenience of employed persons. Both full- and part-time programs of study are available.

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Admission Requirements

GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and bachelor's degree with undergraduate credit in communication studies. Students from other academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply and may be admitted with the permission of the director of graduate studies, although some basic courses may have to be taken for no program credit. The Graduate Committee assesses the following components in considering the applicant:

  • past academic performance
  • performance on the GRE(general test & writing assessment)
  • letters of recommendation
  • extra and/or co-curricular business and professional activities

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Application Instructions

  1. Applicants must submit an application and non-refundable application fee.
    1. Applicants are required to apply online and to pay the fee by credit card online.
    2. All other materials should be sent to
      Director of Graduate Studies
      Department of Communication Studies
      204 Davis Hall, 10 Lippitt Road
      University of Rhode Island
      Kingston, RI 02881-0812
  2. Official transcripts (two copies) sent from all colleges and universities attended.
  3. Graduate Record Examination (general test & writing assessment) scores (2 official copies).
  4. Two letters of recommendation.
  5. International Applicants. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit the results of a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Minimum requirements for the TOEFL are paper-based 550, computer-based 213 or iBt score of 79. The minimum speaking score for International Teaching Assistants is 23. For more information concerning nonimmigrant visas, transfers, funding, etc., please visit the Office of International Students and Scholars website at http://www.uri.edu/iss/admissions_. For on- and off-campus housing information please visit the Office of Housing and Residential Life website at http://housing.uri.edu.

To be eligible for enrollment in graduate study in Communication Studies, the applicant seeking admission in full standing must meet admission requirements of the Department as well as the Graduate School. The University expects a minimum undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 for admission (A=4.0). Applicants below the "B" level, but not less than 2.0, may be admitted to degree candidacy upon submission of other evidence of academic potential. Requests for application forms should be sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office, University of Rhode Island, Quinn Hall, Room 204, 55 Lower College Rd., Kingston, RI 02881-0812.

The URI Graduate Student Manual, Graduate Student Deadline Calendar, and Application forms (domestic and international), may be downloaded from www.uri.edu/gsadmis.

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Program Requirements

Graduate students in the Communication Studies program will be expected to take a broad-based set of courses in communication and begin to specialize in one of four general areas. All students complete two core requirements—Com501 (Communication Theory) and Com502 (Research Methods in Communication).

Graduate students are required to take one topic seminar in each of the four focus areas, as well as the two-course sequence in research and theory. Because the topics change each semester, topical seminars may be repeated in your area of specialization.

Topical Seminars

  • Interpersonal Communication—Com510
  • Media Studies—Com520
  • Organizational Communication—Com530
  • Public Discourse—Com540

Students may choose a thesis or non-thesis option within the four areas of concentration. The thesis program requires a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work, a thesis based on independent research, and an oral defense.

The non-thesis program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work with one course including a substantial paper requiring significant independent research, and a written comprehensive examination and oral defense.

Up to twelve credits of free electives, including a maximum of six credits of independent study (Com591/592), are permitted subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies in Communication.

Graduate students in Communication Studies can complete the program in two years by taking two classes per semester including two courses during the intervening summer. Some students will move through the program a bit faster, some a bit slower.

Several sample courses of study are found here. A thesis option program, for example, might look like this:

Semester 1 COM501 & COM510
Semester 2 COM502 & COM530 & Com540
Summer 1 Elective
Semester 3 COM520 & Elective & Thesis
Semester 4 Thesis

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Forms and Documents

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Contact Information

Graduate Director:
Professor Norbert Mundorf
206 Davis Hall
Dept. of Communication Studies
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881
Phone: 401-874-4725
Email: nmundorf@gmail.com

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