A student walking their bicycle across the academic Podium on campus.

Master of Arts in
Communication

Program of Study

programofstudy

The master’s in communication curriculum combines core study in theory, practice and research methods with electives related to your selected concentration in one of these areas:

  • Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication
  • Organizational Communication
  • Political Communication
  • Health Communication

Your studies will culminate in either an original research project or a practicum with guidance and mentorship from our active faculty. The research project provides excellent preparation for doctoral study, while the internship-practicum offers a prime opportunity to practice what you have learned in an applied setting.


Core Requirements

  • Communication Theory and Practice
  • Communication Research Methods


Supporting Electives

(9 credits)

Courses in the Department of Communication or in other departments that have been approved for your course of study. Sample courses:

  • Conversation Analysis
  • Mass Media Effects in Political Communication
  • New Media and Engagement
  • Organizational Culture
  • Digital and Social Media in Strategic Communication

Areas of Concentration 

(12 Credits)

Interpersonal / Intercultural Communication:

  • Interpersonal Interaction
  • Culture and Communication
  • 6 additional credits as advised in interpersonal interaction/cultural practices

Organizational Communication:

  • Theories and Research in Public Organizational Communication
  • 9 additional credits as advised in organizational communication

Political Communication:

  • Theories and Research in Political Communication
  • 9 additional credits as advised in political communication

Health Communication:

  • Health Communication
  • 9 additional credits as advised in health communication

Capstone Project

Complete either a Guided Research Project or Research Seminar/Practicum as advised.
 

Additional Information

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, contact Alyssa Morey at [email protected].

Research and Internships

You will have the opportunity to participate in faculty-assisted research and internships to acquire a deeper understanding of the coursework. Collaborate with faculty on topics such as e-government, mass media, healthcare interactions and communications within under-resourced communities.

 


Our MA Communication students have previously interned for the nearby New York State Assembly, as well as the American Red Cross, General Electric, Sirius XM Radio, Starbucks and the World Health Organization.

 

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Career Outcomes

With an MA in Communication degree you will be positioned to pursue executive and managerial positions, or advanced degrees such as a PhD.

Potential job titles include:

  • Public relations manager
  • Project manager
  • Vice president of corporate communications
  • Digital marketing strategist
  • Technical writer
  • Managing editor
  • Communications director
  • Attorney
  • Content strategist

 

Small groups of UAlbany Communication students having discussions
career

"Academically and professionally, the program did two really important things for me. First, it helped build important connections between aspects of communication that I had learned by experience and the conceptual and theoretical mechanisms behind them. Second, the political communication program opened my eyes to the ways I could apply the skills that I had learned working in media to other industries and professions."

- Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, MA 2016

Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Option

If you’re a current UAlbany undergraduate student with at least a 3.2 GPA, you can save time and money by beginning your graduate degree coursework as early as your junior year. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, will count towards both degrees – so you can complete your combined program in only 5 years and spend less than you would if you completed each program separately.

Contact your undergraduate advisor to see if you’re eligible and learn about your combined graduate program options.

UAlbany graduate with confetti at Commencement.
Admissions Requirements
Deadlines
  • Fall: Rolling
  • Spring: Rolling
  • Summer: Rolling

There is no departmental assistantship consideration for this program.

Required Application Materials
  • Transcripts from all schools attended
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Goals
  • Writing Sample

Letters of Recommendation

Letters should come from university faculty with whom you studied, preferably more senior, permanent faculty. Letters from employers or work associates do not provide information about your ability as a student. If you have been out of touch with faculty with whom you studied and cannot supply letters from academic sources, you should contact the Communication department’s Director of Graduate Studies for advice.
 

Personal Statement

 Your personal statement should inform the Admissions Committee about what you hope to gain from studying Communication at the graduate level. In particular, your statement should be informative about:

  • How you expect graduate studies in Communication to be relevant to and supportive of your plans and goals after your receive your degree
  • What you hope to learn as a graduate student and how that will benefit you
  • What it is about the UAlbany program in particular that led you to apply here


 Applicants are kindly asked not to utilize AI assistance or automated writing services when constructing the personal goals statement. This statement is a vital component of an application, offering an opportunity to showcase your authentic voice, motivations, and unique experiences. The admissions committee values your genuine aspirations and personal connection to our program. Please let your own thoughts and words convey your passion and suitability. AI-assisted writing tends to be recognizably formulaic, making it difficult for the review committee to feel confident in recommending admission.
 

Writing Sample

Your writing sample should demonstrate your ability to analyze and reason about the claims and thinking presented in others’ texts, and to write arguments supporting your claims. Papers that summarize or evaluate or dispute others’ work but do not analyze it, are less helpful to the admissions committee in discerning your ability to do the kind of writing required in our classes. Press releases or other professional writing, or creative writing, generally do not reveal abilities relevant to the kind of writing you would be asked to do in our classes.

You can submit a sample of writing you did in the past that presents an analysis and argument about materials you read. This may have been written to fulfill a class assignment or a work-related report or recommendation. If you have a writing sample of this kind, please include it with your application, adding an explanation of the assignment or task you were fulfilling.

OR

You can write a new essay to submit with your application in response to the following assignment: In an essay of 700-1,000 words, provide reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the argument that David Bohm is making about communication in his short essay "On Communication".


Note: In submitting your writing sample, you are guaranteeing that it is entirely your own work, both in regard to the content and the actual writing. If you are admitted to the program, and it is later found that your writing sample was not original work created solely by you, that would be grounds for dismissal from the program.
 

GRE Scores

Applicants to the MA program do not need to submit GRE scores.
 

TOEFL/IELTS Scores

All international applicants must submit TOEFL or IEFLTS scores except for those who have earned BA or MA degrees in English-speaking countries. In general, the minimum TOEFL score required for admission to our graduate program is 580 (paper-based total), 237 (computer-based total) or 93 (internet-based total). The minimum IELTS score is 7.0.

 

For questions about application materials and procedures, and application status, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at [email protected].

 

Special Notes

This program offers an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience in the course listing as an option to fulfill course requirements. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.

admissions
Student Learning Objectives


Learning objectives that UAlbany students are expected to attain through their course of study within their academic program.

Master of Arts
  • Professionally oriented students will be able to apply knowledge of theory and research within their field of study to understanding and explaining communication phenomena experienced within practical contexts and proposing courses of action designed to achieve relevant communication-related goals.
  • Students with the goal of pursuing further graduate study will be able to apply their knowledge of theory and research to the generation of appropriate research questions, and to the collection and analysis of data designed to answer research questions related to their field of study.
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