Communication Degrees Online

What is the deadline for admission?

Our deadline is Jan 1* for fall admissions only.
* If you will have trouble meeting this deadline please contact the Director of Graduate Study at the email provided below.

What are my chances of getting in? What can I do to increase my chances for admission?

Because our admission process is competitive and therefore dependent on our current pool of applicants, we cannot predict who is likely to be admitted and who is not. However, it is not unusual that we accept about a quarter to a third of those who apply. GRE, GPA, portfolio (for the MFA) statement of purpose, research experience, professional experience, publications and recommendations are a few of the many factors examined by the Admission Committee. Any information you can provide will help with the admission decisions.

What do I need to send?

• Graduate School application (http://www.gradapp.siu.edu)
• Statement of purpose
• 3 letters of reference
• Official transcripts
• Resume
• Portfolio (MFA)
• GRE scores (See below, not required for the MS or the MFA)
• Writing samples (optional)

Application forms should be submitted electronically. All other materials should be sent by mail to: Director of Graduate Studies, College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Mail Code 6601, Carbondale, IL 62901-6601. Please see the webpage for the particular degree program you are interested in for additional information.

What are your minimum standards for GPA and GRE scores?

We require a 3.0 (A=4) for the MA, MS. and the MFA programs. We require a 3.25 (A=4) for the PhD program. The admissions committees take all of the application materials into consideration as a whole, so that GRE scores alone are not a final determiner of admission. In general however, minimum preferred scores are as follows: verbal- 550, Quantitative-450, Analytical Writing- 450.Our Institutional code for sending test scores is: 1726, and Department code is: 4503. The GRE must be less than five (5) years old. Our program is competitive; usually about a quarter of those who apply (or less) are admitted to the program.

Do you accept the GMAT instead of the GRE? No, we require GRE for all degree programs except for the MS and the MFA.

TOEFL
International students whose native language or first language is not English, or those with fewer than 100 graded semester hours of college credit at an approved U.S. institution, are required to take the TOEFL. No exceptions will be made to this rule. The minimum score is 600/.

What is required for the MFA portfolio?

Prospective students must present evidence of exceptional talent and/or potential in one or two media pursuits in the degree program. Applicants should include an example of work that demonstrates their competency. This evidence will ordinarily consist of a portfolio of photographs or digitally generated art works, one or more films, videos, sound works, multimedia productions, web art projects, or other evidence of artistic potential. Applicants must clearly indicate their role(s) in any project submitted.

Do you have an application fee? If so, how do I pay it?

The application fee for our program is $45 (US dollars only). Credit card payments are accepted. You need to make out the check, bank draft or money order to Southern Illinois University.

MCMA & Media Today
Powerful changes in communication and the arts are sweeping the globe. From isolated villages in the Canadian Yukon to tiny hamlets in Africa, humanity is enveloped in a web of images delivered by a variety of new media. A world of opportunity has been created for innovative communicators and artists to reinvent the way people work, play, create and communicate together in the future. SIUC’s College of Mass Communication & Media Arts is poised to take advantage of that opportunity through a flexible, college-wide program that emphasizes a cross-disciplinary approach where intellectual and creative diversity are recognized as integral to artistic and scholastic excellence.

Four Graduate Degrees:
• PhD in Mass Communication and Media Arts
• Master of Fine Arts in Mass Communication and Media Arts
• MA in Media Theory and Research
• MS in Professional Media and Media Management

Funding:
Ph.D. students receive 4 years of full-time support. MFA students receive three years of full-time support. Some of our master’s students also receive assistantship help. Additional fellowship and funding opportunities are available through the Graduate School.

Faculty View the Faculty Here
The college is home to internationally recognized faculty who provides a stimulating intellectual and artistic environment and embraces a diversity of teaching, artistic and research approaches.

Resources within MCMA
• Global Media Research Center and lecture series headed by Professor John Downing.
• New Media Center, a state-of-the-art multimedia lab and member of the international New Media Consortium
• Big Muddy Film Festival
• Visiting Artist Lecture Series
• Daily Egyptian, our award-winning student-run paper
• WSIU, Emmy-winning public broadcast radio and television
• Film, Video, Photography and Audio Studios & Labs
• Brown Media Management Lab
• Communication Resource Center

Internships Link
Internships are available that provide our students real-world experience through the Hollywood, New York, Chicago, D.C. and Nashville Studies programs.

Alumni
Our programs are internationally known for graduating students who lead academic and government agencies with vision, insight, innovation and creative accomplishment within the media industries, and produce significant artwork addressing important contemporary issues.

There are four minors in communication, all of which complement a variety of degree programs and career choices. Each consists of 18 credits.

(Students planning to minor in communication must take COM 205 - Fundamentals of Professional Presentations, to satisfy the University Requirement in Communication.)

Minor in Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication Minor REQUIREMENTS
(12 credits)

COM 215 - Small Group Communication
COM 225 - Interpersonal Communication
COM 250 - Business and Professional Communication
COM 300 - Organizational Communication

Organizational Communication Minor ELECTIVES
(6 credits)

COM 275 - Persuasion
COM 287 - Introduction to Communication Research
COM 332 - Interviewing
COM 370 - Interpersonal Conflict and Communication
COM 410 - Crisis and Communication
COM 440 - Cultural Influences on Communication

Minor in Interpersonal and Relational Communication

Interpersonal and Relational Communication Minor REQUIREMENTS
(12 credits)

COM 215 - Small Group Communication
COM 225 - Interpersonal Communication
COM 233 - Communication in Relational Development
COM 370 - Interpersonal Conflict and Communication

Interpersonal and Relational Communication Minor ELECTIVES
(6 credits)

COM 275 - Persuasion
COM 312 - Communication and Gender
COM 332 - Interviewing
COM 375 - Family Communication
COM 440 - Cultural Influences on Communication

Minor in Advertising and Promotions

Advertising and Promotions Minor REQUIREMENTS
(12 credits)

COM 200 - Fundamentals of Communication Design
COM 201 - Applied Communication Design
COM 234 - Fundamentals of Copywriting
COM 335 - Advertising and Promotional Design

Advertising and Promotions Minor ELECTIVES
(6 credits)

COM 236 - Copywriting for Electronic Media
COM 287 - Introduction to Communication Research
COM 322 - Communication Training and Development
COM 340 - Communication and Product Information
COM 402 - Advertising and Promotions for the Internet
COM 472 - Advertising and Promotional Campaigns

Minor in Video Production

Video Production Minor REQUIREMENTS
(6 credits)

COM 253 — Fundamentals of Video Production
COM 259 — Studio Production

Video Production ELECTIVES
(12 credits)

COM 201 — Applied Communication Design
COM 257 — Audio Production
COM 265 — Video Technology
COM 333 — Video Scriptwriting
COM 360 — Video Field Production
COM 365 — Advanced Post Production Techniques
COM 377 — Video Directing
COM 468 — Special Effects in Video

Connecticut Resident Undergraduate Graduate
Tuition 1,757.00 2,188.00
State Fee 440.00 440.00
General Fee 1,213.00 1,213.00
Info Tech Fee 115.00 115.00
Activity/Dues 55.00 27.00
Media Fee 10.00

TOTAL $3,590.00 $3,983.00

Full-time in-state MBA/MLS student rate: $4,286.00

Out-of-State Resident Undergraduate Graduate
Tuition 5,687.00 6,098.00
State Fee 1,078.00 1,078.00
General Fee 1,213.00 1,213.00
Info Tech Fee 115.00 115.00
Activity/Dues 55.00 27.00
Media Fee 10.00

TOTAL $8,158.00 $8,531.00

Full-time out-of-state MBA/MLS student rate: $8,814.00

New England Regional Program Undergraduate Graduate
Tuition 2,635.00 3,282.00
State Fee 440.00 440.00
General Fee 1,213.00 1,213.00
Info Tech Fee 115.00 115.00
Activity/Dues 55.00 27.00
Media Fee 10.00
TOTAL $4,468.00 $5,077.00

MBA & MLS Programs In-State Out-of-State New England Regional
Tuition 2,491.00 6,381.00 3,737.00
State Fee 440.00 1,078.00 440.00
General Fee 1,213.00 1,213.00 1,213.00
Info Tech Fee 115.00 115.00 115.00
Activity/Dues 27.00 27.00 27.00
TOTAL $4,286.00 $8,814.00 5,532.00

Choose a college. The operative word is “choose.” For most of your life, you were bound by curriculum and geography. Now, the choice of curriculum and geography is in your hands. So much freedom is exhilarating — and maybe a little frightening. How will you make the right choice?

First, choose a college with high academic standards in the disciplines that interest you. Southern Connecticut State University offers 40 undergraduate majors and 46 graduate programs, including one of the finest education programs in the nation. Our faculty is 750 strong, and more than 80 percent of our professors have doctoral degrees.

Next, choose a college with a culture and personality that appeal to you. Southern is located in New Haven, Connecticut, a historic, multicultural city of 130,000 that boasts a rich heritage in the performing and visual arts, with theaters, museums, and music venues — all within easy access of campus. Southern is also a short drive away from the beach and only 80 miles from both the cosmopolitan excitement of New York City and the rural elegance of the Berkshires.

And just as important, choose a college committed to providing the best facilities and equipment for its students and faculty. Southern recently embarked on a $229 million commitment to upgrade the campus during the next decade. Recent improvements include:
$25 million Michael J. Adanti Student Center
Addition and renovation to Buley Library
Expansion of Engleman Hall (main classroom building)
Jennings Hall renovation (science building)
New parking facilities
West Campus Residence Complex, opened in Fall 2004

The Communication Department at Southern Connecticut State University offers four exciting programs to prepare students for a career in the communication fields. For instance, if you are looking to go into the helping professions or human services, we offer a concentration in Interpersonal/Relational Communication. For those with designs to get into a profit or nonprofit, management-level position, we offer a concentration in Organizational Communication. Both these concentrations are also paths to graduate study. If you are interested in a career in the creative end of advertising, we offer a concentration in Advertising and Promotions. Budding videographers and filmmakers might want to explore our Video Production concentration.

The communication major offers more than just programs and courses. Our faculty members have a balance of academic credentials and professional experience to help you integrate theory with practice. Our classrooms are high tech, and our media production facilities are first rate and provide students with the opportunity for extensive hands-on experience. Our department clubs and organizations, such as the American Advertising Federation, offer the opportunity to take field trips and learn about the advertising world. The required internship provides students with insight into what it is like to work in a particular job. Finally, our department sponsors events such as Crossroads in Communication, where current students meet with alumni who work in the communication fields, to help you gain insights about your future career and to help you get started with career networking.

If you are a prospective major, you should know that our department prides itself on being student oriented. Our faculty members understand how important it is to make time to advise you about your course choices and your career plans. We are here to help you succeed.

If you are looking for a place to prepare for a job in the communication fields, the Communication Department at Southern Connecticut State University offers a variety of opportunities to help you prepare for the career of your choice. Check out the Web pages in this site and call to arrange for a visit.