Communications, MA
48 credit hours
The MA program in Communications offers a great deal of flexibility in planning and design. The graduate student in communications may specialize in one of four areas of emphases. The four areas of emphasis are
- Promotions
- Training and development
- Media management
- Digital and multimedia studies
Each cluster is limited to approximately 14 students, which allows for close contact with faculty members and individualization of study to meet each student’s needs within the parameters of the cluster. Each cluster meets one evening a week for four hours and integrates related areas of study which, in more traditional formats, are taught separately. Evaluation is based primarily upon projects in which written and oral communications skills are developed.
Students may apply for three credits of either ICM 59300 Media Internship or ICM 59400 Communications Internship, on-site learning experiences in communications-related establishments. Students who wish to pursue an internship must receive the recommendation of the Program Director and be accepted by the internship organization. Internships require 50 hours of fieldwork per one semester hour of credit.
In the final term of study, a capstone course (ICM 60100, 3 credit hours), is required of all majors.
With permission of the Communications Program Director students can earn up to nine hours of Independent Study coursework (ICM 59500 Special Topics I, ICM 59600 Special Topics II, ICM 59700 Special Topics III). These three credit hour courses involve applied individualized studies, under the supervision of Lindenwood faculty, in support of developing programming and operations at LUTV, the Lindenwood television station.
Promotions Emphasis
The MA in Communications with a promotions emphasis requires completion of the following clusters.
Core Curriculum
Graduate Public Relations Cluster
Graduate Marketing Cluster
Graduate Integrated Promotional Communications Cluster
| ICM 50600 | Promotion Strategies and Tactics | 3 |
| ICM 50800 | Advertising for Sales Efficiency | 3 |
| ICM 51000 | Public Relations Strategies for Business | 3 |
Elective Category A
(Select one of the following clusters):
Graduate Corporate Communications Cluster
Graduate Organizational Communications Cluster
Elective Category B
(Select one of the following clusters):
Graduate Imaging and Design Cluster
Graduate Web Page Design Cluster
Graduate Product Management Cluster
Required
Training and Development Emphasis
The MA in Communications with a training and development emphasis requires completion of the following clusters
Core Curriculum
Graduate Corporate Communications Cluster
Graduate Organizational Communications Cluster
Graduate Organizational Assessment Cluster
Graduate Managerial Issues Cluster
Elective Category
(Select one of the following clusters)
Graduate HR Strategies Cluster
| IHR 58070 | Employee Selection and Retention | 3 |
| IHR 58075 | Employee Benefits and Compensation | 3 |
| IHR 58080 | Employment Law for the Human Resource Professional | 3 |
Graduate Management Cluster
Required
Media Management Emphasis
The MA in Communications with a media management emphasis requires completion of the following clusters:
Core Curriculum
Graduate Corporate Communications Cluster
Graduate Documentary Storytelling and Research Cluster
| ICM 53500 | Documentary Storytelling: Theory and Narrative Structure | 3 |
| ICM 54000 | Media Preservation and Archives | 3 |
| ICM 54400 | Documentary Research and Writing | 3 |
Graduate Management Cluster
Graduate Digital Media Management Cluster
Graduate Web Page Design Cluster
Required
Digital and Multimedia Studies Emphasis
The MA in Communications in digital and multimedia studies combines coursework that involves both hands-on experiences with current technologies and conceptual studies relating to their applications. The MA in communications with a digital and multimedia emphasis requires completion of five clusters and one three-semester-hour capstone course for a total of 48 credit hours.
Core Curriculum
Graduate Documentary Storytelling and Research Cluster
| ICM 53500 | Documentary Storytelling: Theory and Narrative Structure | 3 |
| ICM 54000 | Media Preservation and Archives | 3 |
| ICM 54400 | Documentary Research and Writing | 3 |
Graduate Television Production Cluster
Graduate Imaging and Design Cluster
Graduate Web Page Design Cluster
Elective Cluster
(Select one of the following clusters)
Graduate Scriptwriting Cluster
Prerequisite: Submit writing sample to MFA program director.
Graduate Digital Media Management Cluster
Graduate Advanced Television Production Cluster
Graduate Media Design Applications Cluster
| ICM 52400 | Media Design Applications: Adobe Illustrator | 3 |
| ICM 52500 | Media Design Applications: Adobe Photoshop | 3 |
| ICM 52900 | Graphic Design Management and Workflow | 3 |
Independent Study Courses
Required