As a matter of principle, the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences adapts each program of study to the needs of our graduate students, including separate course offerings in rhetoric and communication science. Beyond a few specific requirements, graduate students work with their committees to determine the program of study that will best prepare them for their scholarly and professional careers.
With few exceptions, the requirements of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences for the M.A. degree are identical to those of the Fox Graduate School. Each graduate student is responsible for ensuring that he, she, or they meets all Fox Graduate School requirements.
M.A. Completion Timeline
Your temporary adviser is appointed prior to the start of your first semester. As noted earlier, the function of the temporary adviser is to help you select courses for your first semester and to answer any questions you may have as you begin your graduate program.
Your attendance is required during the orientation period prior to the start of the fall semester. This program includes teaching assistant training and meetings to discuss the graduate program and departmental policies. You also will register for your first semester of classes during the orientation period.
Prior to, or early in your second semester, you should notify the graduate officer whether you plan to continue with your temporary adviser or choose a new adviser.
With the assistance of your permanent adviser, you will identify at least two additional qualified committee members. Upon the recommendation of the adviser, the head or DGS will name those individuals as the committee of record. Once the committee composition is official, you will need to schedule a meeting with the members to conduct a program review no later than your second semester, and preferably early in that semester. Changes in the composition of the committee require approval by the head or DGS and should be requested only in such instances as departure of existing members from the faculty, significant alteration in a previously approved program of study, the need for particular expertise not possessed by extant members, or irreconcilable personal differences unrelated to the quality of the candidate’s academic performance.
During your first year of graduate study, you should have made substantial progress toward determining the focus of your final project thesis or portfolio and acquiring the methodological competencies that project requires.
For graduate assistants, the writing of the final project should be completed early in the spring semester of your second year.