Application Procedures for Graduate Study

Initial Application

Prospective graduate students are urged to apply for admission as early as possible. The first step should be to request information from the department. Make sure to follow the additional steps listed below:
    

Step 2: Determine which program you wish to pursue. 

Step 3: Determine if you meet the standards for the program you wish to pursue. 

Step 4: Send a formal letter of application to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies (No e-mail henceforth). 

Step 5: You will receive an "Application for Graduate Admission" along with additional

information. Complete and return to the department ASAP.

Step 6: Have official transcripts from all universities and colleges sent to the department AND

WVU Admissions and Records. 

Step 7: Secure professional letters of recommendation from three colleagues, former

employers/instructors. Forward to the department. Also submit a vita giving personal data,

education information, teaching experience, experiences related to teaching, service to education,

and community (local, state, and national), research and publications. 

Step 8: MAT and/or GRE scores are required for Pre-doctoral applicants and Theory and

Research Masters applicants. TOEFL and TSE scores are required for international students whose

first language is not English. Students with English as a second language must rank in the 95th

percentile on both TOEFL and TSE to be considered. 

Step 9: Follow up with appropriate departmental personnel. 

 

Communication Studies

Master of Arts (M.A.)

The Department of Communication Studies offers work leading to the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in communication theory and research. It is designed as a one-year, intensive program. Persons who possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university may be admitted to the program. The master of arts degree program is intended to qualify the student to: 

 

Assume a variety of professional roles in educational, industrial and governmental institutions.

Teach the subject matter in college.

Undertake advanced training toward a doctorate in the social sciences.

 

In addition to the general WVU requirements, the graduate student in Communication Studies must meet the following Departmental requirements:

Successful completion of the minimum number of required graduate hours as set forth in Programs A or B with a grade of B or above in each class.

Maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. These programs are open only to full-time resident students.

Program A - Thesis Program

All students planning to continue graduate study past the M.A. level are encouraged to undertake this program. The following are required:

 

1.                  At least 36 hours of graduate credit, 30 of which must be in the Department of Communication Studies. A maximum of six hours of thesis credit will be allowed.

2.                  Completion of Communication Studies 700 and 701 with at least a ‘B.’

1.                  A thesis.

2.                  An oral defense of the thesis.

Faculty

Graduate faculty in the Department of Communication Studies are specialists in various areas of communication research. Some of the specialties represented on the faculty are interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, intercultural communication, organizational communication, communication apprehension, health communication, and persuasion.­

Doctoral Emphasis

Communication in Instruction

The Ed.D. emphasis in communication in instruction is designed to prepare a limited number of students to assume professional responsibilities as communication in instruction specialists at a variety of institutions including elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, and business and governmental organizations.

The emphasis in communication in instruction is designed primarily to prepare graduates for one or more of the following professional goals: (1) research concerned with communication in instruction at elementary, secondary, and collegiate institutions; (2) teaching communication in teacher education institutions and in departments of communication and/or education at larger colleges and universities; (3) research or consultation in communication for regional educational laboratories and state departments of education; (4) profes­sional research in larger school systems and/or professional curriculum design; (5) instructional program development and organizational communication consultation within industry; and (6) research, consultation, and managerial training for federal and state agencies concerned with the dissemination of educational material to the general public. The current emphasis represents a joint effort of the Department of Communication Studies and the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology.

 

Nature of Degree

Communication in Instruction provides a new area of emphasis toward the Ed.D. under the existing approval for the Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology. The emphasis provides for joint participation by Communication Studies faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences and by Curriculum and Instruc­tion and Educational Psychology faculty in the College of Human Resources and Education.

 

Requirements for Ed.D. with Emphasis in Communication in Instruction

The program in Communication in Instruction leading to the Ed.D. degree is a joint offering of the Department of Communication Studies in the Colleges and Arts and Sciences and the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology in the College of Human Resources and Education. The basis requirements of this program are outlined below.

 

 

For further information concerning programs or assistantships contact: Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication Studies, West Virginia University, PO Box 6293, Morgantown, WV 26506-6293 or e-mail Dr. Scott Myers