Department of Communication Studies
West Virginia University
On-Campus M.A. Graduate Program, 2003-2004
The Graduate Faculty
Listed below are the members of the graduate faculty and their respective areas of research. Although the individual research areas may vary, the faculty as a whole embraces an empirical, social scientific research orientation.
Theodore A. Avtgis (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1999)
Areas: Interpersonal, Organizational, Family
Melanie Booth-Butterfield (Ph.D., University of Missouri, 1985)
Areas: Interpersonal, Health, Emotion/Cognition
Past Editor of Communication Research Reports and Communication Quarterly
Rebecca M. Chory-Assad (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2000)
Areas: Media, Organizational, Research Methods
Joan Gorham (Ed.D., Northern Illinois University, 1983)
Areas: Instructional, Media, Nonverbal
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Past Editor of Communication Teacher
Matthew M. Martin (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1992)
Areas: Interpersonal, Personality, Group
Past Associate Editor of Communication Research Reports
James C. McCroskey (Ed.D., Penn State University, 1966)
Areas: Organizational, Intercultural, Communibiology
Past Editor of Communication Education and Communication Research Reports
Current Editor of Journal of Intercultural Communication Research
Scott A. Myers (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1995)
Areas: Instructional, Interpersonal, Group
Current Editor of Communication Teacher
Brian R. Patterson (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 1992)
Areas: Developmental, Research Methods, Theory
Virginia P. Richmond (Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 1977)
Areas: Instructional, Organizational, Nonverbal
Past Editor of Communication Research Reports and Communication Quarterly
Keith D. Weber (Ed.D., West Virginia University, 1998)
Areas: Instructional, Persuasion, Interpersonal
Applying for Admission to the Program
To apply for admission to the M.A. program, an application for admission to graduate school at West Virginia University must first be completed. The application can be accessed on-line at www.arc.wvu.edu. (The application can be completed either on-line or downloaded and mailed to Admissions and Records.) A nonrefundable fee of $50.00 must be received by Admissions and Records before the application will be processed. Once the application form has been processed by Admissions and Records, it is sent to the Department, where a decision for acceptance will be made. Upon acceptance into the M.A. program, applicants will receive written notification from the Department.
A limited number of assistantships is available for M.A. students. The M.A. assistantship is limited to one academic year. The assistantship provides a monthly stipend and a tuition waiver, although students are responsible for paying university-wide fees (approximately $300.00 a semester). Assistantship responsibilities typically include serving as a teaching assistant to a faculty member.
The assistantship application packet can be accessed on-line at www.as.wvu.edu/comm/graduateapp.htm, or obtained from the graduate secretary. Completed applications should then be returned to the Coordinator of On-Campus Graduate Studies. Although assistantship applications can be submitted at any time, applications should be received by February 28, 2003 to ensure full consideration.
To qualify for an assistantship, applicants must (1) have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, (2) have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and had a copy of their scores sent directly to the Department, and (3) submit a completed assistantship application packet. (International students whose native language is not English must also rank in the 95th percentile of the TOEFL and TSE. A copy of these scores should be sent directly to the Department.)
For additional information, contact:
Dr. Scott A. Myers
Coordinator, On-Campus Graduate Studies Program
Department of Communication Studies
108 Armstrong Hall PO Box 6293
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-6293
Phone: (304) 293-3905
Fax: (304) 293-8667
smyers@mail.wvu.edu
www.as.wvu.edu/comm
The Department
The graduate faculty is well known, at both the regional and national level, for their accomplishments in research, teaching, and service.
Research
The faculty is nationally recognized for their research endeavors. Faculty members consistently receive Top Paper honors at regional and national conventions and publish numerous articles every year in state, regional, national, and international journals. Many of these papers and articles are co-written with graduate students. Additionally, three faculty members (Drs. Melanie Booth-Butterfield, James C. McCroskey, and Virginia P. Richmond) have been recognized as being among the Top 100 researchers in the Communication Studies Discipline.
Teaching
The faculty is committed to providing a quality educational experience for both undergraduate and graduate students. As such, the faculty has received a number of teaching awards that reaffirm this commitment. At the university level, faculty members have either been nominated for or have received Outstanding Teacher awards. Moreover, several faculty members have been recognized by the Eastern Communication Association, the Western Communication Association, and the International Communication Association for their effective instruction in the classroom.
Service
The faculty is heavily involved in providing service to the communication discipline. Not only do faculty members serve as paper readers, paper respondents, and Interest Group Chairs at regional and national conventions, but they serve on a number of editorial boards for multidisciplinary journals such as Communication Monographs, Psychological Reports, and Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, to name a few. Faculty members have served, or currently serve, as Editors or members of the editorial boards of Communication Education, Communication Quarterly, Communication Research Reports, Communication Teacher, Human Communication Research, and Journal of Intercultural Communication Research. In addition, Drs. Melanie Booth-Butterfield, James C. McCroskey, and Virginia P. Richmond have served as President of the Eastern Communication Association.
The Program
The M.A. degree is a 36-hour, one year intensive program and is intended to qualify the student to assume a variety of professional roles in educational, industrial, and government institutions; teach the subject matter at the college level; or undertake advanced training toward a doctorate in the social sciences. Of the 36 hours, 30 hours must be completed in the Department. All 36 hours must be at the 500 level, 600 level, or above. A GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.
Students enrolling in the M.A. degree program choose Program A (thesis option) or Program B (nonthesis option). Students planning to continue graduate study past the M.A. level are encouraged to enroll in Program A. Up to six hours of thesis credit is allowed in Program A. Students enrolled in Program A must successfully write and orally defend their thesis. In addition, students enrolled in Program A must complete COMM 700 and COMM 701 with a grade of “B” or better.
Students planning a professional career in a field other than higher education are encouraged to enroll in Program B. Students enrolled in Program B must successfully complete a written and an oral comprehensive examination, although the oral examination may be waived with the approval of the Coordinator of On-Campus Graduate Studies and the student’s examination committee.
The Courses
COMM 600 Communication in the Classroom
COMM 602 Interpersonal Communication
COMM 603 Communication Training and Development
COMM 604 Theory and Research in Persuasion
COMM 605 Theory and Research in Mass Communication
COMM 606 Theory and Research in Organizational Communication
COMM 607 Theory and Research in Language
COMM 608 Nonverbal Communication
COMM 609 Communication Apprehension and Avoidance
COMM 612 Small Group Theory & Practice
COMM 615 Media in Communication and Education
COMM 616 Communication in the Educational Organization
COMM 617 Communication Problems of Children
COMM 619 Communication and Affect in Instruction
COMM 622 Gender and Communication
COMM 626 Intercultural Communication
COMM 629 Health Communication
COMM 691E Advanced Communication Theory
COMM 691G Communication and Aging
COMM 693 Special Topics
COMM 695 Independent Study
COMM 697 Research
COMM 700 Survey of Human Communication Theory
COMM 701 Graduate Research Methods
COMM 711 Advanced Seminar in Research Methods
COMM 793 Special Topics
COMM 794A Seminar in Communibiology
COMM 794B Seminar in Personality
COMM 795 Special Topics
COMM 797 Research