Each semester, you should check in with your advisor and/or the Director of Graduate Studies to make sure you're on track. If you choose the thesis or project option, you will begin planning that before your second-last semester begins. In your last semester, whether you're doing the exam, a thesis, or a project, there are a number of important administrative tasks you will need to complete.

Your First Semester

Consult with an advisor and plan your schedule

Students will be assigned a temporary advisor when they enter the program. Consult with that person, other faculty members, and/or the Director of Graduate Studies to plan a schedule for completing the program. Check in every semester to make sure you are on track.

During their first and second semesters, students should meet with many faculty members to find a permanent advisor who matches their intellectual and interpersonal style. The goal is to find the best match in terms of topic and temperament, and students should feel free to switch from a temporary to a permanent advisor at any time. Advisors must be full-time, graduate faculty in the Communication Department; instructors, lecturers, and clinical track faculty are not eligible to serve as students' advisors.

Your Second-Last Semester

Choose an advisor and committee before or at the beginning of your second-last semester

You can find each faculty member's position title and areas of expertise by clicking on their profile in the Directory. Here is a list of all the Graduate Faculty in Communication.

Your advisor can be any Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. Ask the faculty member of your choice to be your advisor, if you have not already done so. Meet with your advisor and/or the DGS to verify that you are meeting the program requirements.

Your committee members can be any Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor or any Clinical Track Professor or Instructor with a PhD. Ask two additional faculty members of your choice to serve on your committee. Inform the DGS about who will serve as your advisor and committee members.

Students who choose the thesis or project option should develop, in consultation with their advisor and committee members, a clear set of deadlines, expectations, and evaluation policies at least 10 months before graduation. This written plan should be submitted to the DGS.

Your Last Semester

Submit graduation and exam paperwork and take and defend your exam (or complete and defend a thesis or project that you have started in a previous semester)

Notify the DGS of your intention to graduate via email by the first day of your last semester. Complete the steps and "assignments" in our COMM MA Students Canvas shell.

Exams and defenses typically only happen in Fall and Spring, so if you need to complete your credit requirements over a Summer semester, you would complete the exam and defense in the preceeding Spring semester.