The Master of Arts in Communication at Saint Mary’s College of California provides students with the skills needed to excel in either high-demand careers or doctoral programs. Students graduate with the ability to communicate across different contexts; design, implement, and analyze communication research; and communicate effectively and ethically in a globalized context.
The only one of its kind in the Bay Area, the MA in Communication is an accelerated one-year program focused on applied research, highlighting clusters of in-demand communication skills and competencies that give students an edge in the post-graduate job market or when applying for further study. The curriculum centers on a year-long course sequence that walks students through the design, implementation, and analysis of an applied research project. Students develop the quantitative and qualitative research expertise to, for example, help modern data-dependent companies (such as Netflix or Meta that require data to both create products and refine user experiences) succeed in a competitive marketplace, or non-profits and government entities to design, implement, and assess effective communication programs. Some graduates work in the consulting space, helping companies transform their communication structures into profitable outcomes. The program culminates in a two week summer externship experience during which students work as a team with a partner organization to implement a communication project locally or abroad (past locations have included Cuzco, Peru and Thessaloniki, Greece).
This accelerated program offers undergraduates a second degree after only one additional intensive year. Students may select two 500 level upper-division communication elective courses (i.e., bridge courses) in their senior or, in some cases, junior year. Students complete these courses at a graduate level and receive credit toward both graduate and undergraduate degrees. During the intensive year, students complete an additional five core courses and two electives, choosing either a comprehensive exam, a local internship, or an international externship as a culminating experience in June.
Students who do not take the two bridge course requirements during undergraduate (e.g., incoming students from another institution) may also join the program and must complete a total of nine courses during a single year, taking one additional elective in the Fall and Spring semesters to meet the 35 required units for the degree.
Program Director
Veronica Hefner, Ph.D., vh10@stmarys-ca.edu
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate advanced oral and written communication fluency.
- Practice using communication theory, strategies, and methodologies in real-world situations and professional contexts.
- Improve communication competence by identifying, interpreting, and explaining the relationship between culture and communication to ethically respond to difference in a globalized context.
- Appropriately design and implement research projects as a means of understanding communication processes.
- Effectively analyze and interpret data to make informed decisions in communication contexts.
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