M.A. in Applied Communication
Outstanding Master’s Degree Program Award, "TOP MA Program"
-National Communication Association, Master’s Education Section, October 2012
Program Description
The Department of Communication Studies at IUPUI offers a M.A. in Applied Communication with optional concentrations in Corporate Communication, Health Communication, Media Criticism, or Public Communication. Classes are generally small and interactive with emphasis on application of theory. Opportunities for multidisciplinary and independent study are available. The graduate faculty brings a range of academic expertise and applied experiences from regional and national institutions and organizations.
The overarching goal of this unique applied program is to provide students with the competencies and skills necessary to address specific communication issues and problems that are socially relevant and to suggest or implement change. The primary intellectual goal of this program is to increase our students’ understanding of the theoretical implications of discipline-specific knowledge, and to enhance their ability to understand and predict human interaction relative to realistic, applied outcomes associated with contemporary social problems. A practical goal of the program is to educate professionals who grasp the complexities of communication problems and who are able to develop and execute strategies and create programs to address such issues.
In accomplishing these goals, the program will provide advanced study of communication principles applicable to various personal and organizational settings. The program will offer residents of Indiana, surrounding states, and national and international students the opportunity to do graduate work in applied communication. The program provides an excellent foundation for doctoral studies. It is also well suited for students wishing to pursue combined advanced degree programs in such areas as medicine, medical humanities, business, and philanthropy.
Program Information
The Applied Communication Master’s Program centers on the application of communication theories in various organizational settings. The program readies the advanced student for professional career paths and future academic pursuits. The program’s flexibility allows each student to meet individual and career goals. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2018 must complete a total of thirty-six (36) graduate credit hours. Students who matriculated in Fall 2018 and after must complete a total of thirty (30) graduate credit hours.
M.A. in Applied Communication
Application Information
Thanks for your interest in our program! Here’s how to apply:
Application Deadlines for Fall Admission:
January 15 - Priority consideration for fall semester. Applicants who want to be considered for University Fellowships must apply by this date
May 15 - Fall regular admission
Note: Applications received after May 15th will be held for the following year’s admissions process. If you are an international student applying close to the May deadline, please be aware that the Office of International Affairs may not be able to process all of your documentation by fall semester. Please contact their office or our office if this applies to you.
Application Requirements and Materials:
Fellowships
Incoming students with the highest qualifications may be nominated by the admissions committee for University Fellowships. These fellowships offer full-time students one year of financial support. All the graduate programs on the IUPUI campus compete for these fellowships, and programs are allowed up to four fellows per year depending on situational constraints, such as budget.
Online Application
Click here to access the online application
Letters of recommendation, personal statement, and official transcripts should be submitted via the online application. If necessary, hard copies of official transcripts can be mailed to: IUPUI, Department of Communication Studies, Graduate Program, 425 University Blvd, CA 309A, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Request More Information
For questions about the M.A. in Applied Communication or departmental requirements contact Dr. Kim White-Mills, Director of Applied Communication MA. For questions about the status of your application materials or the submission process, contact Terri Crews, School of Liberal Arts Graduate Team Member.
Ph.D. in Health Communication
Health Communication Ph.D. Program Overview
According to health communication scholar Gary Kreps (2003) and as written in the Healthy People 2020 project commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "health communication is the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that affect health. It links the fields of communication and health and is increasingly recognized as a necessary element of efforts to improve personal and public health." Communication is at the core of a variety of health issues such as an individual’s access to and use of health information, the dissemination of public health messages, attitudes toward risk, consumer education on health issues, patient-health professional relationships, and minimizing health disparities domestically and globally, just to name a few. The opportunities for health communication education and employment are exciting.
The field of health communication is itself a relatively young area when compared with the history of scholarship in communication studies. The journal Health Communication began publishing in 1989 and since then has witnessed a three-fold increase in size while still maintaining a competitive 15% acceptance rate. More recently the Journal of Health Communication began publishing to speak to the increased need to disseminate the quality work in this growing field. The Ph.D. program in health communication in the Department of Communication Studies at IUPUI has the potential to make an impact on and further define this still emerging field.
The Ph.D. program in health communication includes the following main program objectives. Students will: (1) obtain competency for teaching and research in areas that include: health interpersonal relationships, intercultural health, and mediated communication in healthcare including health campaign development. Ethical questions regarding each of these health communication contexts will be explored as well. (2) initiate, participate, and develop competency in research on health and medical communication issues; (3) gain skills in understanding clinical problems affected by communication; (4) develop the capabilities necessary to translate research on clinical problems impacted by communication into practice; (5) receive training for academic jobs and healthcare professional positions.
Significantly, interpersonal, intercultural, and mediated communication in healthcare contexts are experiencing growth in demand for academic positions according to the National Communication Association analysis of positions advertised 2005-10. Additionally, these areas are among those identified by Kreps (2001) in Communication Yearbook as future directions in health communication work outside academia. Work in health interpersonal relationships includes: patient-provider communication, the impact of interpersonal relationships on health and wellness, the role of family systems on health care delivery, and the like. Study in intercultural health, for example, includes not only work in health disparities in different communities in the United States, but the ways that cultural assumptions influence disease and recovery and strategies for addressing health concerns worldwide such as malaria or HIV/AIDS. Mediated communication in healthcare may include study of how media channels and messages affect access to, understanding and reception of healthcare messages. These are only a few examples of the opportunities for study in health communication in each of the primary areas to which this program contributes.
Ph.D. in Health Communication
Application Information
Thanks for your interest in our program! Here’s how to apply:
Application Deadline for Fall Admission:
January 15
Application Requirements and Materials:
Online Application
Click here to access the online application
Letters of recommendation, CV, writing sample, personal statement, and official transcripts should be submitted via the online application. If necessary, hard copies of official transcripts can be mailed to: IUPUI, Department of Communication Studies, Graduate Program, 425 University Blvd, CA 309A, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Request More Information
For questions about the Ph.D. in Health Communication or departmental requirements contact Dr. Katharine Head, Director of Health Communication PhD. For questions about the status of your application materials or the submission process, contact Terri Crews, School of Liberal Arts Graduate Team Member.