Completing your master's degree in communications provides you with the critical thinking and knowledge you need to compete and excel in media professions. Use our extensive networking system to enter a media profession, or, use your professional project degree to advance into executive or management positions at your present workplace. You can also use your master's degree to teach in the community college system or to enter a Ph.D. program by writing a thesis.

Before completing the first 9 units of coursework, you will design a study plan, in consultation with the graduate coordinator, which will map out your course of study. Study plans can be amended, but they provide a sense of direction at the outset. Students may transfer up to 9 semester units of approved graduate study plan coursework from other accredited institutions.

In designing a study plan, you may select from courses in mass communication, advertising, entertainment and tourism, journalism and public relations. The uniquely interdisciplinary curriculum may also incorporate courses from other departments such as American studies, business, psychology, public administration, and sociology. In consultation with the graduate advisor, students are able to customize a course of study to meet their own academic, personal, or professional goals and objectives.

Graduate Study Plans:

  Note: Check the University Catalog at http://www.fullerton.edu/catalog/ for a full list of avaliable courses

Exit Options:

Students in the Professional Concentration may complete degree requirements with either a three-unit graduate project (COMM 598) or a comprehensive examination that awards no units. Students in the Research & Theory Concentration will complete degree requirements by writing a six-unit thesis over two semesters.

The Thesis (6 Units)

A thesis is the product of a systematic study of a significant communications-related topic. It defines the problem and theoretical dimension, states the major assumptions, explains the significance of the undertaking, sets forth the sources and methods of gathering information, analyzes the data, and offers a conclusion or recommendation. The finished product evidences originality, critical and independent thinking, appropriate organization and format, and thorough documentation. Since a thesis is required for many communications doctoral programs, students interested in pursuing doctoral studies should declare the Research & Theory Concentration.

How to Start Your Thesis

Thesis units are earned in two stages, 3 units of proposal development and 3 units of thesis writing. Here is the procedure:
1. Identify a topic of interest and write up a 75 word abstract describing your idea.
2. Identify a committee chair that has expertise in your area of study.
3. Identify two additional committee members with expertise in methods, theory or the topic.
4. Complete a Thesis Proposal Request (available at http://communications.fullerton.edu/graduate/comm/graduate_forms.htm), attach your abstract, and have each committee member sign it, and obtain the graduate coordinator’s signature.
5. Register for COMM 598a to write your thesis proposal (the first 3 units). Once completed, arrange for a defense with your committee, usually near the end of your first semester of thesis work.
6. After your proposal has been successfully defended, enroll in the second 3 units and begin the thesis data collection, analysis, and writing. Upon completion, you will again arrange a meeting with your committee to defend the thesis. The committee must also sign a final Thesis Request, which is available at http://communications.fullerton.edu/graduate/comm/graduate_forms.htm.

Due to faculty schedules and registration and thesis deadlines, it’s best to plan ahead when requesting thesis units and scheduling defenses. The request forms must be approved before the end of the “add period” for the appropriate semester.

University format guidelines are included in a thesis manual, which has been developed to assist the student in the preparation of a thesis. Copies are available in the Office of Graduate Studies and on the Web at http://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/forms.htm. It is the student’s responsibility to make certain that all requirements are met. If a student’s committee has no specific requirements, students should use the most recent edition of the APA Stylebook, as a guideline for writing and documentation styles.

In addition to the university requirements for bound copies of the thesis, an approved and bound copy of the thesis is required by the department before the degree can be awarded. It should be given to the Department of Communications office or to the office of the Graduate Coordinator. Copies of theses, proposals, and projects are kept in the Graduate Coordinator’s office and are available for use by both students and faculty.

Thesis Supervisory Committee

You are encouraged to choose committee members who can work with you on specific theories, research methods, or the topic appropriate to your thesis. Committee members must be from among the full-time faculty holding PhD degrees. You may select one committee member from outside the department, if special expertise is appropriate.

Although a minimum of three members serve on the thesis supervisory committee, it is possible for a qualified person who is not a regular CSUF faculty member to serve as visiting examiner for a thesis or project as a fourth member. This person serves as a fourth member of the committee.

Because not all faculty members are on campus during the summer or intersession, members of a supervisory committee may not be available to review manuscripts or attend defenses during those times. Students should therefore plan ahead. All work must be completed in ample time before the semester ends, so be sure to check with the graduate secretary, the Office of Graduate Studies and/or read the university catalog for thesis deadlines.

The Giles T. Brown Thesis Award

Each year, an award of $1000 along with an engraved plaque is given by the university to the student whose thesis represents the highest standard of scholarly accomplishment as determined by a panel of judges chosen from emeriti professors. Finalists from each school may also be recommended for Honorable mention by the judges and will receive a certificate and a $100 cash award. Interested students should contact the Graduate Coordinator or the Office of Graduate Studies for more information.

After defending, submit your thesis abstract to the Journalism and Mass COMM Abstracts on the form provided.

Project (3 Units)

A project is normally completed in a 3-unit class, COMM 597. If the class is not available, it may be done independently under the supervision of a faculty member. The project is directly practical in nature, addressing problems in business rather than the more academic focus of a thesis. Although a project is still grounded in communications theory and includes research, it tends to look more like a business report than an academic paper. A project typically includes a situation analysis, theory and research application and objective, as well as a review of literature, and it includes implementation and evaluation components. Examples of projects might include, but are not limited to, communication campaigns or audits, community industry analyses, case studies, analyses of new technology or explorations of a business problem. The project may also be comprised of a body of work, such as an in-depth series of newspaper or magazine articles written for a specific publication, or a photographic exhibition.

A project proposal for the project is required and will be defended in front of your peers and your instructor. The remainder of the semester is dedicated to executing your project with the guidance of your instructor and advisor.

Final projects are presented during the final week of class. Final approval is granted by the instructor. Incomplete projects require students to enroll in GS700 the following semester to complete the project. Projects must be filed in the office of the Graduate Coordinator before the degree can be awarded.

Comprehensive Examination (0 Units)

The comp exam is pass/fail and is offered in April and November. If you do not pass the exam or a portion of it, you may retake it one time. This exam tests your knowledge in three areas:

• Theory
• Methodology
• Application

All course work must be completed before you are eligible to take the exam. There is a written and an oral component of the exam. You will have a total of six hours to answer two questions from each of the three areas (six questions) for the written portion. The questions are designed to test the depth and breadth of your overall knowledge, so they focus on broad topics rather than specifics. The oral portion is a brief meeting with members of the graduate committee to clarify any questions about the answers to the written component. To pass the exam, you must include citations (author and year) throughout your response to support your answers. To register for the comprehensive exam, contact the Graduate Secretary in CP-400.

It is suggested that you only take two courses the semester you plan on taking the exam. The comp exam may be postponed a semester by registering for GS 700. GS 700 Enrollment Instructions and a GS 700 Request form are available for download at http://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/forms.htm.

A reading list and a bank of possible exam questions will is available to everyone online at http://communications.fullerton.edu/graduate/comm/comp_exam.htm.