Eastern New Mexico University's Department of Communication - Online Master of Arts in Communication

Eastern New Mexico University offers an online Master of Arts in Communication through its Department of Communication. The program can be completed 100 percent online without any visits to campus; however, students who live near the campus can combine online and face-to-face classes if they choose. The university uses Mediasite, an online learning management system, to facilitate online learning. Through Mediasite, students can access syllabi and course materials, complete individual and group assignments, watch recorded lectures, and communicate with instructors and professors.

The Master of Arts in Communication requires 30 credit hours of classwork and includes both thesis and non-thesis academic tracks. The program can be completed in approximately two years of study and is interdisciplinary in nature, blending the study of media literacy, public relations and journalism. Graduates of the program are prepared to pursue careers in a range of professional fields, from marketing and sales to broadcast journalism to communication consulting.

The curriculum is split between core courses (12 credit hours) and electives (12-15 credit hours). For the thesis track, students complete four core classes, four classes of electives, and a six-credit thesis. In the non-thesis track, students take four classes of core coursework, five classes of electives, and a communication capstone project course (3 credits). The communication capstone focuses on a specific issue or area of communication that is of practical significance and professional interest to the student. Students integrate their professional experience and what they have learned in the program to create and implement a strategic communication product (e.g. broadcast, media campaign, promotional materials, etc.) for a client. For the thesis, students must have a topic approved by their graduate advisory committee and successfully complete and pass an oral defense of their thesis.

Core classwork introduces students to the foundational principles of communication theory, mass media criticism, and communication research methodologies. Students develop an understanding of how mass media messaging, including digital, social, and other online communication, influences behavior at both the individual and societal levels. In addition, they build analytical skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods that are commonly used in the field of communication. After finishing core requirements, students select elective courses that allow them to craft a program of study that meets their educational and career goals. Elective subjects are broad, covering topics such as multimedia journalism, media management, integrated communication campaigns, global media, strategic communication, family and gender communication, rhetoric, and public relations.

Eastern New Mexico University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).