Stevenson University Online - Online Master of Science in Communication Program

Stevenson University (SU) offers an online Master of Science in Communication Studies through its online learning arm, Stevenson University Online (SUO). The program can be completed fully online and does not require students to attend any on campus sessions. Students can access everything they need through the SU Now Portal, which contains links to SU’s WebXpress system for registration and enrollment information, to the Blackboard learning management system for online courses, and to other university services.

The Master of Science in Communication Studies requires 36 credit hours of study, which can be completed in 18 to 24 months, depending on whether students take additional classes during the summer. The program is designed for working professionals both within and outside of the communication industry, and features eight-week course sessions. The curriculum for this program explores the relationship between technology and communication, providing students with skills to translate communication theories, research methods, and analytical skills to designing and deploying communication strategies across interpersonal, organizational, and multicultural contexts. From developing team-building initiatives to streamlining external messaging to clients, graduates of this program are able to communicate effectively, manage conflict, develop effective crisis communication approaches, and utilize contemporary principles and tools in the communication space to achieve organizational goals.

The curriculum is divided between 30 credit hours of a set list of ten classes and 6 credit hours of Capstone, which can be either a Communication Project or a Thesis. The ten classes that students take in sequence are Communication Theory and Applications; Research Writing and Methods; Cultures and Communication; Communication Ethics in the Public Sphere; Nonverbal Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict Communication and Leadership; Media Literacy; Communication, Technology and Society; and Crisis Communication. These classes introduce students to the major theories and concepts behind public and mass communication, digital media, group and organizational communication leadership, and cultural communication, teaching students how to combine communication frameworks and research with practical strategies to address contemporary issues in the private and public sectors.

By studying and discussing the ethical standards in relation to interpersonal, organizational and cultural communication, students learn how to manage communications for organizations in ways that are not only compelling and effective, but also socially responsible and conducive to building further trust between individuals as well as between organizations and the public. Through the course content in managing and negotiating conflict resolutions and utilizing modern tools for strategic crisis communication responses, students also gain valuable skills in ensuring that organizations meet the communication needs of their employees, stakeholders, and the general public.

The program culminates in a communication capstone, which can be either a thesis or communication project. Both are based on the student’s professional and academic areas of interest, and students benefit from the guidance and feedback of a committee of faculty members regardless of which option they choose. While the thesis is an original piece of research scholarship that seeks to answer a targeted research question in the field of communication, the communication project can take different forms and is tailored to students’ professional interests in communication. For both options, students must conduct intensive research on a communication topic of personal and professional significance, and present their final project or thesis to the members of their department.

Stevenson University is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities.