Currently, Ohio has 11 schools that offer a total of 15 master’s in communication programs. Of these 15 programs, nine are campus-based and six are online. Prospective students can choose from specializations such as intercultural communication, global communication, strategic communication, mass communication, rhetorical studies, and professional and technical communication. All of the schools listed on this page have received regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in Ohio

Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU) School of Media and Communication offers a Master of Arts in Media & Communication with a Generalist Option and a specialization in Intercultural/International Communication. This campus-based Master of Arts in Media & Communication is suitable for students who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. after graduation, while BGSU also offers an online Master of Arts in Media & Communication with a specialization in Strategic Communication and Social Media (see the online section below for more information). The campus-based MA in Media & Communication requires core courses in foundational media and communication concepts, and either social scientific research methods or humanistic research methods. From there, students specializing in Intercultural/International Communication can take classes in international media, intercultural communication, race and communication, communication and conflict, and communication for social change. Students who choose the Generalist Option can take electives according to their interests in areas such as health communication, political communication, small group communication, communication in social movements, and mass communication theory. All students must complete a thesis, research project, or comprehensive examination.

Cleveland State University’s School of Communication offers a Master of Applied Communication Theory & Methodology, with areas of study in Communication Technology, Interpersonal Communication, Mass Communication, and Organizational Communication. This program includes core courses in communication research methods, organizational communication theory, media theory, relational and persuasive communication, and strategic communication. In addition, students must take a media skills course on media design and content development, and a research methods course that incorporates multivariate statistics, content analysis, or qualitative research methods. Electives in this program include courses in organizational team management, media analytics, strategic communication and messaging, international negotiation, political communication, health communication, communication campaigns, conflict mediation and problem solving, and communication technologies. For their final graduation requirement, students have the option of completing a master’s thesis or additional coursework.

Kent State University’s School of Communication Studies, which is housed in the College of Communication and Information, offers a Master of Arts in Communication Studies that is a generalist graduate program with a wide array of electives to allow students to tailor their course of study. Students in this program take core courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication, essential communication theories, and communication for advocacy. From there, students can choose graduate electives in areas such as health communication, relational communication, health media effects, health communication literacy, organizational communication, persuasion and argumentation, communication for a global society, intercultural and international communication, global cultures and intergroup communication, and communication in an information-based society. For their culminating experience, students can complete a master’s thesis, a master’s project, or a graduate internship.

Located in Athens, Ohio University’s School of Media Arts and Studies and Center for International Studies offer a Master of Arts in Communication and Development Studies that prepares students to employ strategic communication to promote social change across diverse contexts. Students can craft their own specialization according to their interests, taking approved courses both within the School of Media Arts and Studies and from other schools and departments at Ohio University, including the Scripps College of Communication, Sociology and Anthropology Department, and Economics Department. The core curriculum features courses in foundational and applied research methods in communication and development, essential theories and practices in communication and development, and audio and video production. After the core classes, students can choose electives in new media and communication technologies, documentary genres, audience research, international media systems, communication in social conflict, health communication and culture, international mass media, political anthropology, economics of the environment, geography of human development, contemporary social movements, and global health programming. Students’ culminating experience can be a service learning project, a service and development-oriented internship, a research or professional project, or a master’s thesis.

The Ohio State University’s School of Communication, in Columbus, offers a Master of Arts in Communication with specializations in Communication Technology and Society, Health Communication and Social Influence, Mass Communication Uses & Effects, and Political Communication and Public Opinion. This program is geared towards students who want to engage in communication research at the doctoral level, step into a research position within the communication space, or teach in college or university settings. Students take core classes in the fundamentals of graduate studies in communication, as well as courses in communication research methods, statistical applications in communication, contemporary theories in communication, and analyzing communication data. Elective classes in this program cover topics such as mass communication and the social system, interpersonal communication, health communication, narratives, social networks, communication and diversity, and design applications in human computer interactions. During the latter half of their program, students must complete a master’s thesis investigating a research question that is relevant to their course of study.

The University of Cincinnati’s Department of Communication offers a Master of Arts in Communication with focus areas in Organizational Communication and Public Relations, Media and Cultural Studies, Traditional and Digital Media Effects, Health and Environmental Communication, Interpersonal Communication and Leadership, Culture and Globalization, and Rhetorical, Interpretive, Critical, and Quantitative Methods. This program requires core classes in advanced rhetorical and communication theory, empirical communication research methods, and qualitative research methods. Students take electives according to their focus area(s), such as organizational culture and diversity, power and politics, public relations and issue management, risk communication, communication in science and technology, environmental communication, mediated communication in social systems, visual rhetoric, communication instruction, and advanced interpersonal communication theory.

Youngstown State University’s Department of Communication in the Williamson College of Business Administration has a Master of Arts in Professional Communication that prepares students for careers in professional communication such as marketing strategy, business communication, technical communication, instructional communication, and organizational communication. Students take core courses in qualitative and quantitative communication research, theories of and research in group dynamics, and communication in American corporate culture. After the core curriculum, students choose two professional communication-focused electives from offerings such as conflict management and negotiation, new media and persuasion, instructional communication, and the theory of sports communication. To complete their degree, students must complete either a master’s thesis or a professional internship and capstone project.

Online Master’s in Communication Programs in Ohio

There are currently five schools in Ohio that offer online master’s in communication programs. Online programs can be helpful for students who do not live in close proximity to a university offering a master’s in communication program. For example, students in Lima, Mansfield, or Springfield may wish to consider online programs as an option if they do not want to commute to campus or relocate for graduate school.

Ashland University’s College of Arts and Sciences offers an Online Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership. This program prepares students to engage in internal and public-facing communications for a wide variety of organizations in the private and non-profit sectors. Students take core courses that cover data-informed decision making in strategic communication, principles of strategic communication, foundations of graduate research in communication, and leadership and communication. After fulfilling the core courses, students can take a wide variety of electives in areas such as public relations, organizational communication, professional speaking, social media strategy, training and development, interpersonal communication, and risk and crisis communication strategies. For their final graduation requirement, students must complete either a capstone project or an internship in a relevant work setting. Students can also combine an internship and a capstone project for the same number of credits towards their culminating experience.

Bowling Green State University offers an online Master of Arts in Media and Communication program with a specialization in Strategic Communication and Social Media through its School of Media and Communication. The program helps prepare students for advanced roles in organizational communication, social media communication, and advertising and public relations. The curriculum includes required classes in media and communication, organizational communication, public relations research and practices, social media and advertising practices, humanistic research methods, and social scientific research methods, followed by electives in areas such as media programming, audience research, international communication, health communication, business ethics and law, and professional and technical writing. Students must complete a comprehensive examination as well as a research project that concerns a professional issue in communication.

Kent State University’s School of Media and Journalism also offers its Master of Arts in Media and Journalism with a concentration in Journalism Education entirely online. This program is equivalent to their campus-based offering, except that the online program only offers the Journalism Education concentration. Students who attend the campus program have the option of completing this concentration or pursuing their own course of study through core and elective courses; moreover, campus students have the option of completing some of their Journalism Education-specific classes online, if they elect to pursue this concentration.

Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication offers an online Master of Communication that features a flexible curriculum that gives students the opportunity to earn stackable graduate certificates in marketable areas of professional communication, including: Communication Diversity, Ethics, and Inclusivity; Communication and Change; Crisis Communication; Digital Media Transformation & Innovation; Media Tools for Professional Communication; Strategic Communication Management; and Team Leadership and Communication. This program has only two core courses–Introduction to Graduate Research in Communication, and the culminating Master’s Capstone. The remaining courses are from the program’s stackable certificates, and include topics such as ethics in mass media; gender, race, and class in journalism; crisis communication planning and execution; podcast series production; strategic communication management; social media analytics; and digital media transformation. The Master’s Capstone gives students a chance to apply what they have learned to a concrete professional deliverable, under the guidance of faculty advisors.

Scripps College of Communication and the School of Communication Studies jointly offer an Online Master of Arts in Organizational Communication that allows students to examine the role of communication in social organization and decision-making across different contexts. This program is comprised of courses in organizational communication practices, information diffusion, cross-cultural communication, gender and communication, communication in social conflict, and instructional training. As their final graduation requirement, students complete a comprehensive exam, an applied project, or a master’s thesis.

The University of Findlay offers an online Master of Arts in Professional Communication (MAPC) that features interdisciplinary sequences in Applied Linguistics; Educational Technology; Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Management Communication; Human Resource Management; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership; Marketing; Persuasive Communication; and Technical Communication. Courses in this program cover foundational and advanced topics in organizational communication and culture, professional presentations, digital media, communication campaign development, organizational and digital leadership and training, persuasion and public opinion, communication research, brand and identity management, and strategic communication. For their final graduation requirement, students complete one of three options: a professional project, a service project, or a scholarly thesis.

Directory of Master’s in Communication Programs in Ohio

All Master’s in Communication Programs in Ohio

Campus programs, Campus/Hybrid programs, Online programs (fully online to 2 campus visits per year), Hybrid-Online programs (3 to ~5 campus visits per year)

Ashland University

(Ashland)

College of Arts and Sciences

• Online Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership

Bowling Green State University

(Bowling Green)

School of Media & Communication

• Master of Arts in Media & Communication (with a Generalist Option, and Specializations in Intercultural/International Communication, and Social & Interactive Media)

• Online Master of Arts in Media & Communication (with a Specialization in Strategic Communication and Social Media)

Cleveland State University

(Cleveland)

School of Communication

• Master of Applied Communication Theory & Methodology (with Areas of Study in Communication Technology, Interpersonal Communication, Mass Communication, and Organizational Communication)

  Interview with Anup Kumar, Ph.D. - Cleveland State University

Kent State University

(Kent)

School of Communication Studies

• Master of Arts in Communication Studies (with Areas of Emphasis in Global Communication, Health Communication, Interpersonal Communication, and Mediated and Mass Communication)

School of Media and Journalism

• Online Master of Arts in Media and Journalism - Journalism Education Concentration

  Interview with Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE - Kent State University

Ohio University

(Athens)

School of Media Arts and Studies, Center for International Studies

• Master of Arts in Communication and Development Studies (with Possible Specializations including Women's & Gender Studies, Human Rights/Conflict Negotiation, Media & Social Change, Media Studies, Video Production/Documentary, Management in Media Organizations, Economics/Economic Development, Political Communication and Public Policy, Strategic Communications/Public Relations, Health Policy/Health Communication, and Environmental Sustainability)

Scripps College of Communication

• Online Master of Communication (with Stackable Graduate Certificates in Communication Diversity, Ethics, and Inclusivity; Communication and Change; Crisis Communication; Digital Media Transformation & Innovation; Media Tools for Professional Communication; Strategic Communication Management; and Team Leadership and Communication)

Scripps College of Communication, School of Communication Studies

• Online Master of Arts in Organizational Communication

The Ohio State University

(Columbus)

School of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (with Specializations in Communication Technology & Society, Health Communication and Social Influence, Mass Communication Uses & Effects, and Political Communication and Public Opinion)

University of Akron

(Akron)

School of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (with Areas of Study in Communication Studies, Media Studies, and Public Relations)

University of Cincinnati

(Cincinnati)

Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (with Focus Areas in Organizational Communication and Public Relations, Media and Cultural Studies, Traditional and Digital Media Effects, Health and Environmental Communication, Interpersonal Communication and Leadership, Culture and Globalization, and Rhetorical, Interpretive, Critical, and Quantitative Methods)

  Interview with John Lynch, Ph.D. - University of Cincinnati

University of Dayton

(Dayton)

Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Communication (General Program with Electives and Optional Certificates in Strategic Public Relations and Health Communication)

  Interview with Alan Abitbol, Ph.D. - University of Dayton

University of Findlay

(Findlay)

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

• Online Master of Arts in Professional Communication (MAPC) (with Interdisciplinary Sequences in Applied Linguistics; Educational Technology; Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Management Communication; Human Resource Management; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership; Marketing; Persuasive Communication; and Technical Communication)

Youngstown State University

(Youngstown)

Williamson College of Business Administration - Department of Communication

• Master of Arts in Professional Communication