To help students learn more about their different options for pursuing a master’s degree in communication, we interviewed graduates from a variety of programs offered by schools across the country. This page features four alumni from Oakland University in Michigan: Rita Hourani-Ndovie, Max King, Anna Palm, and Courtney Stockman. Each gave us an inside look at their experience completing OU’s Master of Arts in Communication program, as well as how the degree has impacted their careers post-graduation.

Offered through the Department of Communication, Journalism, and Public Relations, Oakland University’s MA in Communication gives students the option to specialize in Culture and Communication, Interpersonal Communication, or Media Studies. To find out more about the program, its curriculum, and the comprehensive capstone exam students must complete to earn their degree, read through the exclusive interviews below.

Alumni Interviews

Interview with Anna Palm - 2018 Graduate "I feel that the program has made me a good listener, a better writer, a more critical thinker, a stronger team player and a more confident leader. Most important of all, I believe it has given me a better idea of what to do with my skills…"
Interview with Courtney Stockman - 2018 Graduate "Overall, the program taught me to think in a particular way which has proven more valuable than any hard skill. I know this might sound stereotypical, but the ability to think strategically and logically is something you do not realize you did not possess until you are put through the intellectual wringer."
Interview with Max King - 2017 Graduate "The program overall emphasized a critical approach to communication and how it influences so many factors in our everyday lives. Some goals of the program are to teach students about the wide-ranging impact of communication, how to be critical of it, and developing the analytical skills that are needed in today’s society. We were also taught how to conduct research and how to analyze others’ work. Perhaps the best skill I learned and still use today is the critical approach of communication that is so often overlooked. Before going through the course work, being critical of communication was never something I thought much about. Being able to be exposed to how the “other side” may be influenced was an eye-opening experience for me."
Rita Hourani-Ndovie - 2018 Graduate "After meeting with the director of the communications program at OU and learning about the courses offered, I knew it was the program for me. The three communication focuses were culture, media, and interpersonal, and all the related courses were very interesting to me."