The MA in Applied Communication prepares students for
careers in higher education, government, business, and community service. It
enrolls 40 students both online and on campus. Areas of faculty expertise
include environmental communication, political communication, health
communication, media studies, gender, and cultural studies.
As a student in the MA in Applied Communication program, you
can design a program to meet your specific interests and needs, whether you’re
engaged in the online or face-to-face program options.
Meet the professors and advisers you’ll collaborate with.
See what current students are up to in activities and accomplishments.
Read graduate profiles to see what you could do after
you graduate.
Examine our Graduate Teaching Assistantships to see
if there’s one that is best for you.
In the program, you will:
- articulate and test your ideas
- develop individual abilities and specialties
- gain competence in various communicative
settings
Graduate work in communication is rigorous and challenging. You
are required to design, carry out, and present independent research.
In doing so, you’ll refine skills in:
- writing
- critical thinking and reasoning
- presentation and defense of ideas
- application of theory to everyday situations
- research
An advanced degree is proof that you are capable of
designing and following through on projects expected of communication experts.
Goals and focus of the
program
The study of communication is vital for societies becoming
more complex in their daily functions; for institutions, groups, and
individuals confronting the challenges of human diversity and
technologically-mediated social and political relationships; and for a world
that is increasingly interdependent and threatened by environmental change.
Finding solutions to problems that confront business, government, schools,
families, and social relationships can emerge from the careful study of how
people communicate with each other. No matter what profession one holds, no
matter what service a person provides to his/her community, no matter what an
individual or group values in life, a broad understanding of the theory and
practice of communication can be of importance.
To study communication is to study a variety of forms of
human symbolic behavior that occurs in interpersonal, small group,
organizational, mediated, and public situations. Communication is central to
forming relationships, organizing collective behaviors, maintaining and
changing cultures, making sense of our social and natural worlds, and fostering
understanding among people; it is a fundamental part of our human nature. The
study of human communication is based on the assumption that our ability to
communicate in an effective and ethical manner is vital to productive human
interaction. Communication scholars are committed to the idea that exploration
of diverse understandings of communicative behavior enriches our participation
in an increasingly complex and interdependent global society.
As a student in the M.A. in Applied Communication program,
you articulate and test your ideas, develop individual abilities, and gain
competence in various communicative settings. You acquire knowledge and methods
that apply to nearly every aspect of your private and public lives—in the
classroom as well as outside it. In consultation with your advisor, you can
design a program to meet your interests and needs. Graduate work in
communication is rigorous and challenging. You are required to design, carry
out, and present independent research. In doing so, you refine skills in
writing, critical thinking and reasoning, presentation and defense of ideas,
application of theory to everyday situations, and research. An advanced degree
is proof that you are capable of designing and following through on projects
expected of communication experts.
The faculty at NAU believe that the Master of Arts in
Applied Communication will provide students with advanced skills in analysis,
problem-solving, critical thinking, research, theoretical application, and
written communication which can enhance the student's contributions to and
success in Arizona's
dynamic economy.