graduate study

M.A. Requirements and Policies for students who entered the program before 2008

The M.A. program introduces students to a variety of approaches to communication research, and it requires them to develop their scholarly abilities through the completion of a Master's thesis. Students' programs of study are committee-driven.

The M.A. degree at the University of Washington is an academic degree. M.A. students in the Department of Communication learn valuable research and analytic skills and produce high quality Masters theses. Though some students choose to complete their graduate studies with the Masters degree, most continue their studies to seek the Ph.D. The M.A. is not designed to be a professional degree for those seeking a career in journalism, public relations, marketing, or counseling, and there are many other colleges and universities that offer such degrees.

Although the Graduate Program Advisor provides routine information updates regarding deadlines, university and department policies, and campus resources, students are responsible to find and act on the information that is relevant for them. Departmental policies are found online at www.com.washington.edu, and the Graduate School’s portal is www.grad.washington.edu.

Program Requirements

Completion of a minimum of 45 credits, including:

  • 3-course core during the first year of study (COM 500, 501, 502) Click here to see a note on substitutions.
  • 1 additional methods course beyond COM 501
  • Up to 5 credits of COM 594 (Comm Professional Proseminar) in five different topics may count toward total, although COM 594 credits are NOT required for Master's students.
  • Up to 3 credits of COM 596 (Comm Pedagogy) may count toward total. These credits are required for students with assistantships and optional for all others.
  • Completion of the thesis (minimum 10 credits in COM 700) and oral defense (see description below).

At least 25 credits (not including COM 700) must be 500- or 600-level. The core courses count toward this requirement.

Time to Completion

It is expected that a student can earn an M.A. in the Department of Communication in two years (six quarters, not counting summer). In accordance with University rules, there is a six-year time limit to completion of the M.A. degree.

Supervisory Committee

Every M.A. student has a supervisory committee that oversees the progress of their graduate studies. An M.A.-level supervisory committee must have at least two members, although the Department strongly recommends a three-member committee. The committee chair must be regular or adjunct graduate faculty in the Department of Communication, and at least half of the total committee membership must be on the graduate faculty. The Graduate Program Assistant must be notified of Chair and Committee selection by the end of the 3rd quarter of study.

For advice on selecting and working with a thesis advisor, click here (Microsoft Word Document).

Program of Study

All master's students must file with the Graduate Program Assistant a Program of Study signed by all committee members by the end of the 3rd quarter of study. The Program of Study also requires review by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) on behalf of the Graduate Committee to ensure compliance with program requirements. The GPC may bring questions, concerns, or waiver requests to the Graduate Committee for consultation. Typically, a student's supervisory committee does not convene a meeting to review the Program of Study.

Please click here to access the M.A. program of study form in Microsoft Word format.

Research and Teaching

All graduate students are encouraged to develop their research experience by engaging in a research apprenticeship for credit (i.e., COM 592 Directed Research) with a faculty member. The supervisory committee chair, the Graduate Program Coordinator and/or the Professional Development Committee Chair can help a student identify a faculty member with whom s/he may find an apprenticeship useful; 1-5 credits may be earned for each quarter of COM 592. This experience is most useful after taking COM 501 and at least one other methods course.

All graduate students are also encouraged to develop their own research projects for credit (i.e., COM 591 Independent Research). Again, the supervisory committee chair, the Graduate Program Coordinator and/or the Professional Development Committee Chair can help a student identify a faculty member to supervise this research. This experience is most useful after taking COM 501 and at least one other methods course.

Teaching is valued in this department. But if research is part of a student’s career goals, that student should consider the trade-offs between devoting discretionary time to instructional activities (e.g., tutoring or volunteering in an undergraduate program) versus advancing his or her own research (e.g., by developing a seminar paper for publication). Students should discuss these kinds of choices and trade-offs with their advisors, and with members of the Professional Development Committee.

Master's Thesis

Master's students must complete a thesis. To fulfill the requirements of the M.A., the thesis must demonstrate basic scholarly abilities, including solid conceptualization, analysis, and writing. The thesis must clearly define a problem to be investigated, demonstrate mastery of relevant academic literature, show competence in the appropriate methodology, and either present original research (specify the data needed, present data, discuss the results) or develop an application based upon previous research (e.g., designing a community project).

The steps toward the completion of a thesis include the development and approval of the thesis prospectus, the completion of the thesis document, an oral defense of the thesis, and any final revisions that are required after that defense.

1. Thesis Prospectus

Typically in the autumn quarter of the second year, M.A. students develop and seek committee approval of a thesis prospectus. The prospectus is a narrative description of the thesis research that the student intends to undertake, and it is usually developed in close consultation with the chair of an M.A. student's supervisory committee. Different committee chairs have different expectations for the precise preparation of the prospectus, so each student should discuss prospectus requirements directly with his or her committee chair. The prospectus must be approved by at least two committee members, though it is strongly recommended that all members review and approve the prospectus. An approved thesis prospectus is due by the end of the 4th quarter of study (excluding summers), but it may not be submitted until a student has removed any outstanding incompletes.

Click here to access the M.A. thesis prospectus approval form in Microsoft Word format. This approval form should be signed by the M.A. supervisory committee and attached to the front of the prospectus. After all signatures have been secured, the student should turn in a copy of the cover sheet and prospectus to the Graduate Program Assistant.

For a detailed set of guidelines for writing the M.A. thesis prospectus, click here (Microsoft Word Document).

Graduate School guidelines for M.A. thesis formatting and submission can be found on their web site.

2. Thesis Credits

Credits in COM 700 (Thesis Research) may not be taken until the prospectus is approved. Thus, it is common for students to take all of their thesis credits in the Winter and Spring quarters of their second year. If a student intends to finish the thesis in two years, it is important to make as much progress as possible on the thesis during the Winter quarter so that the thesis will be ready for committee review and oral defense before the end of the Spring quarter. Fair warning: Faculty are often not available during the summer quarter.

3. Oral Defense of the Thesis

Satisfactory completion of the thesis will culminate in an oral defense, typically lasting 1½ hours. To earn the M.A., a student must successfully defend the thesis at this meeting or make revisions required by the committee. At least two committee members must be present for the thesis defense. Students often defend their thesis in the Spring quarter of their second year.

In order to graduate, students must fill out an online master's degree request with the Graduate School.

Procedures for Continuing to the Ph.D.

Master's students who wish to be considered for acceptance to the Ph.D. program must provide the Graduate Admissions Committee with the following: a letter of intent; a confidential letter of recommendation from the supervisory committee chair to the admissions committee; an M.A. transcript; curriculum vitae; and your M.A. thesis (if completed), one or more completed thesis chapters (if only some have been written), or approved thesis prospectus (if no chapters have been written). If you submit only a thesis prospectus, you must also include with your application a sample of scholarly writing that demonstrates research competence (e.g., a seminar paper). In addition, any acceptance to the Ph.D. program is conditional upon final completion of the M.A., including the thesis and oral defense.

Master's students must meet the same December 15 application deadline as all other Ph.D. applicants. This deadline is real. Don't miss it.

Summary of Key M.A. Deadlines

  • Selection of Supervisory Chair and Committee by the end of the 3rd quarter in the program.
  • Program of Study due by the end of the 3rd quarter.
  • Thesis prospectus due by the end of the 4th quarter in the program (excluding summer).

A student meeting these deadlines and all other requirements might have a course of study like the one shown below.

Quarter Aut, Year 1 Winter, Yr 1 Spring, Year 1 Aut, Year 2 Winter, Yr 2 Spring, Yr 2
Course #1 COM 500 COM 501* COM 502* Topic Course Method Course COM 700
Course #2 Topic Course Topic Course Topic Course Method Course COM 700 COM 700
Program Milestones     Chair and Committee Set; Program of Study Approved Thesis Prospectus Approved   Thesis Defended Successfully

* See the Note on Substitutions below for courses that can be taken in
place of 501 or 502.

Note: "Topic Course" designates any of a wide range of seminars on relevant topics taught within and outside the Department of Communication. "Method Course" refers to courses in research methods.

Note on Substitutions

Allowable substitution for COM 501: In rare instances, students entering with prior graduate study at another institution may have taken a course comparable to COM 501. Because this course covers a broad range of methods, it is unlikely that many students will have taken an equivalent course. Those students who have taken such a course can petition to take an advanced methods course in its place.

Allowable substitution for COM 502: Those students who believe that COM 502 does not fit their desired program of study may petition to take COM 507 (Interdisciplinary Theorizing) or COM 509 (Collaboration and Scholarship) in its place.