Graduate Programs in Professional Communication

College of Applied Studies

Corporate and Public Communication Program

Program Coordinator: Dr. Brian Parker; Teaching Faculty I: Lawrence, Sellers

The College of Applied Studies offers a terminal master's degree for graduate students currently employed in or seeking professional positions emphasizing public affairs, public information, and public-issues management within business, government, not-for-profit organizations, or educational institutions. By the conclusion of the master's program, students will be competent in select areas of organizational communication.

The goals of the CPC program include:

Preparing students for professional careers within business, government, not-for-profit organizations, or educational institutions;
Providing students with experience in making formal communication presentations;
Helping students develop quantitative and qualitative skills in organizational communication contexts; and,
Equipping students with basic knowledge of communication theories with particular emphasis on those that apply to corporate and public affairs, public information, and issue management.
The skills to be developed include:
The ability to successfully plan and implement marketing, advertising, or public relations campaigns
The ability to successfully resolve conflicts
The ability to successfully manage individuals and crises
The ability to find in any cases the available means of persuasion
The ability to analyze the content of various messages
The ability to perform computer-mediated, social scientific communication research

Master of Science (MS) in Corporate and Public Communication Program

This program requires a minimum of 33 hours of coursework that includes a final capstone project, plus a successful defense of the final project. It is possible to complete the program in one academic year if coursework is completed during summer sessions. All courses must be passed with a “B-” grade or better, and students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout enrollment in the program.

Master of Arts (MA) in Corporate and Public Communication Program

This program requires the same minimum 33 hours of coursework and grade point average requirements as the Master of Science. However, these students must complete six or more semester hours of graduate credit in humanities courses. They must also demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, which may be accomplished in any of the following ways:

Certification of proficiency by the appropriate FSU language department;
Twelve semester hours in a foreign language in a college or university with an earned average of 3.0 in those courses; or
Four years of a single language in high school.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, a student must attain a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on all work attempted while registered as an upper-division student working toward a baccalaureate degree or a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 285 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students may be from a field closely allied to Communication. Such students, however, may need to complete extra coursework to make up any deficiencies.

College Admission Requirements

Students must complete the University application for admission to a graduate program at Florida State University. Apply online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp. Pay the non-refundable application fee online. Provide one official transcript from all colleges attended. Provide official GRE scores. In addition, applicants must provide an applicant statement addressing the following questions:

Why have you chosen to apply to this master's program?
What are your career goals and how does this program help you meet them?
Describe your academic and applied professional/organizational experiences that make you a strong candidate for this program (make sure to address both academic and applied experiences).
What do you plan to do upon graduation to utilize this degree in your career?

Students must also provide three letters of recommendation; a résumé or curriculum vitae; and a writing sample.

For specific questions concerning this application process, contact Cristina Doan at cdoan@fsu.edu or (850) 770-2148.

Program Requirements

This program requires students take a minimum of thirty-three hours of coursework, of which students must complete all coursework at the graduate level (5000 level and above). Twenty-seven of which must be letter-graded. Students must also successfully complete and defend an original comprehensive capstone final project. It is possible to complete the program in one academic year if some coursework is completed during the summer sessions. The program requires the following courses:

Six hours of coursework in Theory and Principles;
Six hours of coursework in Research and Methods;
Twelve hours of coursework in Applications;
Six additional hours of program elective courses and/or approved outside courses (no more than two classes outside of the degree major may be taken); and
Three hours of Capstone in Corporate Communication

Students who have completed insufficient coursework in Communication at the undergraduate level (for example, students who did not major in a communication-related area) may be required to take up to nine additional hours of letter graded undergraduate coursework as determined by their graduate advisors.

Note: These additional hours will not count toward completion of the thirty-three graduate-level semester hours.

Organizational Management and
Communication Program

Website: https://pc.fsu.edu/omc-ms

Program Coordinator: Dr. Nikki Dickens; Teaching Faculty III: Polick; Teaching Faculty II: Parker; Teaching Faculty I: Ausenhus, Lawrence

The College of Applied Studies offers a terminal master's degree for graduate students currently employed in or seeking professional skills for leadership and management of staff in any workplace, organization, or group setting. The Organization Management and Communication program is a fully online major in the Professional Communication Master's Degree program. The program was designed for working professionals and individuals needing additional flexibility in their graduate studies.

By the conclusion of the master's program, students will be competent in essential leadership and management skills from the fields of Communication and Behavior Analysis/Organizational Behavior Management, which is the application of the science of behavior for leading groups of people and solving organizational systems and employee performance-based problems. This online program has been built to include academic projects, research, and coursework that will be immediately applicable for all graduate students currently employed in any organization/business or working with others in any capacity.

The goals of the OMC program include:

Preparing students for entry or advancement in their professional careers with integral leadership and management skills for any organizational or workplace settings;
Providing students with experience in organizational communication planning, project management, and crisis communication planning;
Helping students develop quantitative and qualitative skills within organizational communication and management contexts, as well as to be critical consumers of research and information;
Equipping students with advanced knowledge of behavior-analytic approaches to leadership, management, and supervision; and
Engaging students in activities and hands-on experience in course projects that build their leadership and management repertoires.
This graduate program will also develop student competency in:
Developing and implementing data-based strategies as a leader/manager for training staff, employees, or any individual in an organization, workplace, or group setting;
Managing and resolving conflicts in any organizational, group, or business setting;
Evaluating effectiveness of communication and behavior-based strategies;
Understanding the importance of effective communication and interpersonal skills, with an emphasis on cultural competency and working with diverse groups;
Analyzing communication content and impacts of communication;
Critically evaluating behavior-based approaches to supervision and management and utilizing data for improvement;
Creating a motivating and reinforcing environment to enhance productivity and the effectiveness of groups of people in any setting, organization, or business; and
Analyzing performance-based behaviors and creating effective systems in workplaces.

Master of Science (MS) in Organizational Management and Communication

This program requires a minimum of 33 hours of coursework, which includes a capstone and comprehensive exam. This is a part-time program, and students will complete an individualized academic program of study upon admission to the program. Students will be encouraged to complete six credit hours (2 courses) per semester year-round (Fall, Spring, and Summer), which will allow them to graduate in two years.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, a student must attain a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on all work attempted while registered as an upper division student working toward a baccalaureate degree or a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 285 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students may be from a field closely allied to Communication. Such students, however, may need to complete extra coursework to make up deficiencies.

College Admission Requirements

Why have you chosen to apply to this master's program?
What are your career goals and how does this program help you meet them?
Describe your academic and applied professional/organizational experiences that make you a strong candidate for this program (make sure to address both academic and applied experiences).
What do you plan to do upon graduation to utilize this degree in your career?

Students must also provide three letters of recommendation and a résumé or curriculum vitae.

For specific questions concerning this application process, contact Cristina Doan at cdoan@fsu.edu or (850) 770-2148.

Program Requirements

This program requires students complete all 33 credit hours in the program with a “B-” grade or better. Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 average GPA throughout enrollment in the program, and they must successfully pass the program's comprehensive examination during their last semester. The comprehensive exam includes an examination that will integrate topics from the curriculum, and successful completion of a comprehensive capstone portfolio that demonstrates students' applied competencies in content from their coursework. The program requires the following courses:

Nine hours of core courses in Theory and Principles, Research and Methods, and Applications of Communication;
Twelve additional hours of Communication courses, aimed to further advance students' repertoires related to communication in organizational and business settings;
Twelve hours of Behavior Analysis/Organizational Behavior Management courses, which will provide foundations in applying the science of behavior to leading and managing people in organizational and business settings.

Definition of Prefixes

ADV—Advertising

COM—Communication

EAB—Experimental Analysis of Behavior

MMC—Mass Media Communication

RTV—Radio: Television

SPC—Speech Communication

Graduate Courses

ADV 5503. Media Consumer Behavior (3). This course deals with the research and analysis of consumer behavior.

COM 5126. Organizational Communication Theory and Practice (3). This course provides an overview of the major organizational communication theorists and shows students how they can be used to diagnose and solve communication and performance problems.

COM 5127. Assessing Organizational Communication (3). This course introduces students to the methods of assessing organizational communication including survey, feedback methodology, assessment, and related issues in applied research.

COM 5316. Statistical Methods in Communication Research (3). This course examines statistical methodologies for communication research.

COM 5319. Communication Research and Analytics (3). This course provides an overview of the research methods, concepts, and analytic techniques by which communication research is designed, conducted, and evaluated with a focus on applications in professional and organizational communication disciplines.

COM 5409. Kenneth Burke and Communication Theory (3). This course provides an introduction to the communication theory of Kenneth Burke and compares and contrasts that with other major rhetorical and communication theorists and shows students how the various theories can be applied to corporate and public communication situations.

COM 5450. Introduction to Project Management (3). This course covers the processes, tools, and techniques for managing projects of any size while preparing students to sit for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam.

COM 5453. Applied Project Management for Leaders (3). This course focuses on core project management principles and critical elements of communication for successful leadership of projects in any type of organization.

COM 5469. Communication Planning and Dispute Resolution (3). Corequisite: COM 4465. This course introduces students to the theory and practice of alternative dispute resolution.

COM 5525. Corporate and Strategic Communication (3). This course examines the process by which strategic communication programs are planned, developed, executed and measured with an emphasis on learning to integrate marketing communication elements to advance an organization's goals and success.

COM 5526. Marketing Communication Management (3). This course addresses the principles and procedures for communications planning for marketing and culminates in the development of an integrated marketing plan for e-business.

COM 5576. Consumer Behavior in Corporate Communication (3). This course applies theories and concepts used by businesses/organizations to understand consumer behavior and audience dynamics in corporate communication planning.

COM 5807. Interpersonal Communication and Dispute Resolution (3). This purpose of this course is to facilitate critical inquiry and applied analysis of interpersonal communication related to conflict and negotiation.

COM 5906r. Directed Individual Study (1–12). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: School approval. In this course, students select a topic of interest to pursue under supervision of a faculty member that results in a final project, where the scope and type are defined by the student and faculty supervisor. This course may be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours. May be repeated within the same term.

COM 5911r. Supervised Research (1–5). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: School approval. May be repeated to a maximum of five semester hours; duplicate registration allowed. A maximum of three hours may apply to the master's degree.

COM 5940r. Supervised Teaching (1–5). (S/U grade only). Prerequisite: School approval. May be repeated to a maximum of five semester hours; duplicate registration is not allowed. A maximum of three semester hours may apply to the master's degree.

COM 5946r. Communication Residency (1–6). (S/U grade only). This course provides work experience to apply and extend knowledge learned within the master's program.

COM 5947. Capstone Course in Corporate Communication (3). (S/U grade only). The Capstone course is an applied professional communication project where students demonstrate cumulative mastery of knowledge and skills from core program courses.

COM 8966r. Master's Comprehensive Examination (0). (P/F grade only.)

EAB 5740. Behavior Analysis in Performance Management and Supervision (3). Prerequisites: EAB 3703 and EXP 3422 or equivalents, or instructor permission. This course stress the application of behavioral principles within business, industry, mental health, and Applied Behavior Analysis service-delivery settings. The class provides an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of Performance Management as well as topics related to research-based strategies for supervising employees in a variety of settings.

EAB 5742. Advanced Topics in Organizational Behavior Management (3). This course emphasizes recent research and evidence-based practices in Organizational Behavior Management and the integration of contemporary research for management and leadership of groups. May be repeated to a maximum of twenty-four (24) credit hours; repeatable in the same term for up to three (3) sections per term.

EAB 5745. Principles of Performance Management for Organizations (3). This course stresses the application of scientific behavioral principles and technology within any type of business, organization, nonprofit/for-profit, public/private, governmental, mental health, or corporate setting.

EAB 5746. Advanced Behavioral Strategies for Organizational Management (3). This course expands upon basic knowledge of behavioral principles and stresses the application of advanced organizational behavior management research/strategies for solving common performance problems.

EAB 5780. Ethical and Professional Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis (3). Prerequisites: EAB 3704 and EXP 3422 (or equivalents) or instructor permission. This course prepares students for the professional practice of applied behavior analysis. Ethical guidelines are examined, professional issues in consulting with families are discussed, and the role of the behavior analyst as an ethical business and organizational consultant is covered.

EAB 5781. Ethics for Organizational Behavior Management (3). This course emphasizes core ethical principles for businesses and organizations and utilizes behavior analysis principles as a foundation for ethics in decision-making as a manager/leader.

MMC 5600. Mass Communication Theory and Effects (3). This course is an analysis of historical and current theories of mass communication with an emphasis on media effects.

RTV 5423. New Communication Technology (3). This course surveys key issues related to new communication technologies within a variety of communication contexts. Specific topics vary as new technologies emerge.

SPC 5442. Group Dynamics and Leadership (3). This course provides a review of important concepts and research in group processes and group leadership.

SPC 5545. Studies in Persuasion (3). This course involves lecture, readings, and discussion of human behavior theories as applied to persuasive communication.

SPC 6236. Contemporary Rhetorical Theory and Criticism (3). This course is an analysis of major theories of public communication and their application as critical tools.

SPC 6920r. Colloquium in Speech Communication (3). This course is a survey of issues of immediate interest and consequence to the area of speech communication. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours; duplicate registration allowed.

2024-2025 GRADUATE BULLETIN