Master of Arts in Organizational & Multicultural Communication

Purposes

As business is reshaped by new technologies and by social and economic change, and as the United States becomes more visibly a culture of many cultures, the challenges and opportunities for communication specialists increase. The graduate program in the College of Communication, with tracks in Organizational Communication and Multicultural Communication, is designed with these challenges and opportunities in mind.  

Programs

The Organizational and Multicultural program offers three tracks: Organizational, Multicultural, and Dual.  The tracks share some common coursework. However, each concentration also has its own distinct focus.

The Organizational Communication track focuses on communication challenges specific to business and organizational settings. It helps students to understand and manage the broad communication processes within organizations while enabling them to develop their individual skills as communicators. This track will be of interest to professionals in profit and nonprofit settings, particularly those who manage employees or have responsibilities for personnel issues.

The Multicultural Communication track focuses on the dynamics of communication across cultures. It explores not only what happens when people of two different national cultures meet, but also what happens when people from a variety of cultures and ethnicities come together in one organization, community or country. This track will be of particular interest to those who work with international and multiethnic corporations and to public service personnel serving individuals from a variety of backgrounds and cultural traditions.

Dual Track

Students may also elect to take a dual track of courses that cut across both the Organizational and the Multicultural Communication tracks.  This option may appeal to students interested in such areas as diversity in the workplace, international training and development, and communication education, and consulting.
The Organizational and Multicultural program also provides a solid foundation for Ph.D. work in communication and related disciplines.