Communication and Media Combined Bachelor's + Masters Degree Program

About the Program

The Communication and Media (MA) combined degree program is open to all undergraduate majors across the university. Students who are interested in this program must apply to the Graduate Admission Office in their junior year, and if accepted, can take up to three graduate courses (12 credits) in their senior year. These three courses count towards both the bachelor’s program and the master of arts degree. Students will pay the current undergraduate tuition rate for these three courses. Once students earn their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from DePaul, they matriculate as a graduate student and complete the remaining required courses for their Master of Arts degree. Students should work with their undergraduate advisor to see how the graduate classes will fulfill undergraduate degree requirements. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in each graduate class taken in the senior year in order to continue in the program.

Admission Criteria

Admission criteria for the combined degree program in Communication and Media:

  • 3.5 GPA in major courses
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Junior status
  • Completion of two 300-level communication courses

Admission Requirements

Students who meet the above criteria must submit their application materials to the Office of Graduate Admission no later than six weeks prior to the start of their senior year (i.e., prior to the start of their final three undergraduate quarters).

How to Apply

To apply to the Communication and Media combined degree program please submit the following:

  • The Graduate Application  

    • Follow the instructions to create a new account or log in to an existing account.
    • Once you are in the application portal, go to the Application Details section and select "College of Communication Combined."
    • Once you have made that selection, open the application to continue the completion and submission process.

  • Your official DePaul transcript

  • Your response to four essay questions

    Format your responses to the below essay questions in three to four double-spaced pages, saved as a .doc or PDF file. Upload the file to the Graduate Application or e-mail to gradcom@depaul.edu.

    1. What factors contributed to your decision to enter graduate school now?
    2. How do studies in communication and media relate to your personal and professional goals? Identify how our Communication and Media program and its specific areas of study suit your specific needs, goals, interests, etc. and how such studies connect with your future objectives. Which courses would you take and why? Which faculty members in our graduate program have research interests related to your own?
    3. What demonstrates your suitability for graduate study in this program and concentration? What subjects, theories, methods, case studies, etc., do you plan to study, and how will you approach them within our program? Build an argument for your admission.
    4. What understandings should admission reviewers bring to a reading of your application? What additional information, contexts or explanations seem important?

  • A writing sample

    • A research paper that demonstrates your ability to synthesize and analyze scholarly work.

  • Two letters of recommendation 

    • Letters should be from professors in the College of Communication or in the major.

Submitting Materials

Application materials, including the essay responses and the writing sample, can be uploaded directly into the Graduate Application. Applicants can also submit the Graduate Application without these items and email them separately to gradcom@depaul.edu. Students may request letters of recommendations through the online application and track their submission.

Transcripts and letters of recommendation that are not submitted through the online application should be mailed to:

Office of Graduate Admission
College of Communication
DePaul University
2400 N. Sheffield Avenue 
Chicago, IL 60614-2215

Application credentials (including official electronic transcripts) also can be emailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at gradcom@depaul.edu. Please make sure your name is on all documents.

Program Standards

  • The three Communication and Media graduate courses taken as a senior cannot be used to fulfill core major requirements. They can be used to fill communication electives (for communication majors) and/or open electives. Students are strongly encouraged to take CMNS500 and two other program requirements their senior year.
  • Students admitted to the program must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in the three graduate courses taken as a senior.
  • If a student fails to meet this GPA requirement, they will not be allowed to continue as a graduate student in the program.
  • Students can defer their graduate admission for one year. If students do not matriculate after completing their undergraduate degree or within one year deferral period, the graduate courses taken as undergraduate students will no longer count towards the graduate degree and students must reapply for admission to the graduate program.

Visit the Communication and Media MA section for more information about the graduate program.