College of Communication > Academics > Health Communication > Graduate Program > Health Communication (MA) > Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

The Master of Arts in Health Communication requires 12 courses (48-credit hours) — three core courses, one methods course, five Health Communication electives, and three graduate electives inside or outside the program.

Core Courses

Students are required to take all of the following:​

Course Title Quarter Hours
CMNS 500FOUNDATIONS IN GRADUATE COMMUNICATION STUDIES4
HTHC 515INTRO TO HEALTH COMMUNICATION4
HTHC 517COMMUNICATION, HEALTH DISPARITIES, AND CULTURE4

Methods Requirement

Course Title Quarter Hours
HTHC 516RESEARCH METHODS FOR HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS4

Elective Courses

Course Title Quarter Hours
Select eight courses from the following list: 132
HTHC 519
ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATORS
HTHC 521
HEALTH AND FAMILY COMMUNICATION
HTHC 523
TOPICS IN HEALTH COMMUNICATION
HTHC 524
HEALTH CARE TEAMS & LEADERSHIP
HTHC 525
NARRATIVES IN HEALTH CARE
HTHC 526
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS
PRAD 515
WRITING FOR A COMMUNICATION CAREER
PRAD 536
ADVERTISING AND HEALTH CAMPAIGNS
PRAD 540
CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
PRAD 594
COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
CMN 591
INTERNSHIP
CMN 592
INDEPENDENT STUDY
CMN 593
RESEARCH PRACTICUM
CMN 598
STUDY ABROAD
CMNS 590
COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS)
1

With approval of the graduate program director, students can take up to three ​​relevant elective courses from other College of Communication graduate programs or relevant elective courses from other graduate departments/programs outside of the College of Communication.​

Comprehensive Final Examination

Students in the Master of Arts in Health Communication complete their degree requirements by passing a comprehensive final examination.

Optional Latino Media & Communication Concentration

The graduate concentration in Latino Media & Communication is comprised of at least three graduate courses drawn from the areas of advertising, journalism, media and cinema studies, multicultural communication, organizational communication and public relations. Graduate students in any of the College of Communication Master of Arts programs can elect to complete the Latino Media & Communication concentration. Students may need to use outside electives to complete this concentration.

Students who complete the concentration will:

  • Develop an understanding of the heterogeneous and rapidly changing Latino communities locally, nationally and globally
  • Ground their knowledge of intercultural studies within a more extensive and concrete knowledge of a particular (even though diverse), rapidly growing, and increasingly important population within the U.S.
  • Increase their cross-cultural competence (understanding and ability to dialogue across difference, develop cultural sensitivity and awareness) with Latino communities
  • Enhance their capacity to communicate with and learn from Latino populations in the workplace, in community situations and other sites of engagement
  • Recognize the impact of the movement of Latinos across the globe and develop the skills to critically consume and produce media, public relations and advertisement representations that communicate to and about Latino communities
  • Develop field-specific knowledge of Latino media and communication along with an understanding of how Latino studies shapes other fields of communication

Courses

Students are required to take three courses (12 credits) from the following list:

Course Title Quarter Hours
CMNS 509
SPECIAL TOPICS IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION 1
CMNS 542
MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE
JOUR 515
SPECIAL TOPICS IN JOURNALISM 1
MCS 521
TOPICS IN CINEMA STUDIES 1
MCS 533
LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA/MEDIA
PRAD 511
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
PRAD 512
ENGAGING LATINX COMMUNITIES
PRAD 514
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING 1
PRAD 595
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS & ADVERTISING 1
CMN 591
INTERNSHIP 1
CMN 598
STUDY ABROAD 1
1

Topic must be related to Latino Media and Communication.

Grade Requirements

All students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000 in their coursework. If a student's cumulative GPA falls below 3.000, the student will be allowed to complete an additional 16 credits or 3 quarters (whichever comes first) to attain the 3.000 minimum GPA. If the cumulative GPA remains below a 3.000 at the conclusion of this time period, the student may be dismissed from the program. The student's cumulative and term GPAs along with overall academic performance will be factored into the dismissal decision.

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