Degree Requirements of the Communication Graduate Program

Portland State University is on the Quarter system. An academic year involves three (3) Quarters of instruction, including Fall, Winter, and Spring. A Quarter is ten (10) weeks long. In general, one (1) graduate course is four (4) credits. Full-time student status involves taking two (2) graduate courses per quarter (for at least 8 credits), and half-time involves taking one (1) graduate course per quarter (for at least 4 credits).

In order to earn a Master’s Degree in Communication, graduates students must:

1. Pass four (4) required, core graduate courses (for a total of 16 credits), including:

1a. Communication 511 (Introduction to Communication Theory), which only offered in Fall quarter.

2a. Communication 521 (Quantitative Methods of Communication Research), which is only offered in Fall quarter.

3a. Communication 531 (Qualitative Methods of Communication Research), which is only offered in Winter quarter.

4a. Communication 532 (Critical Methods of Media Inquiry), which is only offered in Spring quarter.

• Thus, in Fall quarter of the first year in the program, all full-time graduate students take 2 required, core graduate courses (e.g., 511 and 521).

2. Pass six (6) elective graduate courses (for a total of 24 credits):

• An elective course is any 500-level course NOT including 503 and 506.

• Because we encourage academic breadth and diversity, graduate students are allowed to take 1-2 graduate courses in other academic departments that count as electives in terms of degree completion (e.g., courses in Psychology, Sociology, Community Health). These courses must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in Communication.

3. Due to a Portland State University policy, any graduate student who is funded as a graduate assistant (e.g., a teaching assistant) must be a full-time student, and must take nine (9) credits each Quarter. Many types of financial aid also require graduate students to be full-time students, in which case they too must take nine (9) credits each Quarter. Because two (2) graduate courses only amount to eight (8) credits, each Quarter these students must also take one (1) unit of Communication 507 (Communication Research Apprenticeship).

• One (1) unit of Communication 507 (Communication Research Apprenticeship) involves working closely with a faculty member on his or her research program. Through this apprenticeship, students get hands-on experience in how to conduct Communication research. Students are sometimes provided with opportunities to present and publish research.

• Any graduate student may take one (1) unit of Communication 507 (Communication Research Apprenticeship) per Quarter, regardless of their status, funding, or financial aid requirements.

4. Complete a minimum of forty-two (42) credits of coursework, which include all of the credits involved in #1, #2, and #3 above. In almost all cases, completing #1, #2, and #3 above involve completing a minimum of forty-two (42) credits of coursework. Students can always take additional elective courses to satisfy this forty-two (42) credit requirement.

5. Pass eight (8) credits of Communication 503 (Thesis).

• For full-time students hoping to graduate on time, these eight (8) credits, which are equivalent to two (2) graduate courses, are typically taken at the same time in Spring Quarter of students’ second and last year of study.

6. Write and Pass a Master’s thesis. A Master’s thesis involves conducting research to answer some Communication-related research question or hypothesis. Master’s theses generally range between 60-100 pages in length, and typically include a review of relevant literature (including a theoretical or conceptual framework), data analysis, and the presentation and discussion of results. Additionally, students must publicly, orally defend their thesis to faculty and peers. Optimally, a Master’s thesis will generate at least one conference presentation and one publication.