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College of the Pacific

Degree Requirements

The program requires the completion of 32 units of study, and provides for a thesis (Plan A) or non-thesis (Plan B) option.

Students must select a concentration of study in one of the following areas:

  • Communication Education
  • Political Communication
  • Media and Public Relations

Each concentration requires a minimum of one course from a related discipline outside of the Department of Communication.

The course must be taken at the 200 level unless the related discipline does not have graduate program, in which case the course must be taken at the 100 level.

Only 4 units taken at the 100 level can be applied to a student’s graduate program.

Each concentration also requires five graduate seminars offered by the Department of Communication.

The required graduate seminars for each of the concentrations are as follows:

Communication Education

  • Introduction to Graduate Study
  • Graduate Seminar in Statistical Applications
  • Graduate Seminar in Communication in Learning Settings
  • Graduate Seminar in Rhetorical Thought
  • Graduate Seminar in Interpersonal Communication

Political Communication

  • Introduction to Graduate Study
  • Graduate Seminar in Statistical Applications
  • Graduate Seminar in Political Communication
  • Graduate Seminar in Rhetorical Thought
  • Graduate Seminar in Mass Communication Theory

Media and Public Relations

  • Introduction to Graduate Study
  • Graduate Seminar in Statistical Applications
  • Graduate Seminar in Public Relations
  • Graduate Seminar in Media Relations

Graduate Seminar in Mass Communication Theory

The thesis option (Plan A) requires 28 units of coursework and 4 units of thesis.

Students must successfully complete a 6-hour written comprehensive examination and a 1-hour oral examination administered by a committee of three professors prior to starting the thesis.

Students must also successfully defend a thesis proposal before a committee of three professors prior to collecting data for the thesis.

The thesis must contribute to the body of knowledge of the field in a significant manner.

The non-thesis option (Plan B) requires 32 units of coursework.

Students must also successfully complete a 12-hour written comprehensive examination and a 2-hour oral examination administered by a committee of four professors, one of whom must be from another discipline.

Four hours of the written comprehensive examination covers material from a “landmark works in communication” list developed by the department faculty.

Curriculum Outlines

The course requirements for each of the concentrations are provided below. Exceptions for any of the requirements must be approved in advance by the Department Chair and the Director of Graduate Study.

Communication Education (Thesis Option—Plan A)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • One approved course from the School of Education (3 units)
  • Practicum or Graduate Seminar in Mass Communication Theory ( 4 units)
  • Graduate Research (1 unit)
  • Thesis (4 units)

Communication Education (Non-Thesis Option—Plan B)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • Two approved courses from the School of Education (6 units)
  • Practicum or Graduate Seminar in Mass Communication Theory ( 4 units)
  • Independent Study or Graduate Research (2 units)

Political Communication (Thesis Option—Plan A)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • One approved course from the Department of Political Science (4 units)
  • Internship arranged through the Jacoby Center (4 units)
  • Thesis (4 units)

Political Communication (Non-Thesis Option—Plan B)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • One approved course from the Department of Political Science (4 units)
  • Internship arranged through the Jacoby Center (4 units)
  • Independent Study, Graduate Research, or other 200 level course (4 units)

Media and Public Relations (Thesis Option—Plan A)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • One approved course from the Department of Sport Sciences, School of Business, or School of
  • Education (3-4 units)
  • Internship or Practicum (4 units)
  • Graduate Research (1 unit, if needed)
  • Thesis (4 units)

Media and Public Relations (Non-Thesis Option—Plan B)

  • Five required department graduate seminars (20 units)
  • Two approved courses from the Department of Sport Sciences, School of Business, or School of Education (6-8 units)
  • Internship or Practicum (4 units)
  • Graduate Research (1-2 units, if needed)