Communication
School of Journalism and Communication
St. Patrick's Bldg. 344A
Tel.: 613-520-7408
carleton.ca/communication
M.A. Communication
About the Program
The Communication program of the School of Journalism and Communication offers a program of studies leading to a Master of Arts degree in Communication. Courses covering four areas of concentration are offered:
- the history of communication and media systems
- communication/information technologies and society
- communication and social relations
- communication policy and political economy
Additional information may be obtained by consulting the supervisor of graduate studies.
Academic Regulations
See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each credit counted towards the master's degree.
Admission Requirements
The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is a B.A.(Honours) degree or the equivalent, with high honours standing in communication or a related discipline. Related disciplines may include sociology, political science, film studies, and Canadian studies.
Applicants without a background in communication studies may be required to take certain designated courses from the undergraduate Communication program in addition to their regular program.
Possession of the minimum entrance standing is not in itself, however, assurance of admission into the program.
Applicants who lack an Honours degree but who have a 3-year degree with honours standing (a minimum B standing overall) may be considered for admission to a qualifying-year program. Students who complete the qualifying year with high honours standing may be considered for admission to the master's program in the following year. Refer to the General Regulations section of this Calendar for regulations governing the qualifying year.
Program Requirements
Each student, in consultation with the supervisor of graduate studies, will be required to follow a thesis, non-thesis, or a course-only program for a total of 5.0 credits. Two of the four areas of concentration must be chosen.
In selecting their program of studies, all students will be required to take COMM 5101 and COMM 5605. Students in the M.A. program are restricted to one directed studies course, COMM 5808 (0.5 credit). Students may take one optional course (0.5 credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.
All master's students are required to complete:
- 1.0 credit in COMM 5101
- 0.5 credit in COMM 5605
- 2.0 credits in Thesis
- 1.5 credits from the list of optional courses below, or a research essay (1.0 credit) and 2.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses, or 3.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses
Optional Courses
COMM 5200, COMM 5202, COMM 5203, COMM 5204, COMM 5206, COMM 5208, COMM 5210, COMM 5212, COMM 5214, COMM 5216, COMM 5218, COMM 5509, COMM 5808
Note: students may take up to 0.5 credit outside the program with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.
Ph.D. Communication
About the Program
The School of Journalism and Communication offers a program of studies leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication. The program focuses on three fields of concentration:
- The history of communication
- The political economy of communication
- The socio-cultural analysis of communication
Academic Regulations
See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each course counted towards the Ph.D. degree.
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission into the doctoral program is a master's degree (or the equivalent) in communication or a cognate field such as journalism studies, with an overall average of B+ or better.
Applicants who have deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted to the Ph.D. Program, but will normally be required to complete additional course work.
Program Requirements
Doctoral candidates must successfully complete the equivalent of 10.0 credits. The specific requirements are as follows:
- 1.0 credit in COMM 6000
- 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (COMM 6010)
- 2.0 credits in Comprehensive examinations
- 5.0 credits in a Thesis (5.0 credits) which must be defended at an oral examination
- A language requirement as stated below
Optional Courses
All doctoral candidates must complete 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School, particularly those that address central theoretical and/or methodological issues within the student's chosen field of concentration. Students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (COMM 6010).
COMM 5200, COMM 5202, COMM 5203, COMM 5204, COMM 5206, COMM 5208, COMM 5210, COMM 5212, COMM 5214, COMM 5216, COMM 5218, COMM 5509, COMM 5605, COMM 6001, COMM 6005, COMM 6006, COMM 6007, COMM 6010, JOUR 5401, JOUR 5500
Comprehensive Examinations
In addition to their course requirements, doctoral candidates are required to write two comprehensive examinations each worth 1.0 credit. The first comprehensive examination (COMM 6900) is closely related to the course materials in the doctoral seminar (COMM 6000) and is conducted by the instructors of COMM 6000 in May following completion of the seminar. To be eligible for the first comprehensive, candidates must have a GPA of 9.0 or higher on their previous course work, including COMM 6000. Students who fail the first comprehensive may be asked to withdraw from the program.
The second comprehensive examination (COMM 6901) is normally completed during the second year of the program and tests the student's in-depth knowledge of one field of study. It is conducted by the student's supervisor and advisory committee and involves examination of an approved project related to the chosen field. Before taking the second comprehensive examination, students must have completed all of their course work with a GPA of 9.0 or higher and have satisfactorily completed COMM 6900. The second comprehensive is expected to be completed no later than two years or six terms after initial full-time registration, or four years or 12 terms after initial part-time registration. Students who do not fulfil this requirement within the prescribed time period may be asked to withdraw from the program.
Language Requirement
Students are required to demonstrate an understanding of a language other than English, preferably French. Language testing will be administered by the School and will normally include a demonstration of reasonable understanding, on sight, of material contained in selected samples of scholarly literature in a foreign language and in the field of communication.
Thesis Requirement
A thesis proposal is presented after the comprehensive requirement has been satisfied, and defended at an oral presentation. The thesis, normally equivalent to 5.0 credits, must be successfully defended at an oral examination.
