Communication, M.A.

• Introduction
• Admission Requirements
• Application Deadlines
• Admission Information

Introduction 

The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston offers four Master’s degrees directed toward professional success in both academic and non-academic careers.  The goal of the program is to produce graduate students who are able to move effectively into professional media positions, advance their current careers, teach in junior colleges or high schools, or enter into top doctoral programs.

To date, our school has placed graduates into top-ranked Ph.D. programs as well as into non-academic positions in both public and private institutions.  Regardless of the career goal, the graduate program broadens each student’s communication expertise through courses that improve conceptual, applied, and research skills - all of which are critical for successful careers in today’s information-oriented and changing global society.

There are four major areas of concentration within this program:  Mass Communication Studies, Public Relations Studies, Health Communication Studies, and Speech Communication.

• Health communication concentration examines the symbolic and organizational processes by which people, individually and collectively, understand, shape, and accommodate to health and illness.
• Mass communication concentration explains the development of modern media systems and their impact on society, and examines ways in which the media contribute and respond to political, social and economic issues.
• Public relations concentration studies theory and research needed to help advancing practitioners assist organizations to communicate and strengthen relationships with their stakeholders. Emphasis is given to management issues relevant to products, services, image, and public policy issues.
• Speech communication concentration examines the theories, research, and practices of communication in interpersonal, organizational/corporate, health practice, health campaigns, and family contexts. Areas of study include interpersonal relations, health, family relationships, managerial/organizational culture and cultural diversity.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Lan Ni, Director of Graduate Studies, at lni@uh.edu

Ms. Erika Jimenez, Graduate Advisor, at esalinas@central.uh.edu

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college graduate admission requirements, applicants to the communication program must have achieved an undergraduate degree in the area of specialization or have completed at least 18 college-level hours in the field. Students who do not meet this requirement will be required to take remedial course work which will be specified at the time of admission.

Application Deadlines

For domestic students, March 1 is the priority deadline with the possibility of additional applications being reviewed up to May 1.

For international students, see http://www.uh.edu/admissions/apply/international/deadlines/index.php

Note to all students:  The graduate program in the Valenti School of Communication accepts applications for fall semesters only, effective fall 2013.  All required application materials must be received by the application deadline in order to be considered complete and submitted for review by the admission committee.  The admission committee will review completed applications in mid-March for domestic applicants and mid-April for international students.  Domestic applications received after the priority deadline of March 1 will then be reviewed on a monthly basis.

After your application is reviewed by the admission committee, a recommendation will be made to the dean’s office in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.  Once the dean’s office approves the application, you will be notified via an official letter.

Effective October 1, 2013, application to the graduate program in communication will be processed through an automated admission system.  Please submit your application online by following the steps in the link below:  http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/prospective-students/Admissions/how-to-apply/

Admission to the Valenti School graduate program requires the following items for ALL applicants:

1. Application Fee:  To be submitted online.
2. Official GRE Test Scores:  To be submitted online.  The GRE should be taken at least one month prior to submitting your application.  The GRE score must not be more than 5 years old.  The test code for University of Houston is 6870.
3. Official Transcripts from all higher educational institutions:  To be mailed to:
   University of Houston
   Graduate Admissions
   P. O. Box 3947
   Houston, Yexas 77253-3947
4. Two Letters of Recommendation:  To be submitted online.  The letters should preferably be from former or present instructors who can comment on applicant’s academic work in detail.
5. A Statement of Purpose:  To be submited online.  A brief essay of 1 to 2 pages about why the applicant wants to pursue graduate work in communication, experiences in communication, and plans after receiving a graduate degree.
6. A Resume:  To be submitted online.
7. A Writing Sample:  To be submitted online.  This writing sample can be a thesis, a term paper, or a class project that demonstrates your critical thinking and analytical skills.
8. Unofficial Transcripts can be uploaded in the automated system if the applicant chooses to do so in addition to sending the official transcripts by mail (See #3).

For International Applicants, the following additional items are required:

1. TOEFL Test Scores:  International students must also provide evidence of satisfactory English proficiency.  The TOEFL exam provides this evidence and must be taken at least a month before submitting your application.  TOEFL scores must be less than 2 years old.
2. Please check the link below for additional required materials:  http://www.uh.edu/graduate-school/prospective-students/how-to-apply/submit-docs/#9. 

Admission Information

To be considered eligible for unconditional admittance, the student must:

• Have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in an appropriate field from an accredited institution,
• Have a minimum 3.0/4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in the last 60 undergraduate hours attempted, and
• Have competitive scores on the GRE which are typically in the range of 500 on both the verbal and math-quantitative portions of the exam for the older scoring system, or 153 for the verbal portion and 144 for math/quantitative portion in the new scoring system.

Students who have earned several grades of C or below in undergraduate communication courses will not be deemed eligible for this level of admission.

Applicants not meeting the criteria for unconditional admission might be considered for conditional admission.  Any student admitted conditionally must:

• Have a GPA of at least 2.7/4.0 in the last 60 undergraduate hours attempted,
• Have a GPA of at least 3.00 in undergraduate communication course hours
• Have acceptable GRE scores, and
• Have other application materials that suggest the student can succeed in the graduate program.

All materials in the application packet (letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, transcripts and GRE scores) are considered in admission decisions.  Simply meeting the minimum GPA or GRE criteria does not guarantee admission.

Students may have to complete required leveling courses if they do not have adequate background in the degree they are pursuing.  There are typically few exceptions to who can be exempt from the leveling courses.  Please be aware that these leveling courses will likely extend how long it takes to complete the program.

TOEFL scores for international students must meet the new minimum requirement of the International Based Test (IBT) 79.

Conditional admittance requires that the student maintain at least a “B” average in the first 12 hours attempted in graduate school.  Conditional students must submit a course adjustment form (available from the director of graduate studies) requesting that their status be changed after those 12 hours have been completed satisfactorily. Students cannot embark on the next stage of the M.A. program – the thesis option or the comprehensive exam option – until they are granted unconditional status.  This is normally conferred (1) if the student has completed all undergraduate deficiencies noted at the time conditional status was granted, (2) if the student has fulfilled all graduate degree prerequisites, (3) if the student has terminated all incompletes on her/his graduate record, and (4) if the student has maintained a minimum (3.0) GPA in the graduate program.