Graduate Student FAQs
All graduate students are encouraged to meet with an advisor regularly.
Can students attend the communication graduate program on a part-time basis? How many classes must I take each semester to be considered active or on-track? If I can only take two, will that be seen as a detriment? Students can take any number of courses they desire, but typically our graduate students typically take two or three per semester. Three courses a semester is considered “full-time,” unless you have an assistantship. For our teaching and research assistants, taking two courses qualifies you for “full time” status. Some students also take one or two graduate courses during the summer session (see also http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/ ).
How long does it take to get the degree? For most students, the program takes two years to complete. This can be reduced if students take three courses a term and some in the summer as well.
When and where do communication graduate students take classes? Communication graduate students take classes at the Fairfax campus of GMU. Most of our graduate classes are held in Thompson Hall—the academic home of the Department of Communication and Faculty. Courses are offered during the evening in two time slots: 4:30p.m.-7:10p.m., and 7:20p.m.-10p.m.
Approximately how many people come in to your program with an unrelated undergraduate degree? Approximately 10% of our current graduate students come into our program with a different undergraduate degree. Many of these students have a related degree in social science, but we have admitted students from the humanities and arts as well. What matters most is the match between your own interests and our program’s focus on strategic communication, public relations, and health communication. If you are unsure if your interests match the focus of our program, we would advise you to take one or two of our graduate classes as a non-degree (i.e., extended studies) student. By doing so, you can see if the fit is indeed a good one. Students who have not taken a research methods course as an undergraduate should consider enrolling in our undergraduate COMM 250 (or equivalent) research methods course, especially prior to taking our graduate research methods course (COMM 650). New graduate students will be exposed to communication theories in our COMM 600 Introduction to Graduate Studies each fall semester, which is typically the first required course for all students.
What are the foci of the graduate program? The MA program has two major areas of emphasis: (1) strategic communication/public relations, and (2) health communication. Our strategic communication/public relations faculty teach courses in planning, developing, and executing public communication campaigns based on their expertise in public relations theory and research. Our PR faculty have particular expertise in the expanding subfields of risk and crisis communication (where “risk” communication refers to the special problem of communicating effectively about risks to our physical well-being, and where “crisis” communication refers to the challenge of dealing with the public during emergencies or crises). For their part, our health communication faculty explore the relationship between communication practices and the health and well-being of individuals and communities—including everything from how to improve relationships between health care providers and patients to how non-profits can develop more effective health information campaigns (for example, HIV prevention campaigns)
How do I transfer coursework taken as an extended studies student into my graduate program? The form required to get previous graduate work transferred to GMU is called a Graduate Transfer of Credit form and is available from CHSS Graduate Academic Affairs.
What are admissions deadlines? Our application deadline is April 15th. However, we begin reviewing applications in early February. For this reason, we can often give you a decision much earlier than the deadline. For more information on how to apply, please refer to application information at http://admissions.gmu.edu.
Are students only admitted for Fall Semester? We admit a cohort of graduate students once a year in the fall semester. However, students can take up to four classes (twelve credit hours) as a non-degree seeking/extended studies student prior to beginning their graduate program.
Is it possible for my application to be considered if my GRE scores arrive after the deadline? YES. Having said this, it is obviously preferable to have all your materials to the CHSS admissions office by the due date. In addition, the communication graduate committee prefers to have a copy of all application materials sent directly to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies (commgrad@gmu.edu) by the due date as well. Again, students who miss the deadline can take up to four classes (twelve credit hours) as a non-degree seeking/extended studies student and then apply for full admission in the following year when all materials are in by the due date.
Do you offer Teaching or Research assistantships to prospective international graduate students as financial aid? Yes, all students—including international students—are encouraged to apply for one of our graduate assistantships. Assistantships are awarded using a competitive review process (see http://admissions.gmu.edu/grad/ for details)
I am not a nativeEnglish speaker, so I think I need TOEFL score. What score do I need? University policy is that all international students take the TOEFL (see alsohttp://www.gmu.edu/catalog/). Application information and minimum score requirements may be obtained online at http://admissions.gmu.edu/grad/ or from the CHSS Graduate Admissions Office (see info above).
What GRE scores are required to enter the program? There are no “cutoff” scores in the application process. We examine the total application and not just any one component.
May the GRE be waived based on undergrad GPA? How good does my GPA need to be? The GRE cannot be waived as it is part of the overall application packet. With regard to “cutoff” GPAs, again, there are no “cutoff” GPA scores. We examine the total application including your GRE scores, your undergraduate GPA, your interests and your fit with the program, and your recommendation letters. Historically, however, most successful applicants have had undergraduate GPAs above 3.0.
Can I substitute the GMAT for the GRE? The GMAT cannot be substituted for the GRE.
DoesGMU offer any type of study abroad programs or internships for their graduate students?We offer a few options for study abroad programs with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. In particular, we have just inaugurated an exciting study abroad program with the University of Milan in Italy. For more details, please email commgrad@gmu.edu.
I realize that I may be too late to apply for acceptance into the graduate program for this fall. However, I would like to know if it would be possible to sign up for two classes in the fall without being admitted as a full-time student? We encourage students in this situation to take two classes (six credit hours) over the Fall and Spring semester as a non-degree/extended studies student, while they wait for the application to be processed for the following year. You can earn up to 12 credit hours via extended studies, and apply all 12 of these credits to your MA in Communication program if you win admission the following year. This said, there is an element of risk in taking 12 credits as an extended studies student. If you do not get accepted into our program, most other academic departments will only allow you to apply two communication classes (i.e., six credit hours) to their graduate degree programs.
Are communication courses open to non-degree track individuals who have been accepted to Mason? Yes. All of our courses, with the exception of Comm 798, are open to non-degree students.
How do I register for a 799 class? Students interested in registering for 799 should contact the Director of Graduate Studies for an individualized course form.