↵The Master of Arts in Communication degree at the University of Kentucky requires all students to complete 30 credit hours.
Incoming students are expected to have had at least twelve hours of appropriate undergraduate work in communication. Should the graduate faculty believe that there is a deficiency in the applicant's undergraduate work in communication, students may be required to enroll in additional undergraduate classes that do not count toward the master's degree.
Students may choose from either the Plan A or Plan B options to complete their Masters degree requirements.
Plan A (Thesis Option)
| * CI 651 Communication Theory | 3 credits |
| * CI 665 Quantitative Methods in Communication Research | 3 credits |
| * STA 570 Basic Statistics Analysis (or approved equivalent by DGS) | 3 credits |
| * CI 631 Proseminar in Interpersonal Communication or CI 645 Proseminar in Mass Communication Theory or CI 608 Mass Communications and Society |
3 credits |
| Electives | 12 credits |
| CI 768 Residence Credit for the Master's Degree | 6 credits |
| TOTAL | 30 credits |
| * Required core courses | |
Students choosing Plan A will take a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work: 12 hours from required core courses and 12 hours from elective courses. Additionally they must complete 6 credit hours of CI 768 Residence Credit for the Master's Degree, as well as an oral examination in defense of the thesis.
At least 21 of the 30 credit hours must be from offerings within the College of Communication and Information. At least half of the minimum course requirements (excluding thesis, practicum, or internship credit) must be in courses at the 600 and 700 levels. Plan A students may count up to 6 credit hours of CI 768 Residence Credit for the Master's Degree towards the 21 hours. No more than 3 credit hours may be earned in CI 696 Communication Internship, CI 700 Directed Reading in Communication, CI 781 Directed Study in Communication, or CI 790 Research Problems in Communication.
Plan B (Non-thesis Option)
| * CI 651 Communication Theory | 3 credits |
| * CI 665 Quantitative Methods in Communication Research | 3 credits |
| * STA 570 Basic Statistics Analysis (or approved equivalent by DGS) | 3 credits |
| * CI 631 Proseminar in Interpersonal Communication or CI 645 Proseminar in Mass Communication Theory or CI 608 Mass Communications and Society |
3 credits |
| Electives | 18 credits |
| TOTAL | 30 credits |
| * Required core courses | |
Students choosing Plan B will take a minimum of 30 hours of course work: 12 hours from required core courses and 18 hours from elective courses. Additionally they must successfully pass a comprehensive written and oral examination over the student's program.
At least 21 of the 30 credit hours must be from offerings within the College of Communication and Information. At least half of the minimum course requirements (excluding thesis, practicum, or internship credit) must be in courses at the 600 and 700 levels. No more than 6 credit hours may be earned in CI 696 Communication Internship, CI 700 Directed Reading in Communication, CI 781 Directed Study in Communication, or CI 790 Research Problems in Communication.