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New Master's Degree Announced

The Department of Communication at the College of Charleston has announced a new master’s degree program in communication beginning Fall 2006, as approved May 4th by the State of South Carolina. The new degree, a Master of Arts in Communication, will prepare graduate students for opportunities in the field of communication, an area that has gained prominence in the information age.  Classes will be offered in the evenings at the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC), which is adjacent to the airport at the intersection of I-26 and I-526.

The need for graduate education in communication is mirrored by the needs of industry for undergraduate students educated in communication. In a national survey of 1000 human resource managers, oral communication skills are identified as valuable for both obtaining employment and successful job performance. Executives with Fortune 500 companies indicate that college students need better communication skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and with people from diverse backgrounds.  Case studies of high-wage companies also state that essential skills for future workers include problem solving, working in groups, and the ability to communicate effectively.  When 1000 faculty members from a cross section of disciplines were asked to identify basic competencies for every college graduate, skills in communicating topped the list.  Even an economics professor states that “we are living in a communications revolution comparable to the invention of printing . . . In an age of increasing talk, it’s wiser talk we need most.  Communication studies might well be central to colleges and universities in the 21st century.”

"This new program responds to the growing demands of businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations for professionals who can apply communication theory to solving the real-world problems of the new millennium," said Douglas Ferguson, graduate program director of the Department of Communication.  As former chair of the department, Ferguson received numerous requests from communication professionals for a degree program that went beyond the baccalaureate.

The new degree program grew from student demand for a graduate certificate in organizational communication that began in 2004.  Nearly all students in the certificate program want to pursue the full master's degree. Even prospective students are eager to join.  One student wrote, "My undergraduate degree is in Communications Studies from UNC Greensboro, and I would very much like to obtain my master’s degree in that field without having to leave Charleston.   I was very excited to learn about your graduate level certificate in this field in hopes that there are plans to expand it into a full degree.   I feel that communication, or the lack thereof, is one of the key issues facing us today not only in the corporate world but everywhere."

“Charleston has a dynamic economy and a rapidly growing population,” said Brian McGee, current chair of the Department of Communication.  “When we look at peer cities, it’s obvious that Charleston needs a master’s program in communication to meet the graduate education needs of this community.”

Such key administrators as Hugh Haynsworth, Dean of the Graduate School, and Rew Godow, Executive Director of the LGC, have lent tremendous support to the new degree program.  The Master of Arts in Communication program was approved by College of Charleston Faculty Senate, President Higdon, the Board of Trustees, and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE). 

The new program has two thesis and non-thesis options, with core courses in communication theory and research.  The program is supported by 18 communication graduate faculty.  As McGee said, "A master’s program at CofC is a natural fit, given that over 750 undergraduate students on campus are majoring in communication."

 

 

 

 

 

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The Department of Communication is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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