Apr 19, 2024  
2005-2007 EIU Graduate Catalog 
    
2005-2007 EIU Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Community College Pedagogy Option


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Program Mission: The Master of Arts in Communication Studies with an Option in Community College Pedagogy prepares students for teaching communication courses at two-year colleges. A combination of theoretical and applied courses, instructional practicums and supervised student-teaching provide students with a strong background in communication and pedagogical theory and the opportunity to put the theory into practice.

Admission Requirements: A limited number of students are accepted each year; admission to the program is competitive.  To be eligible for degree candidacy, applicants must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Graduate School (See “Admission to Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs”).  A minimum of 18 hours in communication studies with a grade of C or better is required in order to be admitted to the program.  An applicant must complete a written statement of goals, submit a writing sample and three letters of recommendation attesting to the potential for successful completion of graduate work. International applicants whose native language is not English must obtain a score of 600 or higher on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 250 of higher on the computer-based TOEFL.  While students may be admitted to the Graduate School with fewer than 18 hours in communication studies, any deficiency in undergraduate communication studies hours must be made up before the student will be admitted to degree candidacy in Communication Studies.

Study Plan Approval: The study plan shall be filed with the departmental graduate coordinator prior to the completion of 12 semester hours of graduate credit which count toward the graduate degree.  A study plan is developed in consultation with an assigned advisor and must be approved by the graduate coordinator.


Degree Requirements


The approved study plan is the guiding document for each student’s course of study.  A student, in consultation with an advisor, develops a course of study with a minimum of 36 semester hours reflecting educational development and areas of specialization.  The study plan should reflect the following guidelines.

  • All students are expected to take a core of 30 hours composed of CMN 5000, CMN 5005, CMN 5010, CMN 5020, CMN 5240, CMN 5900, CMN 5980, and either CSD 5770 or 5780.
  • The total program (including the core but excluding CMN 5500) is a minimum of 36 hours. 

Electives


Students will take a minimum of 9 hours of elective courses from the following:

Additional Guidelines for Electives


  • A maximum of 6 hours may come from approved graduate courses outside the department.
  • A maximum of 6 semester hours of CMN 4750 to CMN 4999 may apply toward the degree provided that the courses are taught by members of the graduate faculty, that the additional assignments of a graduate nature are clearly defined as part of the course requirments, and that the inclusion of these courses is approved as part of the study plan.

Capstone Experience


Students must demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the discipline in order to complete their degree. To do so all students must take and successfully pass
comprehensive exams covering the core classes. Students may then choose between a thesis, creative thesis, or comprehensive exams covering nine hours of elective classes to finish demonstrating comprehensive knowledge. Students considering doctoral work are encouraged to complete a thesis.

Financial Assistance


The department’s primary source of financial assistance for its graduate students is teaching assistantships in such courses as introductory public speaking.  Teaching such classes requires a deep familiarity with American culture and with the norms and patterns of communication embedded in that culture.  Consequently, teaching assistantships are not offered to applicants who are not native speakers of English before they have spent sufficient time in this country to become well acquainted with American culture.

International students who believe they have the requisite language skills and culture knowledge for teaching communication courses to a largely American student body may ask to be considered for teaching assistantships.  To be considered, such students must provide evidence of proficiency in oral English.  One form of evidence is the attainment of a high score on the Test of Spoken English (TSE).  This requirement is in addition to the TOEFL score which is required for admission.

Applications for assistantships are normally due in February with the award for the following academic year.  Graduate teaching assistants must enroll in CMN 5500 in both the fall and spring semesters.

Graduate Assistantships


Information on graduate assistantships may be obtained by contacting the Coordinator of Graduate Studies or Chair, Department of Communication Studies, 1825 Coleman Hall, EIU.

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