MA in Communication Management
The Master of Arts in Communication Management — the only degree of its kind in the D.C. metropolitan area — prepares students to plan, implement, monitor and revise communication messages and processes within and across organizations. Students graduate with in-demand skills and a competitive edge in the growing communication management field.
Coursework explores how people inform, influence and persuade each other. The interdisciplinary program is designed to meet the needs of a diverse pool of students, with courses including Intercultural Negotiation, Persuasion, Principled Political Leadership, International Business Strategy and Conflict Management and Negotiation.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester: April 1 (February 1 for fellowship/assistantship applicants)
- Spring Semester: October 1
Communication Management Info Sessions
Join us online for an information session discussing GW's Master of Arts in Communication Management program.
"The Communication Management master's program at GW provided precious opportunities to explore my potential. It is not without challenges. I was lucky and grateful to have excellent and supportive professors during my graduate study. This program paved the way for my Ph.D. study and offered practical skills for students to grow both professionally and personally."
Joey Mengyuan Chen
MA '22, Communication Management
Program Objectives and Outcomes
Objectives
Graduates are well-equipped to excel at four communication management objectives:
- Effective and ethical leadership
- Efficient flow of essential communications
- Strong alignment of context and communication strategies
- Enhanced achievement of collective goals
Outcomes
Graduates of communication programs are highly sought after by employers in roles including project managers, brand specialists, market researchers and directors of marketing and development. Students in the MA program learn to:
- Analyze and develop strategies to enhance communication management functions in intercultural, organizational, public and health contexts
- Activate critical thinking and strategic oral and written communication skills, applicable across multiple communication contexts
- Plan, implement, and actively facilitate communication management-related training and interventions to individuals, groups and organizations in various contexts
- Prepare for admission to doctoral programs in communication and related disciplines (such as international affairs, organizational sciences and public health)
Course Requirements
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs.
Thesis option—30 credits, including 15 credits in required courses, 6 credits in thesis, and 9 credits in elective courses; non-thesis option—30 credits, including 15 credits in required courses and 15 credits in elective courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| COMM 6150 | Persuasion | |
| or ORSC 6224 | Persuasion and Negotiation | |
| COMM 6100 | Communication Theory | |
| COMM 6110 | Research Methods in Communication | |
| COMM 6171 | Professional Communication | |
| COMM 6190 | Leadership Communication | |
| Required for thesis students | ||
| COMM 6999 | Thesis Research (taken twice for a total of 6 credits) | |
| Electives | ||
| For thesis students—9 credits in elective courses; 3 of these credits must be in a COMM course. | ||
| For non-thesis students—15 credits in elective courses; at least 6 of these credits must be in COMM courses. | ||
| Elective courses can be selected from, but are not limited to, the following: | ||
| ANTH 6506 | Topics in Medical Anthropology | |
| COMM 6165 | Organizational and Communication Networks | |
| COMM 6172 | Health Communication | |
| COMM 6173 | Media and Health Communication Campaigns | |
| COMM 6174 | Intercultural Communication | |
| COMM 6178 | Health Communication and Culture | |
| COMM 6179 | Sexual Communication | |
| COMM 6189 | Intercultural Negotiation | |
| COMM 6196 | Independent Study | |
| COMM 6242 | Organizational Communication and Conflict Management | |
| or ORSC 6242 | Organizational Communication and Conflict Management | |
| DNSC 6247 | Organization, Management, and Leadership | |
| DNSC 6290 | Special Topics (Communication Strategy in Project Management) | |
| EDUC 6530 | Intercultural Campus Leadership | |
| HOL 6704 | Leadership in Organizations | |
| IAFF 6171 | Introduction to Conflict Resolution | |
| IBUS 6201 | International Marketing | |
| IBUS 6401 | International Business Strategy | |
| MGT 6210 | Leading Teams | |
| MGT 6215 | Conflict Management and Negotiations | |
| ORSC 6212 | Current Issues in Personnel Testing and Selection | |
| ORSC 6214 | Personnel Training and Performance Appraisal Systems | |
| ORSC 6243 | Seminar: Leadership in Complex Organizations | |
| PMGT 6402 | Applied Political Communications | |
| PMGT 6404 | Principled Political Leadership | |
| PSYC 8243 | Seminar: Psychology of Leadership in Organizations | |
| PSYC 8248 | Research Applications to Organizational Intervention and Change | |
| PUBH 6247 | Epidemiologic Methods I: Design of Health Studies | |
| PUBH 6431 | Global Health Communication Strategies and Skills | |
| PUBH 6500 | Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs | |
| PUBH 6501 | Program Evaluation | |
| PUBH 6503 | Introduction to Public Health Communication and Marketing | |
| PUBH 6570 | Advanced Public Health Communication: Theory and Practice | |
| SMPA 6202 | Media Effects, Public Opinion, and Persuasion | |
| SMPA 6204 | Strategic Political Communication | |