Masters Degree Requirements

Students must complete the required coursework and an MA thesis. In rare exceptions, students admitted to the graduate program may decide to leave with only an MA. In that case, they may complete the non-thesis option.

Required coursework for all MA students in Communication Science:

• CA 760: Advances in Communication Theory
• CA 762: Communication Research Methods
• Four additional Communication Science courses numbered 500 or above. Only one of these courses may be thesis credits (CA 990). Colloquium does not count towards this requirement.
• At least two courses in statistics from the following list:
  • C&E Soc 360, 361
  • Curric 803
  • Ed Psych 760, 761, 762, 763, 773, 803, 871, 960, 964, 965
  • LIS 803
  • Poli Sci 812, 813, 818
  • Psych 610, 710
  • Soc 360, 361, 362, 952
• Four additional courses
• One credit of Communication Science Colloquium (CA 904) every semester

A recommended set of courses would include:

• CA 760
• CA 762
• Four or five Communication Science courses at the 500-level or above (which may include CA 990)
• Two courses related to one’s area of specialization
• Three or four statistics courses (including ANOVA and regression)
• One colloquium credit per semester

Thesis requirement: The thesis must involve an original study on a research topic determined in consultation with the student’s advisor. In order to complete the project, students may take a maximum of three thesis credits at the 900 level. The student will form a committee that includes the advisor and two additional faculty members (at least one from Communication Science), and defend the thesis before that committee. The defense should ideally take place at the end of the fourth semester of study and must occur by the end of the fifth semester. At the conclusion of this defense, the student’s committee will decide whether the student should pass, revise the thesis, or fail the thesis. In addition, the committee will decide whether the student should be admitted to the PhD program. The latter decision is based on the entirety of the student’s record and not solely on their thesis.

Non-thesis, terminal option: Students must complete the 30-hour credit requirement including the coursework above and an elective course. In lieu of the thesis and oral defense, two of the courses in Communication Science must be at the 800 level or above, and students must pass a four-hour written comprehensive examination, which covers communication theory, research methodology, and a topic area of the student’s specialization. The test will be closed book and taken on a department-provided computer. Students may take a brief, 15 minute break between questions, which does not count towards the 4 hour time limit. Expected answer per question will be a minimum of 5 pages, double spaced (no maximum length).

The M.A. program in Film requires 40 credits of coursework, normally completed in four consecutive semesters, with three courses and a weekly Film Colloquium every semester.  Unless specified otherwise, each course earns 3 credits and Colloquium earns 1 credit per semester. 

Students in the M.A. program are expected to complete the following curriculum: 

• One production course (3-4 credits): either CA 355: Introduction to Media Production; or CA 609: Essential Digital Media Production for Graduate Students
• CA 454: Critical Film Analysis
• One National Cinema course (3 credits) from pertinent offerings* such as:
  • CA 455: French Film
  • CA 556: The American Film Industry in the Era of the Studio System
  • CA 613: Bollywood and Beyond (Special Topics in Film)
  • CA 613: Japanese Cinema (Special Topics in Film)
• One Modes and Practices course (3 credits) from pertinent offerings* such as:
  • CA 358: History of Documentary Film
  • CA 461: Global Art Cinema
  • CA 463: Avant-Garde Film
  • CA 552: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
  • CA 556: The American Film Industry in the Era of the Studio System
  • CA 613:  Global Melodrama
• One Power, Identity, and Representation course (3 credits) from pertinent offerings* such as:
• • CA 418: Gender, Sexuality, and the Media
  • CA 613: African-American Film (Special Topics in Film)
  • CA 613: Bollywood and Beyond (Special Topics in Film)
  • CA 613: Women and Film (Special Topics in Film)
• CA 669: Film Theory (3 credits)
• At least one 900-level graduate seminar offered by program faculty or as approved by the student’s advisor (3 credits)
• Five elective courses (15 credits)
• One credit of CA 902: Film Colloquium every semester (4 x 1 credit per semester)

*The listed courses constitute the current options for fulfilling requirements, but these lists may change in future years.

Some core courses may be replaced by other offerings if the student already has taken close equivalents elsewhere (to be determined by the relevant course instructor after reviewing syllabi and other pertinent materials). 

Students entering the program without a conventional undergraduate-level background in film and media studies will be expected to take electives providing such a foundation early in their course of study, as directed by their advisor. 

The M.A. Comprehensive Exam consists of six hours of writing and an oral defense.  The writing portion is divided into three two-hour sittings concentrating respectively on the areas of film theory, film history, and film analysis and criticism.  The oral defense – affording students an opportunity to correct, inflect, or expand upon their written answers – takes place a week or two later and typically runs about an hour.  There is no option to write a thesis in lieu of the comprehensive exam.

The Media and Cultural Studies program requires 40 credits of coursework for the MA. Students admitted to the MA program are expected to complete the following master’s curriculum:

• CA 355: Introduction to Media Production; or CA 609: Essential Digital Media Production for Graduate Students (3-4 credits)
• At least three 900-level MCS seminars (9 credits)
• At least 24 credits at the 400 level and above, 9 of which should be in MCS, the other 15 in consultation with advisor
• One credit of CA 903 (MCS colloquium) every semester (4 credits)
• From the above courses, a minimum of 24 credits must be at the 600 level or above, not including those from CA 903

Students who enter the program without an undergraduate degree in media studies may be required to take additional coursework.

The MA Comprehensive Exam

Overview

You will write 4 exams of 1h30 each. These are closed-book exams (at home or in Vilas), though you can bring in a copy of your reading/bibliography list. Exams should generally be scheduled during a two-week period at the end of April or beginning of May. One week after your last exam, you will have an oral defense with the comprehensive exam committee.

The Committee

Your committee is made up of 3-4 members: your advisor plus 2-3 other professors. You have the option of writing 1 exam per professor (4 members), or 2 exams with 1 professor (usually your advisor) and 1 exam each with 2 other professors (3 members). Committees typically consist of professors within Media and Cultural Studies, though you are welcome (in consultation with your advisor) to include one professor from outside the area.

Creating your Reading Lists

At the end of the Fall semester of the academic year in which the exams are to be taken, you should meet with your advisor to discuss topics for examination and committee members. The topics for each list are chosen in consultation with the committee members and must be approved by your advisor. Each list should cover a broad subject area (e.g.: feminist media studies, media production studies, fan studies) and not be highly specialized. Lists typically consist of between 5 and 8 books, and 5 and 10 articles or book chapters. Final versions of your lists should be sent to, and approved by, your supervisor.

Scheduling the Exams and Defense

With the lists finalized, contact the Graduate Coordinator and your advisor to plan exam and defense times. In most cases, the defense will take place at set times/days at the end of April or beginning of May, though exact defense dates are determined by faculty availability. You should allow for at least one week between your last exam and your oral defense, so committee members have time to read your responses. If necessary, a committee member may join by video call, but this is not preferable. Students should consult the Graduate Coordinator and/or the Grad School’s rules to learn the relevant deadlines and the ramifications of not meeting them.

The Exams

You must write the exams over a two-week period, and at times when the Graduate Coordinator or a proxy can proctor them on your behalf. You may do them on back-to-back days, write multiple exams in one day, or spread them out with break days in between. You also choose (in advance) the order in which you write the questions.  On the day of each exam, you will be given a specific question to address. No notes are allowed, though you can have a copy of your reading/bibliography list on hand. Be sure to answer the question you are asked, not a question you wish had instead been asked.

The Oral Defense

The defense will begin with you being asked to leave the room so that your committee can prepare for the defense. You will return to the room and you will defend each exam in turn, beginning with a chance for you to add extra comments. Bring your exams to the defense so you can look them over and address specific comments in them. At the close of the oral defense, you will be asked once more to leave the room, so that the committee can confer about the process, and then you will be invited back in and told the results. While rare, and usually only for students with unsatisfactory progress in the MA program, the oral defense can also be a natural spot to for you and your committee to reflect on your progress in the program, and of the feasibility of you continuing on to the PhD.

Please note that you should not bring food or drink for the committee: while a nice gesture, it is not necessary; just bring whatever sustenance you need personally.

The Result

Possible results include passing outright, passing one or more questions while needing to rewrite or revise one or more other questions, being required to rewrite or revise all four questions, or failing. The exams must be passed (and all other degree requirements must be completed) for the degree of Master of Arts to be conferred, but in rare cases of unsatisfactory work in the exams and across the program, a student may pass (and hence be conferred the MA degree) but not be invited to continue to the PhD program.

Students admitted to the MA program in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture are required to complete 4 semesters of academic credits including the following master’s curriculum:

• CA 570: Classical Rhetorical Theory (3 credits)
• CA 969: Contemporary Rhetorical Theory (3 credits)
• CA 976: Rhetorical Criticism (3 credits)
• One credit of CA 905 (RPC colloquium) every semester (4 credits)
• 27 credits of electives. These must include:
  • At least 2 courses in Communication Arts
  • At least 2 courses, either within or outside the department, above the 700 level
  • At least 1 course with primary content focused on issues of race and ethnicity

All courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Students who plan to continue in the PhD program are required to write a master’s thesis, the subject of which is chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor and master’s committee.

Completion of the master’s thesis is followed by an oral defense of the thesis; students should plan to have a copy of the MA thesis sent to their committee members at least 14 days prior to the oral defense. At the conclusion of this defense, the student’s committee decides whether the student should be admitted to the PhD program. This decision is based on the entirety of the student’s record and not solely on their thesis.

Students who do not wish to advance to the doctoral program may take a comprehensive MA exam consisting of three one-hour written exams addressing theory, critical method, and public discourse.