Non-Thesis
You are required to complete two projects in the non-thesis option. Select two of the following:
- COMM 599 Production Project (2 cr)
- COMM 695 Research Project (2 cr)
- COMM 589 Internship (2 cr)
There is no defense needed for these. Consult your Graduate Advisor and Supervisory Committee to determine the best combination to suit your career goals.
COMM 599 Production Project and/or COMM 695 Research Project
Projects emerge out of your interest(s), the courses that you complete and your Statement of Purpose. For Production Projects, students produce some major communication effort such as creating and offering a training workshop, designing a public relations campaign, explain a theoretical basis for the development of a media product or a communication tool for use by professionals in the field. The Research Project is a research-based, scholarly paper on a major issue or topic relevant to the field of communication.
Projects must conform to scholarly conventions and accepted research procedures, APA (American Psychological Association) style, use of primary and secondary sources and should be between 25-35 pages in length. Projects must evidence a theoretical basis. Students conducting research involving human subjects must apply for approval from the Institutional Review Board. Application forms are available from the Office of Scholarly Research.
The Project Proposal form must be approved by your Supervisory Committee. It is kept on file in the department.
A Supervisory Committee member is appointed the primary reader. At least 2 weeks before the penultimate draft is due you should submit a near-final copy of the project to each member. Approval by at least 2 members is required for successful completion. All final corrections must be completed as requested. A final publishable quality copy must be submitted to the Administrative Assistant 2 weeks before graduation. The project is the property of the department. An "S" grade is given.
If the project will not be completed before the deadline, an Application to March in Graduation without Completion must be submitted by the published deadline.
Academic integrity is expected from all students.
COMM589 Internship
Students who select this project must apply for a full-time professional communication-related job. An Internship lasts for the equivalent of 1 semester (1 summer). The student must complete all the necessary Internship documents and register for academic credit. The input of the Supervisory Committee is very important. An official letter from the organization for whom the internship will be done must be filed in the department at least 1 month before the commencement date. You must submit a 3-5 page proposal that includes a job description and/or list of duties/activities to the Supervisory Committee for approval. It must include motivation of how the proposed internship opportunity will meet your career goals. Additional requirements are detailed in the Internship documents:
Internship/Practicum Student Application
Internship/Practicum Student & Employer Contract
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