Orientation

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Orientation

• Master of Arts in
• Applied Communication
• School of Communication
• College of Social Behavioral Sciences

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Orientation Preview

• Introduction to the MA in Applied Communication
  program
• Getting to know one another
• Introduction to graduate education
• Spring course preview
• Upcoming conferences
• Curriculum, policies procedures
• Theses/projects and graduate committees
• Taking online courses

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Introduction to the Program

• Designed for working professionals in business,
  government, and the non-profit sector, those
  preparing for doctoral study, and those preparing
  for careers in teaching
• Designed to provide both a general introduction
  to the field of communication studies and
  opportunities for in-depth exploration of
  specific areas of the field

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Introduction to the Program

• First cohort began courses in Fall 2004
• Approximately 50 active students in the program
  part- and full-time, Mountain Campus and Distance
  Learning
• 24 students have graduated as of August 2009

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Introduction to the School

• The School of Communication offers bachelors
  degrees in eight areas

• Advertising
• Electronic Media Film
• Journalism
• Merchandising

• Photography
• Public Relations
• Speech Communication
• Visual Communication

The MA in Applied Communication faculty are from
SC, EMF, and MER. Director Mark Neumann
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Introduction to the College

• The School of Communication is part of the
  College of Social Behavioral Sciences
• Dean Michael Stevenson
• SBS also offers graduate degrees and certificates
  in areas such as Anthropology, Criminal Justice,
  Political Science, Sociology, Sustainable
  Communities, and Womens Gender Studies
• Other departments in SBS and across NAU can be
  sources of elective courses and third graduate
  committee members

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Introductions

• Faculty Introductions
• Student Introductions

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Graduate Faculty (1)

• Dayle Hardy-Short (PhD, Indiana University)
• Janna Jones (PhD, University of South Florida)
• Kurt Lancaster (PhD, New York University)
• Norm Medoff (PhD, Indiana University)
• Mark Neumann (PhD, University of Utah)
• Richard Tony Parker (PhD, University of
  Pittsburgh)
• Richard Rogers (PhD, University of Utah)

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Graduate Faculty (2)

• Brant Short (PhD, Indiana University)
• Kristen Swanson (PhD, Texas Tech University)
• Jon Torn (PhD, Northwestern University)
• Laura Umphrey (PhD, University of Arizona)
• Affiliated Faculty
• Julie Schutten (PhD, University of Utah)
• SC 111 Coordinator/GTA Supervisor

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Online Course Preview

• COM 599 Quantitative Methods (Laura Umphrey)
• COM 698 Representations Appropriations of
  Native American Cultures (Richard Rogers)

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Introduction to Graduate Education

• How is graduate education different from
  undergraduate education?
• What should you expect from graduate school?
• What does graduate school expect from you?
• Mark Neumann
• Rich Rogers

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Conferences Graduate Education

• Academic conferences allow you to
• Expose yourself to current research and thinking
  in the discipline
• Broaden your horizons beyond what our faculty can
  provide
• Network with other students with common interests
• Come to know and be known by potential doctoral
  programs and academic employers
• Present your work, make it available to others,
  and receive feedback
• Become an engaged member of a broader community
  of scholars

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Upcoming Conferences

• Western States Communication Association, March
  5-9 in Anchorage, AK
• Submissions due September 1
• Web site www.westcomm.org
• Registration available in November
• Membership 20 (journals, conference)
• Western Social Science Association, April 14-17
  in Reno, NV
• Web site http//wssa.asu.edu
• Submissions due December 1

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The Program

• Preview
• The Handbook
• Curriculum and degree requirements
• Required courses
• Elective courses
• Independent studies
• Out of department courses
• 400-level courses
• Thesis/projects requirement
• Advising
• MAAC and Graduate College web pages

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The Handbook

• The Handbook for the MAAC is your first stop to
  get information about the program, policies, and
  procedures
• Newly revised and expanded for Fall 2009
• Compilation of policies and procedures, but does
  not override Graduate College and university
  policies

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• 36 credits (pp. 4-5)
• 30 credits of coursework (10 courses)
• 9 credits of required coursework (3 classes)
• 21 credits of elective coursework (7 classes)
• 6 credits for thesis or projects
• 15 credits must be 600 level
• All work must be completed within 6 years
• Must maintain 3.0 GPA with max. of 2 Cs (p. 8)
• If you do not take courses for 3 consecutive
  Fall/Spring semesters or the intervening Winter
  or Summer terms, you will have to re-apply for
  admission to the university and the program (p.
  6)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Required courses (9 credits, COM prefix)
• COM 601 Research Methods
• Every Fall
• Always online
• COM 600 Communication Theory
• Every Spring
• Online approx. 2 out of 3 years
• COM 698 Seminar
• Variable topics, can be repeated once
• Offered at least once per year

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Elective courses (21 credits/7 courses)
• COM 698 Seminar (if taken a second time)
• All 500-level SC and COM courses
• Independent Research (COM 685) and Independent
  Study (COM 697)
• Out-of-department courses (other than COM or
  SC) (with advisor approval)
• 400-level courses (with advisor approval)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• 500-level SC/COM electives (pp. 14-15)
• SC 503 Classroom Communication (GTAs reqd)
• SC 524 Gender Communication
• SC 560 Rhetorical Theory
• SC 565 American Political Communication
• SC 568 Communication in Contemporary Society
• SC 572 Organizational Communication
• SC 575 Health Communication
• SC 577 Mediation Conflict Management
• SC 599 Contemporary Developments (special topics)
• COM 599 Contemporary Developments (special topics)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• 500-level SC/COM electives
• Advisor approval generally not required for these
  courses--however, there are some restrictions for
  those who have taken the 400-level counterparts
  of these courses.
• Some on-campus and a few online 500-level courses
  are co-convened with their 400-level
  (undergraduate) counterparts
• Courses are offered in various formats
• Online
• Hybrid
• Face-to-face (usually blocked)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Electives, continued
• SC/COM 685 Independent Research
• SC/COM 697 Independent Study
• These are on the schedule, but you cannot just
  sign up for them
• Purpose To explore an area of study not
  available through regular courses (or more
  specialized) when the faculty expertise is
  available (697)
• Procedure Approach faculty member, propose
  IS/IR, obtain permission if faculty agrees
• Limitations maximum of 6 credits can apply
  toward your degree (24 credits of formal
  coursework is required) (p. 4)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Out-of-department elective courses
• Up to 9 credits of courses outside of COM/SC can
  be used to complete 21 credits of electives but
  none are required (p. 5)
• Out-of-department electives must be relevant to
  your degree program and require advisor approval
• Limited online availability
• Anthropology, Education, English, History,
  Political Science, Sociology, Womens Gender
  Studies

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• 400-level elective courses (upper-division
  undergraduate courses)
• NAU allows up to 6 credits of 400-level courses
  to count toward a masters degree
• Such courses require advisor approval (p. 5)
• Not appropriate if a 500-level counterpart is
  available (e.g., SC 424 and SC 524)
• Must complete Out of Career Enrollment
  Authorization form and get advisor signature
  before course is completed

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Grades Incompletes
• In graduate education, As and Bs are acceptable
  grades. While Cs are technically passing, they
  are considered substandard.
• Incompletes can be granted by an instructor when
  a student requests one due to an inability to
  complete a course when most of the coursework is
  already completed (e.g., everything but a final
  research paper).
• Some coursework may not be feasible to complete
  after a class is over (e.g., in-class
  presentations, discussions in an online course).
• Incompletes are granted at the instructors
  discretion.
• An Incomplete contract must be completed, and the
  work must be completed within one year of the end
  of the semester in which the I was granted. (p.
  9)

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Thesis Projects Options (pp. 12-22)
• All students must complete 6 credits of COM 690
  (projects) or COM 699 (thesis)
• You cannot just sign up for COM 690 or 699 you
  must have
• completed 24 credits of coursework,
• a permanent advisor (later), and
• permission to enroll
• In the break-out sessions (coming up next), we
  will discuss the thesis and project options and
  process in greater detail

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Advising Temporary Advisors
• Upon entrance into the program, you will be
  assigned a member of the Graduate Faculty as your
  temporary advisor
• Your temporary advisor is there to assist you
  with course selection, course approvals (if
  needed), choice of thesis or projects option, and
  selection of a permanent advisor
• The Graduate Coordinator serves as a back-up to
  your temporary advisor

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Advising Permanent Advisor (Chair)
• Students should strive to select a permanent
  advisor by the time they have completed 18
  credits (half way through)
• Your advisor (chair) must be a member of the
  MAAC Graduate Faculty
• More information on advisors and committees will
  be presented in the break-out sessions (coming up
  next).

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Annual Graduate Student Review (p. 23)
• Each spring, the Graduate Faculty will conduct a
  review of all students in the program.
• Each student submits a form outlining activities
  for the year relevant to her/his academic
  progress and an updated Graduate Program
  Worksheet.
• The Graduate Faculty will meet to discuss the
  progress of all students in the program and then
  provide feedback to each student.
• The intent is to assist students in their
  academic development and to identify problems so
  that they can be addressed in a timely and
  productive manner.

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Curriculum Degree Requirements

• Online Resources
• Graduate College web site
• nau.edu/gradcol/
• policies, procedures, forms
• MAAC web site
• nau.edu/sbs/communication/appliedcom.htm
• handbook, faculty listings, course listings
• links to forms and other resources

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Spring Course Preview

• COM 600 Communication Theory Application -
  Laura Umphrey (online)
• COM 599 Performance Studies Field Research and
  Interpretation - Kurt Lancaster (online)
• COM 599 Life in the Public Eye An Introduction
  to Public Culture - Jon Torn (face to face,
  co-convened)
• COM 599 Mass Communication Human Behavior (face
  to face, co-convened)
• SC 599 Intercultural Communication Theory -
  Richard Rogers (online)
• Note Spring schedule is still tentative

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Temporary Advisors
Dayle Hardy-Short Kevin Snyder Janna Jones Simin
Fan John Hessinger Kirsten Snyder Mark
Neumann Tom Gariepy Richard Rogers Anderson
Dun Marco McFarren Jenny Scott Briton Tarter
Brant Short Amanda Carrillo Diana Cudeii Tony
Parker Antonio de la Garza Matt Dugan Jon
Torn Marc Beckstrom-Sternberg Jesse Byard Laura
Umphrey Daphne Gilman Stephanie Petrie
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Break-Out Sessions

• Graduate Committees, Theses, and Projects
• New Students
• Room 306/340
• Richard Rogers et al.
• Returning Students
• Room 118
• Laura Umphrey et al.

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Taking Graduate Courses Online

• What is it like taking courses online?
• What are the challenges? the benefits?
• How can you maximize your learning online?
• How can you succeed in online courses?
• Members of the faculty and ongoing students
• Open discussion/QA

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Open QA (time permitting)

• Other questions?
• Comments?
• Confusions?

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Social Gathering

• A social gathering follows this orientation.
• Light dinner fare will be served
• 430-730 - come when you can, leave when you
  need to
• Directions and a map are on the back of the
  schedule