Master of Science in Communication and Digital Media - Public Interest Media and Communication

Career Goals. This program is designed for graduate students interested in working in the communication areas of non-governmental organizations, political campaigns, government agencies, and social service groups. The program also may serve as preparation for doctoral work in communication, leading to a teaching or research position.

Educational Goals. In this master's program, students will be introduced to practical digital media production skills, as well as theory and research methods. The program prepares students to: 1) conceptualize, design, and produce effective digital media/video, 2) harness the power of social media distribution networks, 3) analyze data to determine how messages are being received and acted upon, and 4) use communication theory to guide media creation and evaluations.

Areas of Special Knowledge and Skills to be Developed. By the conclusion of this master's program, students will be able to: create digital video media content, evaluate audience reception of media campaigns, apply communication theory in the development of media campaigns, and tailor media messages to specific audiences and respond to audience feedback.

Required Hours. A minimum of 36 semester hours is required. Students who have completed insufficient coursework at the undergraduate level may be required to take undergraduate coursework as determined by their supervisory committee. These additional hours will not count toward completion of the 36 semester hours.

A completed Master's, JD, MD, PhD, or other comparable terminal degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from a North American accredited institution.
Five years of professional communication-related experience and a 3.0 or higher upperdivision undergraduate GPA from a North American accredited institution.
FSU undergraduate communication majors (main campus) with an upperdivision communication GPA of 3.6 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.6 or higher.
Submit a completed Residency Affidavit. All applicants must submit this form, which is completed online.
Arrange for an official transcript from each college or university attended to be sent to the Office of Admissions. Transcripts may be sent digitally, but must come directly from the institutions attended. An unofficial transcript may be uploaded for the School of Communication for review.
CURRENTLY THE GRE IS NOT REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION
Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and request scores to be sent to FSU. We will accept the general GRE test, including the verbal and quantitative sections, if it was on file with the FSU's Admissions office by January 1, 2003. Otherwise, you must take the new GRE test, which contains verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
An excellent undergraduate academic record, from accredited universities, to include a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). In addition, doctoral applicants should have a minimum of a 3.3 in their master's degree work.
Three letters of recommendation.
A personal statement to be evaluated for its clarity of expression, creativity and persuasiveness in arguing that (1) the applicant has the necessary record of preparation and performance to succeed in the program, (2) the applicant's goals can be served by the program's courses and experiences, (3) the program itself can benefit significantly from the applicant's talent and experiences, and (4) the applicant will enrich the diversity of students in his or her program. In making these arguments, please address the following questions specifically:
What are your career goals, that is, what do you plan to be doing in five years and in 10 years?
Why have you chosen to apply to our master's or doctoral program?
What experiences and competencies make you a strong candidate for our program (research skills, computer literacy, teaching experience, awards, etc.)?
A resume or writing sample (optional for master's students
The School of Communication accepts the following tests and minimum scores.

TOEFL IBT- 100, IELTS- 7