Program Overview

Whether you are in New York City or New Deli, Seattle or Singapore, Atlanta or Aleppo, Denver or Douala, Little Rock or Lyon, you can engage in a mission-driven program focused on practical application. The mission of the Department of Applied Communication is to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication. The Master of Arts in applied communication studies provides graduate students with a solid theoretical and practical understanding of how communication practices operate in everyday life. Students learn to develop positive communicative skills that are necessary to function effectively in all areas of today’s business and professional world.

This mission is achieved by having students complete classes and a final project primarily focused on six communication applications: (a) communication and organizational culture analysis; (b) communication and transformation/change; (c) positive interpersonal communication; (d) conflict management; (e) crisis and renewal communication; and (f) experiential learning in presentations and trainings.

The M.A. in applied communication studies curriculum fosters a strong knowledge base grounded in communication theory and its various applications, such as management, consulting, human resources, training, organization development, relational communication, health care, education, and public relations.

Please note: Courses for this program are offered online in uniquely synchronous and asynchronous formats. 7000-level and 8000-level courses are offered synchronously over Zoom, and 5000-level courses are offered in an asynchronous format.

Find out more information at https://ualr.edu/appliedcomm/ma-applied-communication-studies/.

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Program Details

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to pursue this program must meet the following requirements: • Regular admission: Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or greater (4.0 scale) or 3.0 or greater in the last 60 hours • Conditional admission: Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0-2.69  (4.0 scale) • Along with their online application to the Graduate School, applicant must submit: a 300-500 word professional statement indicating your goals and fit with the program, 2 faculty-approved writing samples from previous coursework or approved professional writing samples showing potential for graduate work (if academic or professional writing samples are not available, the graduate coordinator will provide writing prompts to guide in developing samples), a list of 3 academic and/or professional references with contact information, and resume or curriculum vitae. More details about the program may be found in the program’s academic catalog entry. Read more about the UA Little Rock Graduate School.’s admissions process here.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements for this program include: • GPA of 3.0 or better for all required coursework • Successful completion and defense of internship, master’s paper, or thesis

Program Advisor

Dr. Gerald Driskill| 501-916-6020 | gwdriskill@ualr.edu Graduate Program Coordinator

Accreditation

UA Little Rock is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, affiliated with the Electronic Campus of the Southern Regional Education Board, and designated as “doctoral/research intensive” by the Carnegie Foundation.

Disabilities

UA Little Rock makes every effort to meet special accommodation and access needs. For information on specific accommodations for individuals with disabilities, you may contact the department sponsoring the class you wish to attend, call eLearning at 501-916-3005 or the Office of Disability Support Services at 501-916-3143. The Disability Support Services website, ualr.edu/disability/, provides information about the accommodation process and online forms to apply for services.
Cost per credit hour: $396