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Master of Arts in Communication

Master of Arts in Communication

Program Information

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Becoming Part of the Program

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Mission

We are a Catholic institution of learning dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge in the theoretical and applied fields through quality graduate education that is comprehensive and responsive to the needs of society.

We are committed to the formation of scholars and high-quality professionals who are ethical, competent, compassionate, and committed to the service of their respective professions, the Church, the nation, and the global community.

Vision

We envision a Graduate School that stands for excellence and innovation and that is globally recognized for its distinct degree programs and quality research outputs.

Goals and Objectives

The Graduate School commits itself to develop:

  1. Competent professionals who, inspired by the ideals of St. Antoninus of Florence, promote excellence in the production, advancement, and transmission of specialized knowledge and skills in the sciences, the arts, and community service;
  2. Scholarly researchers and creative thinkers who, kindled by St. Thomas Aquinas’s ardour for truth, aspire to become fonts of intellectual creativity and, in their quest for quality research, are proficient and critical in assessing and communicating information in various fields that impact the professions, the Church, the nation, and the global community;
  3. Professional Christian leaders who, touched by St. Dominic de Guzman’s apostolic fire and warmed by Mary’s motherly care, articulate ethics and truth, high level of moral maturity in resolving issues and promoting social justice and compassion for the poor, and care for the environment;
  4. Globally engaged citizens who, with ardent advocacy for life, promote a deeper understanding of tolerance and justice as well as linguistic, religious, and cultural diversities as a result of precise evaluation of modern problems and inquiries;
  5. Committed scholars who, nurtured by the dogmas of Christian faith and values, are dedicated to the pursuit of truth through the promotion of an intellectual culture that values academic rigor and freedom of scientific investigations; and
  6. Lifelong learners who, empowered by St. Antoninus of Florence’s zeal for learning, are committed to the advancement of a higher culture through a continuous search for intellectual inquiries and new knowledge as well as faithfulness to Catholic intellectual traditions.
Program Intended Learning Outcomes

After completing the degree program, the student must be able to:

  1. Critique received/extant communication theory, or appropriate, indigenize, nativize, vernacularize or contextualize said received/extant theories
  2. Utilize theoretical knowledge to conduct original research that will enlighten Philippine communication as a social process
  3. Conceptualize, carry-out, present, and publish original research papers to deepen and widen the corpus of knowledge in communication and allied disciplines;
  4. Administer, manage, and lead a research group, organization, or institution to realize the research and development agenda of the organization vis-a-vis the country.
  5. Produce ingenious, relevant communication materials and transfer such ingenuity to fellow communication/media workers; and
  6. Develop, handle and supervise communication-for development programs that contribute to achieving socio-economic development outcomes and bolster organizations’ standing in the media industry.
  7. Become professional communicators across the disciplines — arts, sciences, religious — crafting and distilling messages that reach out effectively to various publics.
  8. Become proficient users of the different media platforms, traditional and emergent, disseminating information responsibly and ethically to national and global audiences.

Becoming Part of the Program

Application

Click here for theAdmission Policies and Proceduresof the Graduate School.

Fees

Go toTHIS PAGE and look for the “Graduate School” tab for the tuition fees.

Program Curriculum

Pre-Requisite Courses

GS 500 – St. Thomas and Critical Thinking
Principles of and skill on critical thinking according to St. Thomas Aquinas in the areas of mental cognition, simple apprehension, judgment and reasoning and of common fallacies towards the acquisition of the a rt of argumentation.

GS 501 – Research Methodology
General strategies of Research including design, basic statistical techniques, writing, evaluation and ethics. Submission of an approved proposal is required.

Core Courses

Communication Theory
Advanced survey of communication theories to complement those taken up in the undergraduate level. The goal is to apply these theories to research and various aspects of the communication profession. The course also focuses on both early and contemporary theories of communication; from positivist to interpretive theories, from the effects tradition to the cultural turn.

Quantitative Methods in Communication Research
Discusses quantitative research methods that have applications in communication and media studies. It acquaints graduate students with the basic steps of the survey, experimental and quantitative content analysis methods and affords them the experience of hands-on application in an actual research project.

Qualitative Methods in Communication Research
Survey of qualitative research methods that have applications in communication and media studies. The course involves a workshop on constructing qualitative data through an actual research project.

Critical Writing in Communication and Media Studies
Discussion and workshop on critical writing assignments in communication and media studies. Such assignments include classroom papers and research reports that involve critical theory and scholarship.

Reporting and Writing Research in Communication and Media Studies
Workshop on presenting and interpreting research data in communication and media studies. The course includes discussions of writing skills for publication.

Specialization Courses

Communication Media Laws and Ethics
In-depth study of ethical and legal concepts, principles, issues and problems in relation to mass media. The course will cover legal, regulatory and ethical framework, and develop an appreciation of freedom, rights and privileges pertinent to media practice.

Communication Policy, Planning and Management
This is an in-depth study of the policies concerning the management of mass media. The course also includes an investigation into the aspects of planning and management involved in policy implementation.

Seminar on Philippine Media
Overview of the Philippine mass media landscape and its main industries: print, broadcast, and digital. Contemporary issues confronting these industries will be surveyed and analyzed. In particular, students will be introduced to the workings of the news media and the practice of journalism in the Philippines.

Political Economy of Communication and Mass Media
A seminar on the political economy of communication and mass media as a theoretical framework and as praxis. At the end of the course, students will be able to explain the interdependency of political and ideology issues of power in media structures both locally as well as globally; trace the effects of production and consumption and their effects on media content; and, discuss the effects of political economy of mass media and communication in history, society, and the individual.

Communication for Development
Review and application of a dynamic branch of communication that emanated from the Philippines – development communication. From the changing discourses about development conditions, especially in the context of the Philippines, the course hopes to challenge students how to communicate in this kind of context to produce communication materials and products that address some identified development needs.

Advanced Topics for Journalism
Workshop on advanced topics in journalism such as business and economic journalism and of new trends in gathering news
such as computer-assisted reporting.

Seminar in Organizational Communication
Analysis of the structure and foundations of communication processes in organizations. Concepts and principles needed for effective management of organizational communication processes are given emphasis. Focus is likewise given on communication competency as an essential element of organizational change and effectiveness addressed at the individual, group, and organization-wide levels.

Special Topics
In-depth discussion of specific areas or issues concerning communication theory, research and practice in the Philippine setting.

Contemporary Perspectives in Communication
In-depth discussion of contemporary perspectives or trends concerning communication and media studies and professional practice. Focus is trained on the developments in the field in relation to the globalizing world.

Summary of Program Requirements
Degree Requirements
Units
Prerequisite Courses12
12
Core Courses
12
Specialization Courses
3
Cognate Courses
Written Comprehensive Exams
   Thesis Writing I
3
   Thesis Writing II
3
   Thesis Writing III
3
TOTAL
36