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Posted: 11/16/14

TAMIU Adds New MA in Communication this Spring

 

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The long cherished dream of a Master’s degree in Communication is now a reality at Texas A&M International University.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved the program’s launch for January 2015.

“We’re elated that the Coordinating Board has supported this initiative and we’re eager to provide an innovative program that combines practical and applied knowledge with theory and practice, alongside a special focus on communication practices in both binational and international contexts,” said TAMIU Professor Jose C. Lozano, chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of Psychology and Communication.

The new degree, the Master of Arts in Communication, will be launched with a special information session and reception Thursday, Nov. 20 from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Helen Richter Watson Gallery in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming former communication graduates who have been anticipating this addition, and also meeting new students who will come to the graduate degree from various disciplines and preparations.  We’ll share program specifics and talk about available assistantships, fellowships and scholarships,” Lozano said.

The MA in Communication will be a 30 semester credit hour (SCH) program with both thesis and non-thesis (36 hours) options.  Coursework begins this January. Completion of the degree is possible in approximately one and a half years with timely progress.

Dr. Lozano said the new degree program capitalizes on strategic strengths of study on the U.S.-México border.

“We very deliberately created a program that would focus on two areas of concentration not readily available in most graduate communication programs:  Border and Latin American Media Studies and Organizational Communication in Transnational Settings,” Lozano explained.

These two tracks provide multiple future career or study opportunities, he said.

“The first track prepares the student to pursue doctoral studies and research careers or practical work in journalism and national or international organizations. The second area also does so, but offers practical training in organizational communication to work in public or private sector planning, administering and evaluating communication practices and strategies,” Lozano noted.

In addition to a faculty trained in multiple fields and specializations, the program taps into TAMIU’s enviable and strategic location on the U.S.-México border, he added.

“TAMIU’s strategic location provides an exceptional laboratory to explore the importance of journalism, as well as mass, political and organizational communication in a region where two nations meet and economic asymmetries and major cultural differences daily affect and transform our interactions. We fully anticipate that students will develop an understanding of the unique role language (Spanish and English) and culture play in shaping communication along an international border,” Lozano explained.

Potential students for the new degree include current public and private sector communication professionals including working journalists and public relations practitioners, those currently working in organizational or governmental communication as well as those involved in intercultural outreach, leadership and political communication, among others. In addition, graduates from all social sciences or humanities programs can enter the program.

There is also interest in eventually being able to include a parallel Masters in Communication online and a Spanish-language delivered option, he said.

“Throughout the degree program’s development, we have had frequent inquiries from throughout México and Latin America and believe that this is among our largest untapped markets,” Dr. Lozano confirmed.

For additional information on TAMIU’s Master of Arts in Communication, please contact Lozano at 956.326.3117, or email jose.lozano@tamiu.edu


Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu