Master of Arts in Strategic Communication Admissions Information

Admission to the Program

The Admissions Committee will consider several factors when determining admission eligibility into the Master of Arts in Strategic Communication program, including the candidate's:

• Experience and interest in the field
• Proven academic ability
• Demonstration of skills necessary to complete the program successfully
• Ability to contribute to the field upon completion of the program

Eligibility Requirements

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university
• A grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in prior undergraduate and graduate coursework. (Applicants who do not meet the 3.0 GPA requirement may be granted conditional admission when the combined strength of their application and supporting documents provides compelling evidence that they will be successful in the program).
• Proficiency in English (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language) provided by an adequate TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) minimum score of 81 and 6.5 for the IELTS exam.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete and submit all of the following items in order to be considered for admission. Resumes and personal statements can be uploaded through the applicant portal, emailed to gradadmissions@uhd.edu, or mailed to:

• Submit an application 
• Pay the $35 application fee (application fee waived for UHD students)
• Request/submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended to the email or mailing address above (including community college work and prior graduate work).
• Provide a professional/personal resume

• Provide a personal statement with this essay Prompt (500 words): 

  UHD MASC curriculum approach to strategic communication in community engagement

  Essay Content: What is the MASC degree program curriculum approach to strategic communication in community engagement?

  The UHD MASC program offers one of the only strategic communication degrees in the United States that focuses on community engagement. Houston professionals report this expertise is needed, but few possess it. Strategic communication in community engagement refers to the discernment needed to choose from a wide variety of approaches available to create plans to engage stakeholders, consisting of culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse members of the general public, groups, businesses, governments, or political bodies. Stakeholders also include those working internally within organizations. Effective strategic communication plans achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes, processes, change, relationships, discourse, decision-making, or actions in communities.

  Developing one’s expertise in strategic communication in community engagement includes studying the skills and theories of:

  • Campaigns
  • Change management
  • Crisis and risk
  • Public Affairs

  • Intercultural
  • Rhetoric
  • Social media
  • Public deliberation

  
  

  In MASC courses, graduate students:

  • Conduct strategic communication research to consult communities.
  • Analyze and evaluate strategic communication in different community contexts.
  • Develop and tailor messages for different stakeholders and diverse communities.
  • Use and adapt to online platforms to involve/collaborate with diverse stakeholders in communities.
  • Consider the role of social media in community engagement plans.
  • Design, lead, and facilitate effective meetings that involve diverse stakeholders in addressing complex problems.
  • Engage strategic communication skills and theories to address different community engagement goals: informing, consulting, advocating, and involving/collaborating with communities.
  • Create strategic communication plans in campaigns, change management, crisis and risk, public affairs, and public deliberation.
  • Examine the need for strategic communication expertise in various professional community engagement contexts, including non-profit, for-profit, city management, public affairs, and media

  
  Consider the UHD MASC curriculum approach to strategic communication in community engagement. Also, consider the work that graduate students perform in MASC courses. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What experiences, if any, have prepared you to study in the MASC program? 
  2. What aspects of strategic communication in community engagement might you want to study further and why?
• Provide the names and email contact information for two recommenders in the application. 
  • Your recommenders/references should be individuals with knowledge of your work and who are able to address your academic potential such as former professors, work supervisors, or professional colleagues.
  • Your recommenders will be contacted and provide their recommendations directly into the application system. Please make sure you have accurate email addresses for both recommenders.
• Provide TOEFL/IELTS scores as outlined above (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the  native language).

Transferring Coursework

The Program Director may approve up to 6 hours of coursework to be transferred into the program from another institution. Students must have earned a grade of B or above in a course to qualify for transfer credit. Fill out the Graduate Transfer Credit Petition form (pdf) to make a transfer credit request.

One or more documents on this site are in PDF format. In order to view and print these document(s), you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. It can be downloaded from the Adobe website.