(The information provided on this site is intended as introductory material. In no case shall it supersede guidelines and requirements established by The Graduate School at North Carolina State University. Information is subject to change.)

The Department of Communication, together with the Department of English, contributes to an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media, administered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.  Faculty from both departments teach courses and work with students in this program.  Please see the program website for more information.   (http://www.chass.ncsu.edu/crdm/ )

The purpose of the Master of Science Degree in Communication is to provide graduate-level expertise for solving problems in modern organizations and social systems from a communication perspective.  "Modern organization" includes corporate, governmental, and not-for-profit agencies in which people organize and interact to meet common goals.  By their very nature, all organizations depend upon complex communication functions for effective operation.  All depend particularly upon formal and informal, and increasingly technologically based, communication networks.  What is likely to distinguish the 21st century from the 20th is the unprecedented degree to which communication and information technology enable the creation of active networks linking individuals, functions, and organizations that exchange messages and data on a regular basis.

The program addresses issues concerned with interpersonal, relational, and technologically mediated communication systems essential to modern, networked organizations and societies.  Graduates will acquire advanced-level expertise in communication theory, research, and applications that will improve processes and enhance outcomes within and across diverse social systems, and that will prepare them for higher-level managerial positions in their professions.