All students must complete a program of study of at least 33 credit hours of graduate course work, including a core of required courses. Students must culminate their MA program by either writing a thesis or taking a comprehensive exam. The department encourages all students to discuss their options with their committee members, though most MA students choose the exam option. It is possible for students to complete a project and oral exam rather than the traditional written and oral exam. This approach is sometimes desirable for people going into applied areas. Past projects have been done by students studying new communication technology and communication campaigns.<br><br>The MA program provides the student with a strong theoretical base for analyzing and researching human communication. Students will receive excellent preparation for PhD work, as well as a wide range of information about communication that may be applied in many non-academic settings. Students may wish to focus their studies in more applied domains and use their knowledge of communication theory and research methods in a commercial setting. For example, students who specialize in marketing may find employment in marketing research firms, larger advertising agencies that maintain their own research departments, and corporations that produce and evaluate their own advertising or personal sales materials. Students interested in careers as behavioral researchers and change agents in organizations may wish to specialize in strategic or organizational communication. Such specialties may include a variety of theoretical approaches to organizational behavior and organizational change techniques through coursework in other departments.