Emphasis Areas and Career Options
• Interpersonal Communication: Interpersonal
Communication is the study of how people create, maintain and terminate their
personal relationships. Based on the premise that all of what we think and do is
formed and influenced by the communication we have with others, interpersonal
communication studies the individual relationships we have with those around us
and how those relationships affect our thoughts about ourselves and those we
spend time with. Courses such as conflict management, nonverbal communication,
family communication and small group communication are but a few examples of how
the Division helps students prepare themselves to become more familiar with the
varying aspects of interpersonal communication. Students who take courses in
interpersonal communication do so for a variety of reasons. Some students take
most of their coursework in interpersonal communication to help them advance in
their careers (i.e. social work, working for a volunteer agency, human resource
management). Some are interested in interpersonal communication to supplement
their coursework in organizational communication. Others take an interpersonal
class to coincide with a planned thesis or project which includes an
interpersonal dimension (i.e. a public relations person may wish to study
conflict management as a part of understanding crisis management). People who
pursue a degree in interpersonal communication are interested in a variety of
careers, including social work, counseling, working for various nonprofit
organizations, or pursuing a Ph.D. in interpersonal communication.
•
Organizational Communication: Organizational
communication is the study of how people communicate in work and organizational
settings. Based on the concept that how we talk and work with each other creates
our “work realities,” many aspects of work communication are studied including
communication channels, management issues, power and control, and such topics as
training and development, human resources, and worker motivation and
satisfaction. People who pursue a graduate degree in organizational
communication have bachelor’s degrees in such areas as organizational
communication, psychology, sociology and business and/or have extensive work
experience. Many different types of people are interested in pursuing a graduate
degree with an emphasis in organizational communication. People who are
currently working full time are often interested in organizational communication
for career enhancement and advancement. People with a recent bachelor’s degree
often seek to study organizational communication to prepare them for management
and human resource management positions. Some people are interested in preparing
for a Ph.D. Because of their work-related interest, people often take
interpersonal communication courses to compliment their organizational focus.
The careers people can pursue with an M.A. in organizational communication or
public relations are varied and include sales, human resource management,
training, and education.
• Media Studies: Media Studies examine how people
communicate in mediated and digital contexts – that is through such avenues as
television, radio, print and digital media. Media Studies at the graduate level
can focus on two distinct levels of the study of mass and digital communication
– (1) advanced production techniques and issues and (2) media theories and their
impact on society. Our graduate course offerings in media studies are limited.
The media studies students who have done well in our program have entered the
degree with extensive undergraduate coursework in mass communication and
significant media experience.
Students who pursue a graduate degree in communication often do so to
advance themselves in their current job or to improve their marketability in
what is a very competitive job market. For example, some students have chosen to
do a thesis or project that enhances their production and scriptwriting skills.
Such courses as media law and a variety of advanced production and
computer-related courses help prepare students for the job market, or to obtain
a Ph.D. in media studies. People who complete a master’s degree in media studies
pursue a variety of career goals, including video and/or audio production, media
sales and broadcast management.
• Public Relations: The study of public relations is
concerned with studying how different groups represent themselves in both
external and internal communications with their “publics.” Courses such as
public relations campaigns, case studies in public relations, and writing for
public relations help to prepare students for advanced positions in the
field.
Students who enter the graduate program at UW-Stevens Point for public
relations do so with a specific understanding of certain issues. For example,
there is a current bias in public relations that people with a bachelor’s degree
in PR or communication should obtain several years of work experience in the
field before pursuing a graduate degree. Also, any student pursuing PR at the
graduate level should already have a bachelor’s degree in PR or communication
and/or significant PR experience which provides them fundamentals in public
relations issues and campaigns. Furthermore, the courses offered in the Division
of Communication in public relations are somewhat limited because our PR faculty
must work primarily with our undergraduate offerings. As a result, we offer a
single graduate seminar in PR along with a few lower level graduate PR courses
which are appropriate for graduate students to take. The students studying PR
within our program have actually said this is a strength of our program –
students studying PR take a variety of courses in organizational communication,
interpersonal communication and media studies that are related to PR and thus
leave our program with a broad understanding of public relations and other
issues. One student, for example, took a variety of such courses to prepare him
for looking at the public relations aspects of the lock-out that occurred in the
National Hockey League a few years ago. He is currently working for a large
public relations firm in New York City.
Students interested in attending our program in PR should do so with a
specific career goal in mind. If you already have a bachelor's degree in public
relations or communication, have some work experience and/or some significant
internship experiences in the field, and are ready for taking a variety of
courses in communication that can help you study PR-related issues, then our
program can help you obtain your specific career goals.
If you have any questions relating to our program, please e-mail Chris
Sadler
csadler@uwsp.edu or call
715.346.3898.