Program Description

Application Requirements

Program-Specific Instructions

Additional Information

Admission to the graduate program in communication is competitive. Meeting the minimum admission standards does not guarantee admission.

Goals Statement: Needs to be between 750-1000 words and uploaded to the online application. The goals statement should include the following information: Your future career goals and how an MA in Communication from Mason can help you achieve these goals.

Writing sample prompt: In 1000-2000 words, respond to the following prompt:

What is a current problem related to strategic, health, or science communication that you might be interested in investigating? Why is this problem important? What would we need to know in order to address and help solve this problem? How would you apply your academic examination of the problem to future works, or if you were to design a study that investigates this problem, what would your study look like?

The writing sample is limited to 2000 words and must be uploaded to the online application.

Academically strong Mason undergraduates with a commitment to research or graduate or professional studies can apply for an accelerated Master’s program and earn a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in as little as five years.

Accelerated Master’s Application Requirements

Accelerated Master’s Program-Specific Instructions

Preparing to Apply

Prior to submitting your application, meet with the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) Coordinator, director of your undergraduate program and with the director of the master’s program. 

• Applicants to the accelerated MA must have and maintain cumulative GPA of 3.25 in undergraduate coursework and maintain a GPA of 3.0 in all graduate coursework
• Applicants must submit:
  • Transcript
• Three letters of reference that should come from:
  • Dr. Catherine Wright (BAM Advisor)
    • Applicant's choice
    • Curriculum vitae (a resume which details academic accomplishments)
    • Goals statement should state why the program would be a good fit
    • Writing Sample
  • Comm graduate faculty
• Go over schedule for completion of the undergraduate degree
• Plan appropriate graduate course work
• Be familiar with the: policies for accelerated master's programs 

English Proficiency Requirements

All Mason students must have a full command of academic English to be successful in their studies. For this reason, Mason requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration, regardless of citizenship. Click here to view the requirements.

International Transcript Requirements

All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts, however, some programs may request an outside evaluation be completed. Because of volume, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. You should submit your application 6 weeks prior to the deadline if you plan to utilize Mason’s free evaluation service. For expedited service, students may submit their documents to any NACES member organization at their own expense. If you decide to use an external evaluation service or if your program requires an outside evaluation, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. Mason evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants. For information on international transcript requirements, go here.