These programs are particularly relevant for students who intend to advance to a Ph.D. program, secondary teachers who want to meet the 18 hours required for continuing certification in education, and administrative professionals who seek to comprehend the communication aspects of management. All programs provide a strong background in communication research methodology and communication theory. Enrollment in graduate courses is small, and faculty are committed to maintaining supportive and personal interaction with graduate students. Financial Aid CMU offers competitive stipends to graduate teaching and forensics assistants plus waiver of tuition for up to 20 hours of on-campus classes per academic year. Assistants in good standing receive at least one and one-half years of support and a total of 30 hours of tuition waiver.
Graduate fellowships are also available for the most highly qualified candidates.
Teaching assistants teach two introductory speech communication classes per semester. Forensics assistants teach one introductory class, work with the debate team or individual events participants and travel with the team to area and national tournaments. The master of arts program is taught by 13 full-time faculty who have specialties in areas such as family communication, instructional development, conflict management, intercultural communication, interpersonal communication, organizational communication and political communication. Faculty are active in international, national, regional, and state associations and publish widely in professional journals. Faculty members hold doctorates from a variety of respected programs such as Northwestern University, Michigan State University, University of Kansas, University of Oregon, Wayne State University, Pennsylvania State University, Bowling Green State University and Southern Illinois University.