The Independent Study Degree Program in Communications Management provides the professional with at least five years of experience in public relations or a related field an opportunity to achieve mastery of these areas while advancing as a decision maker, manager, and counselor in a challenging global economy.
Communications Management is a program that draws from three of Syracuse University 's premiere academic divisions: the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the Whitman School of Management.
This 36-credit program is notable for its interdisciplinary approach to the advanced education of public relations practitioners, based on the development of key management abilities critical to success in this evolving profession. Recognizing the specialized needs, interest areas and professional time limitations of today's public relations practitioners, this program combines an intense and challenging educational experience with flexibility and an opportunity for students to set their own pace for acquiring this degree.
This program is designed so that you may complete your master's degree in two years. To do so, you must attend three on-site residencies per year - two on the Syracuse University campus and one at the University's Lubin House in Manhattan (mid-August, early January and mid-May) and register for six credits each term. However, no minimum number of credits is required during any given semester, so you may register for courses at your own pace.
Participants must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) in order to remain in good standing in this program. Upon completing 30 to 33 credit hours (10-11 three-credit courses), you choose to complete the program with either a three-credit professional project or a six-credit thesis. The program accepts up to six transfer credits for relevant courses, provided that they were taken at the graduate level at an accredited institution, resulting in a grade of B or better.