Application, Admission, and Financial Information: MA

PLEASE NOTE: As of Fall 2010, the Department of Communication Studies will no longer provide a terminal M.A. program.  Prospective students may apply to the PhD program with a B.A. or M.A.  Those admitted with a B.A. will have to complete Department requirements for an M.A. successfully in order to proceed into doctoral studies.

 

APPLICATION AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the graduate program in the Department of Communication Studies is competitive. The number of applicants far exceeds the number of spaces available, and many qualified applicants are denied admission because of the space limitation.

Application for Admission must be made on forms provided by the Graduate School. To be reviewed by the Department's Graduate Admissions Committee, applications must be supported by scores on the Graduate Record Examination Test (GRE), official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose. International students must also include a Financial Certificate and TOEFL scores. The required minimum score on the paper based TOEFL is 550 with a minimum of 50 in each section or 213 on the computer test . Students are admitted for the fall semester only.

The departmental Graduate Admissions Committee considers several factors in determining admission. In addition to GPA and GRE scores (the Graduate Schools recommended minimum guidelines indicate a GPA of 3.0 and minimum GRE scores above the 50th percentile on both the quantatative and verbal sections), we recommend that you submit strong letters of recommendation that include specific details about your educational and/or research background; also, we recommend that you include in your statement of purpose your goals and which area(s) of our program is/are of personal interest.

Contact the Graduate School for application forms and instructions.

The application process is handled by both the graduate office in the Department of Communication Studies and the Graduate School. Please send the following materials to the offices indicated below by January 1:

1. To Vilma Berg in the Department of Communication Studies:
   CB# 3285, Bingham Hall
   UNC-CH
   Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3285
2. transcripts from prior undergraduate and graduate work
   
3. statement of purpose*
4. three letters of recommendation (Recommendation Form)
5. a copy your unofficial GRE scores
   
6. Financial Certificate (International Students only)

 

* The Statement of Purpose should be no more than 2 pp. long.  It should clearly demonstrate the prospective student's concern with preliminary research questions and his/her interest in interdisciplinary approaches to graduate study.  It should give the review committee some sense of why the prospective student thinks UNC is the right place to pursue advanced graduate study and of his/her capacity to do so.  The Statement of Purpose is the prospective student's opportunity to convey to the admissions review committee the passion, curiosity, and intellectual commitments that will essentially define his/her graduate career.

 

 

1. To the Graduate School:
   CB# 4010, 200 Bynum Hall
   UNC-CH
   Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010
2. completed application form
3. a non-refundable $77 application fee
4. official GRE scores from the ETS Center (institution code #5816)
5. official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
6. TOEFL Scores, 550 total score with a minimum of 50 in each subsection (institution code #5816).

Those interested in being nominated for Graduate School merit-based fellowships must send all application materials by January 1. The application deadline for departmental research and teaching assistant awards is January 1 when the department will begin reviewing applications for the limited number of competitive openings. 

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ASSISTANTSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid Applicants and students in residence are eligible for Teaching, Graduate, and Research Assistantships; these have frequently been awarded on a semester basis. To indicate your desire for such an award, please check the appropriate space(s) on page three of the Application of Admission.

Many of those accepted into our program are awarded teaching assistantships beginning at $14,700 for the academic year for teaching one course each semester, or assisting with two large classes per semester. There is also the possibility of a waiver of the out-of-state portion of tuition, allowing a non-resident to pay resident rates. This is, however, dependent on yearly allocations to the department and is not guaranteed to all students.

The Office of Scholarship and Student Aid, CB# 2300, Vance Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2300, has information about loans and work-study jobs; that office should be consulted as early as possible by those seeking such financial assistance. 

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TUITION AND FEES

Please see UNC's Tuition and Fees Information Page.

*In addition, all new graduate students are required to pay an Orientation fee of $15.00 and an ID Card fee of $5.00. 

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Communication Studies

 

Graduate Program Information:

Vilma Berg, Student Services Manager 919-962-4984, e-mail: vberg@email.unc.edu

or

Della Pollock,  Director of Graduate Studies 919-962-4946, email: pollock@email.unc.edu

Application Package:

 

The Graduate School

 

CB #4010, Bynum Hall

UNC-CH

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010

919-962-6321 or 966-2611

Financial Assistance
(Other than Departmental Assistantships):
Office of Scholarship and Student Aid
CB# 2300, 300 Vance Hall
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2300
919-962-8396

Graduate School Catalog:
Bull's Head Bookstore
UNC Student Stores
CB# 1530, Daniels Bldg.
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1530
or call 919-962-3567 to charge it.
The graduate school catalog may be purchased for approximately $8.00, including tax and shipping.

On-Campus Housing:
Single Students contact:
Assignments Office
CB# 5500, Carr Building
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5500
919-962-5401

Married Students/Single Parents contact:
Student Family Housing
CB# 5500, Carr Building
UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5500
919-966-5661