Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree/Master’s Degree Program
Overview
The accelerated Bachelor’s Degree/Master’s (AB/M) Degree program is a five year track to attaining your Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. Advanced students that have demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate career and are ready for advanced level scholarship are invited to apply to the AB/M program.
Adding the Communication Studies Master’s degree to your undergraduate B. A. is designed to provide credentials and skills to help you further your career in communication or related fields such as personnel, business administration, or human services — or for continuing study in a Ph.D. program.
We’ll work with you to develop your course plan according to your academic and career needs. You might have specific interests in areas such as college teaching, communication technology, conflict management, political media, organizational communication training and development, or public relations. Your individual specialty can be developed within any of our specialization areas:
- Interpersonal communication
- Media studies
- Organizational communication
- Public discourse
Classes are small, 10-to-15 students on average, and mostly offered in late afternoon or evening in Providence and Kingston. Full- and part-time programs of study are available.
How It Works
- Applications to the program are accepted during your Junior year. The admission page has the specific requirements.
- Curriculum includes two foundational courses (COM 501 and COM 502), one seminar in each specialization area and four elective courses.
- Credits: During your Senior year, up to 9 credits of coursework at the 400 or 500 level will count toward both your Bachelor’s degree and as electives toward completing the 30 credits of your Master’s degree. During your fifth year, you will have 21 credits to complete for the Master’s degree.
- Comprehensive Examination: During spring semester of your fifth year, you will take a two day written comprehensive examination covering all four of our areas of specialization followed by an oral examination of your responses by your faculty committee.
Admission
General Requirements
- Current enrollment in a Harrington School undergraduate major (Communication Studies, Writing & Rhetoric, Journalism, Public Relations, Film or Sports Media) with 75 or more credits completed toward your degree
- Junior Standing
- Current GPA of 3.3 or higher
- Scholarly paper showing the capacity for academic argumentation using current research and theory
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty members or people who have supervised or mentored your scholarly work such as internship supervisors
- Standardized tests scores (such as the GRE) are not required, nor do you need to submit an official transcript as your transcript is already in our system
- The AB/M program is a nonthesis program. If you wish to include a thesis as part of your Master’s degree, apply for the Communication Studies Master’s program.
