Best Online Master's in Communication for 2019

A 150-year-old university, UI at Urbana-Champaign is located 140 miles south of Chicago. UI’s graduates include 28 Pulitzer Prize recipients. The university offers an online master’s degree in health communication and an online master’s in strategic brand communication. The degree in health communication is for those interested in public health, pharmaceuticals, administration, and patient advocacy. The strategic brand communication degree is for students who want to work in business, marketing, and media. Full-time distance learners can complete the degrees in two years. Classes are delivered in eight-week terms and four-week terms. Classes are asynchronous so that students can complete coursework whenever is most convenient.

One of the top Christian schools in Southern California, California Baptist University has campuses in Riverside and San Bernardino. CBU’s online master’s degree in communications teaches students about the effects of media, global dimensions of communication, and historical aspects of communication. Students will also learn the environmental, behavioral, and social factors that impact communication. Students can complete the 30-unit online master's in communication in just one year. Applicants should possess an undergraduate degree in a field closely related to communications, including journalism, education, or public administration. Alternatively, applicants may hold a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field as long as they have prior managerial experience. CBU requires a minimum GPA of 2.75, official transcripts, two recommendation forms, a current resume, and a 500-word essay. Distance learners pay the same per-unit tuition rate regardless of state residency.

A small, private school, Queens University lies in the historic neighborhood of Myers Park, just minutes from Charlotte, North Carolina. Classes remain small with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The university houses the well-known James L. Knight School of Communication. Queens’ online master’s degree in communication teaches students about the latest communications technologies, including social media. Students can complete an optional concentration in integrated digital strategy. Classes are delivered asynchronously through MyCourses. Distance learners can complete the online master's in communication in two years. Applicants must show proof of a bachelor’s degree and submit an application, official transcripts, a GRE score, a personal statement, two reference letters, and a resume. Queens waives the GRE requirement for learners with a GPA of 3.0 or five years of work experience.

South Dakota State University, located in Brookings, offers more than 200 academic programs, including 33 graduate degrees. SDSU’s online master’s degree in mass communication is focused on building hard skills; at least 50% of classes a student takes must be skills-based. The highly-regarded program won the 2014 University Professional & Continuing Education Association Central Region Innovative Program Award. Students complete at least two asynchronous classes each semester. Distance learners can complete the master's in communication online in three years. The program is 32 to 36 credits, depending on if the student chooses to complete a professional project. Applicants must submit official transcripts, an online application, and proof of immunization. Students working towards an undergraduate degree at the time of application may submit an incomplete transcript.

A public university located in Morgantown, West Virginia University offers an impressive 341 majors and more than 460 student organizations. The university also features a number of online programs, including the master’s degree in communication studies. Distance learners can complete the 36-credit hour online master's in communication in six semesters as long as they are enrolled in at least two courses per semester. The online communications master's degree costs the same for in-state and out-of-state residents. WVU requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 from an accredited institution. The university accepts students with less than a 2.75 GPA on provisional status until they complete two graduate courses with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

With more than 200 research-based programs, Arizona State University at Tempe ranks as the most innovative school in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 list. While ASU’s main campus is in Tempe, the university also operates several other campuses in Phoenix, Mesa, and Glendale. The university offers a 36-credit hour master’s degree in technical communication which focuses on the design and delivery of digital and printed text. Each class lasts only seven and a half weeks. The program requires a thesis or applied project for graduation. Applicants must hold a minimum 3.0 GPA for the last 60 credit hours of an undergraduate program or a cumulative 3.0 GPA for a graduate program.

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, Western New England University was founded nearly 100 years ago. Despite expanding its main campus to 215 acres, the university continues to offer small classes and personalized attention with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio. WNE’s online master’s degree in communication with a public relations concentration prepares students to develop brands, manage communication crises, and improve public relations. By enrolling in two classes per term, distance learners can complete the 30-credit online communications master's degree in as little as 15 months. Students submit assignments for asynchronous classes on the learning platform Kodiak. Admission requirements include an online application, official transcripts, three recommendation forms, and a 500-word personal essay.

One of the largest private universities in California, National University provides small classes for the university’s diverse population. While the university operates 28 locations throughout the country, the main campus is located in La Jolla, a small seaside community about 24 minutes north of San Diego. NU offers an online master’s degree in strategic communication. The online communications master's degree requires at least 45 quarter units of graduate work, including at least 40.5 quarter units (nine core classes) taken at NU. Students will learn how to manage a public relations campaign and how to handle crisis communications. To apply, distance learners must already possess a bachelor’s degree and hold a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Learners with a lower GPA may attend with satisfactory scores from any of the following tests: the GRE, GMAT, Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or an approved program exam.

One of northwestern Pennsylvania’s largest education institutions, Edinboro University offers small class sizes and more than 100 areas of study. Located in Pennsylvania, EU provides numerous online programs, including the master’s degree in communication studies. The online communications master's degree offers four concentrations: managerial and leadership communication, integrated marketing communication, intercultural and international communication, and public communication. The online master's in communication requires a minimum 3.0 GPA. Distance learners complete 36 hours of coursework, or 30 to 33 credit hours of coursework and an internship. Near the end of study, students must also complete a thesis, a comprehensive exam and project, or a practicum. To apply, interested candidates must submit an online application, official transcripts, GRE or MAT scores (when applicable), two reference letters, and a statement of purpose.