How to Apply

Application Requirements

The requirements for regular admission into the Master of Arts in Communication program are given below. The program director has the ability to modify the application requirements if the student demonstrates exceptional academic performance and/or possesses a significant amount of professional experience.


Undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Minimum 3.0 GPA, on a 4.0 scale.
GRE score. A combined GRE verbal and quantitative score of at least 300, and an analytical writing score of 4.0 or better. Please contact the program director, Dr. Michael Lee (leem@cofc.edu), to inquire about a GRE waiver.
Acceptable undergraduate or graduate coursework. Coursework must be in Communication or a related discipline.
Writing sample. The writing sample should be non-fiction, argumentative, research-based, well written, and fairly lengthy. The writing sample should demonstrate that the applicant can enter an ongoing academic conversation, make an argumentative contribution to that conversation, work with extensive citations, and sustain an argument as length over the course of a thorough essay. The writing sample should also cover a topic or employ a method that is familiar to the field of Communication.
Statement of purpose/goals.

This statement should be 750-1000 words and answer two questions as clearly and thoroughly as is possible:  

  1. Why are you a good fit for the MCOM program at CofC?
  2. Why is the MCOM program at CofC a good fit for you?  Students will be evaluated on their ability to make a clear case in response to these questions as well as the extent to which they have researched the program, our courses, and our faculty as they craft their answers.
Recommendation letters. Our program receives applications from students who have recently finished college, and we receive applications from students who have been working professionals for quite some time and no longer maintain contact with professors. As such, determining ideal letter writers for all potential applicants is quite tough. On the whole, however, our position will be that letter writers should be able to evaluate the applicant’s strengths as both a researcher and a writer. The ideal letter writer has supervised the applicant in a professional or scholarly capacity during or after the applicant’s collegiate years.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 12 graduate credit hours may be transferred into the program from regionally accredited institutions. All transfer credit requests are evaluated by the Department of Communication Graduate Committee.

Take the Next Step, and Apply!


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Start your application to our Master of Arts in Communication program through the 'apply now' link above, or through the application link located on the Graduate School Admission Information webpage.