COMMU-MA - Communication (MA)

All coursework towards an MA degree must be completed at Stanford (GAP 3.2.1; GAP 4.5.1)

Only coursework you took during and after the coterm quarters back term may be requested for course transfer. You can identify what your coterm quarter's back rule is by running a transcript report. Any courses taken after the program effective date (see screenshots below) are eligible for coterm course transfer. (For more information on Coterm Course Transfer, please refer to: Coterm Course Transfer | Student Services (stanford.edu))

The M.A. degree in Communication (Journalism) requires a minimum of 45 units. Coterminal Journalism students may count coursework taken after summer of freshman year towards the 45 units of unduplicated work with approval by the Director of the Graduate Program in Journalism. 

The Department of Communication is committed to providing academic advising support for graduate students’ academic and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

See the Graduate Advising section for a university policy statement on graduate advising.

Media Studies Subplan Advising

To be accepted to the coterminal master’s program in Communication, Media Studies subplan, students must find a professor in the Department of Communication to serve as a coterminal advisor.

The coterminal advisor provides extensive guidance on a research project proposed in the student’s statement of purpose, helping students through conceptualization, study planning, data collection, analysis, and writing. The coterminal advisor also assists the student with course selection and planning and serves as the first resource for consultation and advice about a student’s academic program.

In addition, the Director of the Graduate Program in Coterminal Media Studies is always available for consultation.

Journalism Subplan Advising

Before the start of graduate study, normally during summer quarter, each student is assigned an academic advisor: a member of our journalism faculty who guides course selection, course planning, and exploring short- and long-term career opportunities and professional pathways. The advisor is the first resource for consultation and advice about a student’s academic program.

The Director of the Graduate Program in Journalism initially serves as the advisor for all coterminal journalism master’s students until a final academic advisor is assigned.

In addition, the Director of the Graduate Program in Journalism is always available to journalism master’s students for consultation.