Home Page

General Information

Faculty & Staff

Courses Offered

Undergraduate Program

Graduate Program
Certificates

Internships

Scholarships/Awards

News/Events

Mediation Center

Communication Careers

Milwaukee

Links

Graduate Student FAQs

• A Graduate School application (including statement of reasons; application form available in hard copy or on-line at www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/Prospective/)
• An application fee
• Graduate Record Examination scores (www.gre.org)
• Transcripts showing all undergraduate and prior graduate work
• Three letters of recommendation from people able to judge your ability to perform advanced academic work (Each reference should submit the recommendation directly to the Department; download form from this site or request hard copies of form from the main Department office)
• Writing sample (Submit sample directly to the Department)

If you also are applying for a Teaching Assistantship, submit a completed directly to the Department (Download TA Application Form (pdf 3k) or request a hard copy of the form from the main Department office)

Q: Do I have to take the Graduate Record Exam? How and where do I take it, how much does it cost, and how should I prepare?
A: Yes, you must take the GRE to be admitted to this program. For information on testing center locations, current costs, and free study booklets, go to www.gre.org or contact UWM's Testing Center at (414) 229-4689 or www.uwm.edu/Dept/DES/TEST

Q: My main interest is Journalism and/or Public Relations. Is this program for me?
A: Before you decide, you should review our Department's course offerings, the descriptions of its four main specialty areas, and the program of study requirements (listed elsewhere on this Department's website and in the Graduate Bulletin) as well as those of UWM's Journalism and Mass Communication program (found in the Graduate Bulletin or check at www.uwm.edu/Dept/JMC). With prior approval of his/her advisor and the Graduate Director, a Communication graduate student may count up to 6 credits of coursework outside the Communication Department toward our degree's 30-credit minimum. So, it is possible to take classes outside the Department, but it is also important to determine one's primary departmental commitment before applying to any program.

Q: I do not have either an undergraduate Communication major or minor. Should I apply/can I be admitted to this program?
A: An analysis of your complete undergraduate transcript and any graduate-level work would be necessary before the Department could advise you. We consider students with "related" undergraduate degrees. However, this program is also top-level and wants students to enter with good chances for success. Based on their specific backgrounds, applicants might be required to take approved Communication courses prior to and/or as a condition of admission.

Q: When should I apply? What is the deadline to be considered for a Teaching Assistantship or a Fellowship?
A: Even after you have submitted/requested others to send in all parts of the application packet, it usually takes several weeks before everything arrives on-campus and another few weeks for the Graduate School to process the materials it receives and forward the file to the Department for a decision. Please plan accordingly.

You should aim to have all your application materials submitted by early January if you plan to begin in the Fall. The Department practices "rolling admissions," which means that we make application decisions year-round. However, to assure consideration for a TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP for the next academic year, YOU SHOULD HAVE A COMPLETED APPLICATION PACKET TO THE DEPARTMENT BY FEBRUARY 1. That means you need to plan to have all materials physically in the Graduate School and Department early in January for admission to the upcoming Fall term. If you submit your materials later than that, we can admit you and might consider your application for support if uncommitted Teaching Assistant positions become available. The Teaching Assistantships are the only major graduate student funding source that the Department controls.

If you are applying for one of UWM's two university-wide fellowship programs, the Advanced Opportunity Program or a University Fellowship, you must meet the requirements and comply with the deadlines (usually mid-January or early February). For information on these fellowship programs, contact the Graduate School at www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch or email fellowship@uwm.edu or phone (414) 229-6267.

To be considered for either of these fellowships, you MUST have both an admission decision and a statement of support from the admitting academic Department (i.e., Communication). As explained above, both these steps take several weeks after the materials are physically on campus, so please plan accordingly. These awards are competitive university-wide and are decided by the Graduate School, not individual Departments.

Even if you are not applying for a teaching assistantship or fellowship support, you should plan your application process so as to allow time TO HAVE AN ADMISSIONS DECISION A MINIMUM OF THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE START OF THE TERM in which you plan to begin your graduate studies. This plan will give you time to seek advice from your interim advisor (i.e., a member of the Communication faculty who is assigned when you are admitted) and your peer mentor as well as to take advantage of advance registration.

Q: When should I register for classes?
A: For any given term, you should REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Class schedules come out (both on-line and in hard copy from the registrar) about five months before the start of a term; advance registration (on-line with a student ID number, by mail, and in-person) starts shortly thereafter. It is important that you REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, both because classes fill and because graduate classes that do not show adequate registration by about six weeks prior to the term may be cancelled for lack of enrollment. Furthermore, many classes are offered ONLY EVERY OTHER YEAR. Thus, delaying registration may prevent you from having access to courses that you need or want.

Q: How long do I have to complete the degree requirements?
A: You must finish all degree requirements within five years of your first enrollment in the program.

Q: I am a returning student who works full-time. Can I complete this degree program, and will I be "out of place" among this student body?
A: It is possible to work full-time and complete the degree. Most graduate courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening and meet once, or at most and rarely twice, per week. Reading, research, writing, and group or service projects will require significant time, but may be done off-campus and scheduled flexibly. You will want to consider whether your work schedule allows you successfully to complete one or two courses per term and plan accordingly.

Some students of both types are primarily interested in completing the course requirements without additional dimensions and others are looking for a fuller social and intellectual experience; this program is equipped to accommodate both. Students interested in a fuller experience need to take some initiative, but you will receive notice of department-wide events, and graduate students meet voluntarily outside official functions for study groups and socializing. Previous non-traditional students testify that the graduate experience can fit a range of aspirations and that various degrees of participation and willingness to network are possible depending on each student's level of investment and interest.

Q: I am an international student. What additional information and resources should I explore?
A: To be considered for admission to any of its programs, UWM requires that international students take the TOEFL test and achieve a minimum score of 550 (213 for computer-based) OR that they received a degree from a U.S. school within the past two years. Students who secure a Teaching Assistantship also must pass the Speak test. A relatively comprehensive guide to requirements and resources for international students exists at UWM's Center for International Education's website at www.uwm.edu/Dept/CIE

Q: How much does Graduate School cost? How can I pay for my education?
A: Current fee schedules can be found at www.bfs.uwm.edu/Fees/

Teaching Assistantships and University or Advanced Opportunity Program Fellowships are the main and most comprehensive means of financial support for full-time students. UWM also offers Nonresident Tuition Remission Scholarships (NTRS) for non-resident graduate students. For more information on the NTRS program contact Renee Meyers, Graduate Director, Department of Communication, meyers@uwm.edu.

Contact UWM's Financial Aid office directly for information on loan programs, work study appointments, and information on small fellowships controlled by sources other than the University. Their contact information is www.uwm.edu/Dept/FINAID or (414) 229-4541.

You might also check UWM's "Student Jobs Web Page" at www.aux.uwm.edu/jobs

Q: If I apply for and receive a Teaching Assistantship, what will I teach? Can I request to teach a particular course, and how will I coordinate my own studies with my teaching commitments? How will I know what to do when teaching?
A: Communication Teaching Assistants work with one of three departmental core undergraduate courses: Interpersonal Communication (Comm 101), Public Speaking (Comm 103), and Business and Professional Communication (Comm 105). Usually, first-year TAs teach discussion sections under the direct supervision of the lecturing professor/course director; second-year TAs sometimes teach "stand-alone" sections of classes that they have taught while leading discussion sections. Whether teaching discussion or stand-alone sections, TAs are closely supervised by the course director and attend extensive initial TA training and weekly staff meetings.

In your TA application, you may (but need not) indicate your preference(s) for which of these courses you would like to teach. Please be aware, though, that many higher priority factors go into assigning TAs to a particular course (e.g., course demand, training of other TA candidates, balancing of experienced and novice TAs, etc.). As possible within those parameters, we will consider applicants' requests. You will be informed of your particular course assignment by early summer. Scheduling of which sections of a course you lead will take into consideration your enrollment in graduate courses, so give your own course scheduling needs priority.

We are committed to giving our undergraduate students a quality and consistent learning experience in the core courses. Consequently, you will receive a week of TA training before the semester begins, will be supervised by your course director in structuring, preparing, and grading the course, and will be coached by the director and more senior TAs.

Q: How do I get individualized advice on classes and graduate student life?
A: When you are admitted, you immediately will be assigned a faculty member as an "interim advisor" and a more senior graduate student as a "peer mentor." Their names and contact information appear in your departmental admission letter. Your interim advisor will be happy to talk with you by email, phone, or in-person about the Department's academic requirements, your program of study, and course selections. Your peer mentor is a great source of information for issues related to graduate student life and support.

Each Fall the Department holds an orientation session for new graduate students. The session is for all students and usually occurs late on the afternoon of the Monday of TA training week (usually the first contractual day for TAs). This meeting provides a unique opportunity to gather materials, ask questions, meet the faculty and your peer mentor personally, connect with other new Communication graduate students, and socialize with the whole department. Attendance is strongly recommended. You should receive a notice of the time and place, if your application is timely and your contact information current; if you have not heard the orientation specifics by mid-August, please call the Department Office at (414) 229-4261 to verify them.

For other questions, contact the Graduate Director directly.

Q: What other campus information sources might I find helpful for issues like housing, parking and transportation, and childcare?
A: The best place to start is with the student resources page of UWM's website at www.uwm.edu/UWM/Student/S_resources.html

Additional contact points for the following issues are listed below:

Housing: Dorm Information - www.aux.uwm.edu/sandburg

Off-Campus Housing - Off-Campus Housing Information Center at (414) 229-6999 or Union Information at (414) 229-2777

Phone: (414) 229-5384
FAX: (414) 229-3623

Parking Information - (414) 229-5644
Transit Information - (414) 229-4000

Send your comments concerning the site to Dept. of Communication
© 2003 UW-Milwaukee, Dept. of Communication
Last Updated: September 10, 2004