South Dakota State University Department of Communication Studies & Theatre Graduate Student Manual (Updated April 2016) Welcome to the exciting journey of graduate school! We are excited to have you join us in the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre at South Dakota State University. This manual is meant to serve as a guide toward the successful completion of the M.S. in communication studies degree at SDSU. If you have any questions or concerns about these policies and/or guidelines, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator. You can also refer to the Graduate School website here for additional information, including access to policies, forms, and specific deadlines for each academic year. I. Program Information, Academic Requirements, & Expectations Program information. The Master of Science specialization in Communication Studies is designed to provide advanced studies in the areas of communication theory, research methods, and instructional methods. It provides further professional preparation and competencies in multiple topic areas of communication. The program provides a broad-based, graduate degree for students with an undergraduate degree in communication studies and related areas. Through a generalist curriculum and faculty mentoring of students, the M.S. specialization in Communication Studies program has the following program goals: Enhance students written and oral communication skills; Increase students understanding of relevant issues and theories in the communication discipline; Augment students ability to conceptualize, manage, and complete different stages of an independent research project through working on a thesis; Cultivate students skills in collaboration, improving communication for the good of society; Prepare students for entry into doctoral programs and/or communication-related careers; Help students achieve their personal and professional goals toward graduation and beyond; and Develop students teaching skills to demonstrate excellence in communication instruction (if graduate teaching assistants). 1
Student learning outcomes. A graduate with a Master of Science specialization in Communication Studies will be able to: Recognize and apply communication theory in a variety of contexts, Understand multiple methodologies for conducting communication research, Conduct independent and original research, Demonstrate advanced competencies in the area of communication. Course delivery format. The on campus program provides a wide range of course formats including seminars, small groups, and interactive and collaborative partnerships; limited courses are offered online. Admissions requirements. The M.S. in communication studies has a departmental rolling admissions deadline of February 1 for subsequent fall semester admittance. The following requirements are necessary for consideration of admission into the M.S. in communication studies program: Personal statement 5-page academic writing sample Three letters of recommendation (through the online application system) that address: 1) the ability and preparation of the student for graduate level work, and 2) the ability to work in the classroom environment, and if interested, to serve as a graduate teaching assistant for SPCM 101: Fundamentals of Speech. Prerequisite of a minimum of 20 semester hours of undergraduate credit in Speech, Theatre, Journalism, or Communication; other undergraduate programs may qualify. To be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre, the department requires a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. These documents should be uploaded through the online application system. Additionally, the information should also be emailed to the Department Head, Dr. Laurie Haleta, at laurie.haleta@sdstate.edu. The GRE is not required. International students must take either the TOEFL and earn a 600 paper-based or 100 Internet-based score, or the IELTS and earn a 7.0. Core program requirements. The M.S. degree in communication studies is an Option A Thesis program that requires 30 credit hours. The core requirements include the following: SPCM 700: Instructional Methods in Communication; Credits: 3 (Required only for Graduate Teaching Assistants) SPCM 701: Introduction: Graduate Studies; Credits: 3 (First Semester) SPCM 702: Communication Theory; Credits: 3 (First Semester) SPCM 787: Research Methods in Speech Communication; Credits: 3 (Second Semester) 2
SPCM 798: Thesis; Credits: 1-7 (5-7 credits required) Electives approved by advisor Other program requirements. Keep in mind the following policies as you register for classes and work toward completing your degree: 50% of coursework must be in the 600-800 level range Students work in a supporting area is limited to 6 credits (outside of SPCM) Students can take a maximum of 4 credits of independent study (1 credit = 40 hours per semester for an internship or independent study) Sufficient academic progress. As a graduate student, your primary role is to make sufficient academic progress toward the M.S. in communication studies degree. Our department defines sufficient academic progress as: Taking two to three courses per semester in the department, until your course work is finished, including earning an A or a B in all courses; Meeting with your thesis advisor in May (or at the end of the 1 st year/2 nd semester) and working on revising the thesis proposal over the summer (through taking 1 Thesis credit and submitting the proposal to the Department Head); Once coursework is completed, closely working with your thesis advisor on drafts and revisions of thesis chapters to prepare for a timely thesis proposal defense in the fall and final oral exam/thesis defense in the spring. Since the department requires a thesis for graduation, you should begin early in your academic career to write the thesis. In the past, some students waited until well into the second year of the program to begin the process of completing a thesis. This is unacceptable toward sufficient progress because graduate faculty are not on contract during the summer months (end of May mid-august). Assigning an advisor. To facilitate progress toward the degree, you are assigned an advisor upon admittance to the graduate program; usually this faculty member is the Graduate Program Coordinator. After you have taken the Research Methods course in your second semester, the graduate faculty will meet and assign a thesis advisor to every graduate student. Thesis advisors are assigned based on: 1) topic area; 2) methodology; 3) personality and working style; and 4) faculty workload. Your departmental thesis advisor will hold graduate faculty status in the Graduate School. Once the advisor and graduate committee are determined at the end of a student s 1 st year, the student should complete the Committee Request and Assignment of Graduate Faculty Representative form, found here. Plan of Study. Each student completes a Plan of Study form during the first semester of graduate work, but no later than the end of the first year. The Plan of Study is submitted to the Graduate School for approval. Your advisor will help you complete this form, found here. 3
Research Methods. You will begin the process of narrowing your interests toward the thesis when you take Research Methods in the spring of the 1 st year. Students who do not pass the course (A or B) will be required to retake the class and cannot work on the thesis until they have passed the course. Evaluation of academic progress. The Graduate Program Coordinator, in conjunction with the graduate faculty and Department Head, also provides an annual academic progress report regarding your role as a graduate student. This report is compiled and given to every graduate student at the end of the academic year (usually in April-May). The report is also given to the student s academic/thesis advisor. The purpose of the report is to evaluate whether or not the student is making sufficient academic progress (defined above) toward the M.S. degree in communication studies, to assist the student in their goal of graduation from SDSU. II. Academic Advising and Thesis Guidelines A) EXPECTATIONS OF GRADUATE FACULTY Serving on graduate committees. Department faculty are committed to the growth of the graduate program in communication studies. All faculty members with a terminal degree (MFA, Ph.D., and Ed.D.) are expected to have their names forwarded to the Graduate School, notifying their status as Graduate Faculty. All Graduate Faculty are eligible to serve as either thesis advisors or committee members. Non-Graduate Faculty members may serve as the third member of a graduate committee. Advisors and committee members are required to provide thorough and substantive review of all materials related to the thesis. Therefore, advisors and committee members are expected to provide exhaustive written and oral feedback on the thesis copies and during the proposal defense and the final oral exam/thesis defense. Serving as a thesis advisor. Usually in the spring, at the end of a student s 1 st year, graduate faculty will meet and assign that student an advisor based on research topic, methodology, personality and working style, and faculty workload. Once assigned, the advisor will then identify other faculty to serve on the graduate committee. At that time, you can then fill out the Committee Request and Assignment of Graduate Faculty Representative form, found here. Students should primarily seek advice from their advisor, and not from other students. The advisor s role is to provide you with accurate information, to help you make sufficient academic progress toward your goal of completing the M.S. degree. If you have a conflict with your advisor, try first to resolve it with your advisor through interpersonal communication. If after the conversation with your advisor, you still feel that the conflict cannot be resolved, contact the Department Head. Similarly, if a faculty member has a conflict with an advisee, they should first attempt to resolve it interpersonally with the student. If the conflict remains unresolved after that meeting, they should contact the Department Head. If you need to change your Plan of Study, you must complete a Change in Plan of Study form here; however, you must closely work with your thesis advisor in altering the original Plan of Study and secure their approval before submitting the form. 4
B) THESIS EXPECTATIONS AND DEFENSE MEETINGS Submitting drafts. Students submit drafts of thesis chapters to their thesis advisor. In consultation with the advisor, other committee members may be sought out to help review and edit the thesis; however, you must have your advisor s permission ahead of time to do so. When you submit a draft to your advisor, you should anticipate that it may take several days or possibly a couple of weeks before the draft can be returned. Faculty will try to get drafts back to you quickly; however, you must realize that graduate advising is in addition to an already heavy workload. Students should wait for their advisor to contact them when the draft is ready to be returned. Once you receive an edited draft with recommended revisions from your advisor, you are expected to make all changes. Your advisor will discuss these changes with you, especially if you have questions. Also, you are expected to use proper APA style in the communication discipline. Advisors will not proofread drafts for minor edits, such as grammar, syntax, sentence structure, spelling, or APA style errors. It is your responsibility to provide reasonable drafts that allow your advisor to read for revising content rather than copyediting, to help you to revise your ideas, arguments, and evidence. Additionally, once you reach the proposal defense and final oral exam/thesis defense stages of the thesis process, you are expected to incorporate written and oral comments as agreed upon by the graduate committee. Scheduling proposal defense meetings. Students will only be able to schedule thesis proposal defense meetings during the fall semester, unless otherwise arranged by the thesis advisor and approved by all members of the student s graduate committee, including the graduate faculty representative. Proposal meetings are scheduled between September and mid-november, preferably before the National Communication Association s annual convention, because most communication studies faculty attend this conference. Once your advisor determines that the thesis proposal is ready, you may begin the process of scheduling the meeting. You should personally (via email or face-to-face) communicate with each member of your graduate committee, including the graduate faculty representative, to find a common meeting time and location. You must provide hard copies of the thesis proposal to all members of the graduate committee at least 10 working days before the scheduled meeting (Monday-Friday, or 2 weeks), which is a Graduate School policy. In addition, also provide copies of our department s thesis proposal assessment rubric to each member of the graduate committee. At the proposal meeting, all faculty and the student should display professional decorum, including punctuality, professional dress, and professional communication skills (including turning off all cell phones). The student should prepare a 15-minute oral presentation that explains the thesis proposal to the graduate committee. Remember to incorporate oral documentation into the presentation. You should also bring a hard copy of the thesis proposal to this meeting, for your own reference and to take notes. Carefully 5
document the changes that are required and recommended by the graduate committee. You should meet with your advisor soon after the meeting concludes (or within a few days) to discuss required changes and the next steps in the thesis process. Human subjects and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. After you have successfully defended your thesis proposal and your graduate committee has approved it, you can then consider applying for human subjects and IRB approval, if applicable. If your thesis research requires the use of human subjects, you must apply to the Human Subjects Committee (IRB) for approval and must complete CITI training about the ethical use of human subjects. See the Graduate School website for instructions on how to prepare your application here. Your advisor must review these materials before you submit the application. Please keep in mind that it may take up to a month to hear back from this committee. You must have approval before you can proceed with data collection for the thesis. Scheduling the final oral exam/thesis defense meeting. Students should strive to schedule this final meeting in the spring semester, unless otherwise arranged by the thesis advisor and approved by all members of the student s graduate committee, including the graduate faculty representative. Students are not encouraged to schedule final oral exams during the summer. Because most faculty are on nine-month contracts, they are not expected to make themselves available for thesis work during this time. If you are planning on a May graduation, you should schedule your final oral exam/thesis defense meeting before mid-april. Check out the Graduate School s deadlines for graduation here. Keep in mind that many communication studies faculty attend the Central States Communication Association conference in April, and would not be available to meet during that time. Once your advisor determines that the thesis is ready, you may begin the process of scheduling the final meeting. You should again personally (via email or face-to-face) communicate with each member of your graduate committee, including the graduate faculty representative, to find a common meeting time and location. You must provide hard copies of the complete thesis to faculty members at least 10 working days before the scheduled meeting (Monday-Friday, or 2 weeks), which is a Graduate School policy. In addition, also provide copies of our department s thesis assessment rubric to each member of the graduate committee. The thesis should be properly formatted in APA style and meet the Graduate School s formatting requirements, found here. The Master s Final Oral Exam form must be completed at the same time the student schedules the meeting (because of the 10 working days rule), and can be found here. At the final meeting, all faculty and the student should again display professional decorum, including punctuality, professional dress, and professional communication skills (including turning off all cell phones). The final meeting involves two parts: 1) discussion of the thesis, and 2) oral examination of coursework. In the first part, the student should again prepare a 15-minute oral presentation that explains the entire thesis to the graduate committee. Remember to incorporate oral documentation into the 6
presentation. You should also bring a hard copy of the thesis to this meeting, for your own reference and to take notes. Carefully document the changes that are required and recommended by the graduate committee. In the second part of the meeting, you should use your Plan of Study to prepare to answer questions about any of the courses you have taken during your graduate education at SDSU. Be prepared to answer questions from every class, but especially from required courses. Questions typically range from assessing your knowledge about different types of methods and theories to assessing your ability to apply and synthesize knowledge in considering hypothetical situations and examples. You should meet with your advisor soon after the meeting concludes (or within a few days) to discuss required changes and depositing the thesis. Once the graduate committee passes you on the final oral exam and approves the thesis, you should immediately walk over to the Graduate School office and turn in the paper copy of the Plan of Study Assessment and Master s Final Oral Exam Notification of Action form (sent to your advisor by the Graduate School prior to this meeting). Make sure that all of the graduate committee members have signed the form. The final stage of completing the thesis and degree is to follow the guidelines for revising and depositing the thesis with the Graduate School. This includes making all graduate committee revisions (under the direction of your advisor), turning in the hard copy of the acceptance page to the Graduate School (after obtaining the required signatures of the advisor and Department Head), and paying the library binding fees. The thesis submission instructions can be found here. CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a Master of Communication, and will go on to represent the Department of Communication Studies and Theatre and South Dakota State University to the rest of our community, state, region, country, and world. We hope you stay in touch as alumni! III. Additional Guidelines for Graduate Teaching Assistants A) ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA), students must meet the academic admissions requirements established by the Graduate School and the Department of Communication Studies & Theatre. Eligibility requirements for the Graduate School include the following: 1) Have a 3.0 (minimum) GPA upon admittance. If the GPA is below 3.0, then a conditional admittance could be granted based upon sufficient academic progress. 2) Maintain a 3.0 Plan of Study GPA. 3) Enroll in at least one credit of graduate work every semester. 7
4) Pass the Research Methods course (A or B) offered in the spring semester of the 1 st year. Failure in this course results in non-renewal of the assistantship for the coming academic year. 5) GTAs are not allowed to have outside employment while on assistantship. Doing so will result in termination of the assistantship. Additional eligibility requirements. Graduate assistants who have graduated in May are not eligible for assistantships the following summer, unless they remain officially enrolled as a graduate student in good standing. International graduate students receiving graduate assistantships must have sufficient English proficiency to perform the assigned duties (at least a 7.0 on the IELTS). Retaining eligibility and summer credits. The Graduate School has interpreted that a person with 1 credit of course work can retain their eligibility for a graduate assistantship. All students must register for at least one credit during each term. This includes summer terms. Students should enroll in a summer course or register for one Thesis credit over the summer. B) EVALUATION Faculty members of the hiring/supervising department (primarily through the Department Head, Basic Course Director, and Graduate Program Coordinator) are responsible for evaluating the performance of all graduate teaching assistants. All GTAs are evaluated once per year. The department identifies the process/forms used to evaluate the GTA s performance. The GTA receives written evaluations or progress reports of both teaching and academic progress in the graduate program, with a copy held in the department office for the duration of the appointment. Evaluation of teaching. Each semester, the Basic Course Director evaluates your role as a teaching assistant. This evaluation is conducted in many ways, including, but not limited to: review of student opinion surveys, observations in labs, informal conversations with students, and observations and impressions made during one-on-one interactions. This information is shared with the Department Head and Graduate Program Coordinator. These evaluations serve multiple purposes: 1) To aid your growth as an instructor; 2) To enhance your professional development; and 3) To ensure the quality and consistency of every SPCM 101 course at SDSU. Evaluation of academic progress. The Graduate Program Coordinator, in conjunction with the rest of the graduate faculty and Department Head, also provides an academic progress report regarding your role as a graduate student. This report is compiled and given to every graduate student at the end of the academic year (usually in April-May). The report is also given to the student s academic/thesis advisor. The purpose of the report is to evaluate whether or not the 8
student is making sufficient academic progress toward the M.S. degree in communication studies, to assist the student in their goal of graduation from SDSU. Finally, these evaluations and progress reports are important in making decisions regarding the hiring and renewal of graduate teaching assistantships. Assistantships will not be automatically renewed; they must be earned. If and when suggestions are offered by the hiring/supervising department, based on the teaching evaluation or academic progress report, you must accept and incorporate these suggestions into your teaching and progress in the graduate program, or face the possibility of academic probation and non-renewal of the assistantship. C) REAPPOINTMENT Reappointment of a graduate teaching assistantship is considered based on the following: Needs of the hiring supervisor (Department Head); Making sufficient academic progress toward completion of the M.S. degree in communication studies; Performing well in the assistantship based on the evaluation of teaching; Length of time a student has had an assistantship; and Meeting professional and departmental citizenship expectations, including attending all meetings, demonstrating professional development and instructional growth, and working well with others in the department. D) TERMINATION A graduate teaching assistant s appointment may be terminated for reasons including, but not limited to: Lack of funding; Failure to maintain sufficient academic progress; Failure to maintain consistent progress toward completion of the degree; No further need for the functions to be performed; Failure to perform assigned duties; and General misconduct. The Department will inform every GTA of the anticipated length of the assistantship. However, both the GTA and the SDSU may opt to terminate the appointment at any time, with or without cause. GTAs are considered at-will employees. This means the student may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause. Similarly, SDSU may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause. The hiring supervisor of the department to which the GTA is assigned (the Department Head) initiates the termination of an appointment. The hiring supervisor meets with the GTA and explains the reasons for termination. Grievances concerning the assistantship can be filed under South Dakota Board of Regents (BoR) Policies 4:8 or 1:18. 9
E) ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES Academic breaks. All GTAs (9 and 12 month) are expected to report for work during academic breaks, unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Department Head. Benefits. GTAs do not accumulate sick leave and annual leave (SDCL Chapter 3-6), nor do they qualify for health insurance (SDCL Chapter 3-12A) or retirement benefits (SDCL Chapter 3-12). This applies regardless of the percentage of the appointment. Full tuition remission South Dakota BoR policy. Starting July 1, 2016, to allow universities to effectively compete when recruiting highly qualified prospective graduate students, the BoR has adopted a special tuition rate for graduate assistants and graduate fellows for state-support courses. Provided you meet minimum stipend amounts, you are entitled to the special tuition rate (waiver of all tuition costs, university support fee and all program fees for state-support and selfsupport courses) for graduate assistants as described in BoR policy 5:22. a) Eligibility for the special tuition rate is limited to graduate assistants and fellows who are: i) Unconditionally admitted graduate students (see BoR Policy 2:3); and, ii) Awarded an assistantship or fellowship at or above the minimum rate established annually by the BoR. Students who were eligible during the preceding fall and spring semester or received a sufficient stipend in the spring to cover the required total amount for spring and summer are eligible for the reduced tuition the following summer. If the assistantship/fellowship is terminated or the student resigns prior to the tenth class day of the current term, then the student is responsible for full tuition rates for the current term otherwise full tuition rate assessment will be effective with the subsequent term. Termination PARs must be submitted in a timely manner. All graduate assistants and fellows not meeting these eligibility requirements shall be charged the appropriate regular tuition rate established by the Board. b) When a graduate degree program is offered jointly by two or more institutions, the BoR may provide that graduate assistants and fellows who are eligible for the special tuition rate at one institution are eligible at the other institution(s). This would be addressed in the program approval process. c) Reduced tuition does not start until the term the person is actually appointed to an assistantship. A fall graduate assistant appointment does not make a person eligible in the preceding summer. However, some graduate assistantships might begin with the summer and would require earning the minimum stipend to claim tuition reduction for that summer. d) Graduate assistants and fellows shall be assessed GA tuition rates on graduate/undergraduate courses established by the South Dakota BoR. 10
e) Graduate assistants are considered to be institutional employees as defined in BoR Policy 4:34. Assignment of intellectual property to the BoR is a mandatory condition of a graduate assistantship. Graduate assistants are required to disclose intellectual property to the SDSU Technology Transfer Office. GO JACKS! 11