Master of Professional Communication

• Mission Statement

  The Master of Professional Communication program prepares working professionals with the advanced communication knowledge and skills needed to excel in a range of communication-related careers.  The program trains students to utilize theoretically-grounded and creative applications of research, writing, presentation and design to lead in academic and professional organizational contexts. The Weber State Master of Professional Communication cultivates professionals who can think critically, who are grounded ethically, and who are culturally aware.
  

• Student Learning Outcomes
  • Graduate Certificate (Not Applicable)

     

  • Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

     

  • Graduate Degree

    At the end of their study at WSU, students in this program will:

    • Write and edit at a level commensurate with a communication leader or manager in applied communication contexts.
    • Present information orally and in visual form at a level commensurate with a communication leader or manager in an applied communication context.
    • Demonstrate critical thinking and cultural competence in applied communication contexts.
    • Conduct academic or applied research in communication contexts, report findings clearly and accurately, and interpret the meaning of research data.
    • Demonstrate knowledge in one or more cognate areas – strategic communication, organizational communication, and media

• Curriculum Grid

   

• Program and Contact Information

  The Master of Professional Communication program emphasizes the knowledge and advanced communication skills working professionals need to succeed in today's rapidly evolving and technologically complex world. Students hone their skills in writing, speaking, new media and research methods. They take cognate courses in team building and facilitation, organizational leadership, and strategic communication. The program is designed to prepare effective leaders, team members, and employees in corporate, government and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Graduates work in fields such as public relations, education, health care promotion and organizational training and development. Many students use the MPC degree to advance to strategic communication leadership roles within their chosen career field. Others use the degree to make a career change to a field that is more closely aligned with their interests, knowledge and skills in communication. A few students seek opportunities to work in higher education and may enter a doctoral program in communication.
  
  
  Contact Information:
  Dr. Sarah Steimel
  Weber State University
  1395 Edvalson St. Dept. 1407
  Elizabeth Hall, room 346
  (801) 626-6535

  MPC Website

• Assessment Plan

  Assessment Plan for Master of Professional Communication:

  • Persons responsible for collecting and analyzing the data: The program director will oversee data collection. The MPC faculty advisory committee, which consists of all faculty teaching the required courses in a given academic year, will serve as the Assessment Committee to oversee and implement the program’s assessment plan. MPC faculty are asked to collect and report data on assignments in their classes and may be asked to review ePortfolios for assessment purposes. The MPC advisory committee reviews curriculum, assessment data, and student success at least semiannually.
  • Assessment measures to be used: The MPC assessment plan examines student outcomes using the following direct and indirect measures.

   
  Direct Measures (DM):

  • We have worked with the office of Institutional Effectiveness to develop a course-level rubric for each course that includes a criterion for each program outcome assessed by the course, as indicated in the program's curriculum grid. Each MPC course has been asked to use those course-level rubrics to assess students' mastery of program learning outcomes across key assignments in each semester the course is taught.
  • We are also utilizing program-level rubrics to assess MPC student final thesis/projects in MPC 6900 and 6950. We have now created policies that students in our coursework track must submit ePortfolios using Portfolium that showcase the signature assignments in their three coursework courses. That policy change was passed last year and so will start affecting students graduating in 2023. We will use the same program-level rubric to assess theses, projects, and final portfolios.

   

  Indirect Measures (IM):

  • We collect indirect measures as well, which include student exit surveys, number of students/graduates who receive a promotion or a new job in a field related to professional communication, number of students accepted for further graduate study, and individual feedback from students and graduates. We also track the number of papers accepted for presentation at academic and professional conferences.

   

  Assessment Strategy:

  • We are continuing to collect outcome data from key assignments at the course level and using that data to strengthen individual courses, but then also combining that data in a wholistic way across courses to assess program learning overall. We currently ask faculty to assess all courses taught each semester on all learning outcomes relevant to the course (using the assessment rubrics uploaded in Canvas). As a result, our plan is to assess all five learning outcomes each year.
  • Additionally, we already assess final/capstone projects for students who complete the Master's Thesis or Master's Project track. These projects/portfolios serve as program-level outcome data.
  • We will integrate ePortfolios that serve as culminating project showcases from our coursework students (starting with students graduating in 2023) to help provide additional program-level outcome data.
• Assessment Report Submissions

  2021-22
  2019-20
  2017
  2016
  2015

• Program Review

  2019-2020

  2014-2015

This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.