Print version

2008

Master of Professional Communication (MPCM) - MProfComm

This program is offered only to continuing students. No new admissions will be accepted. Students who are interested in this study area should contact us.

	On-campus	Distance education
Campus:	Toowoomba	-
Fees:	Student contribution amount Tuition fee International fee	Student contribution amount Tuition fee International fee
Program articulation:	From: Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication

Notes

The mode of offer for this program depends on the strand selected. The Communication and Media Studies major and the Public Relations major are available only in external mode. The Multimedia Studies major is available in on-campus and web modes. The offering of courses on-campus is subject to enrolments.

Contact us

Current students

Telephone 1800 007 252 (within Australia freecall), +61 7 4631 2285 (from outside Australia), email usqassist@usq.edu.au or submit a question via USQAssist.

Professional accreditation

The Master of Professional Communication (Public Relations major) is fully accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) and is the only fully accredited public relations program in Queensland available by distance education.

Program aims

The Master of Professional Communication aims to prepare students to:

demonstrate an informed and rational understanding of salient contemporary issues in mass communications
pursue a scholarly and informed study of the relevance of communication, social and cultural theory to the understanding of mass communication
employ communication, social and cultural theory to design and implement field research in a range of contemporary issues and problems in mass communication
select and apply appropriate and ethically sound research methodologies to research into aspects of mass communication
perform professional research and advisory roles in a variety of mass communication situations and contexts.

Program objectives

On successful completion of the Master of Professional Communication students should be able to:

display an informed awareness of the central role of the agencies, technical discourses and production processes of professional communication in socio-cultural and political contexts
apply communication, social and cultural theory to the analyses of the texts, products, practices, institutions and artefacts of professional communication
apply communication, social and cultural theory appropriately to a variety of qualitative and quantitative research tasks in diverse areas of professional communication
make appropriate and ethically justified applications of mass communication research methodology to the study and research of professional communication texts, institutions and artefacts
initiate, plan and execute research tasks to a high professional level in a selected area of professional communication.

Admission requirements

Students who have successfully completed eight units from a relevant major in the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (or Graduate Diploma of Arts) may apply to the Head of School of Humanities and Communication for admission to the Masters degree. Applicants are expected to have:

achieved a GPA of 4.6/7 or better in their coursework courses
completed or are enrolled in an appropriate research methods course, normally CMS8010 Communication Research Methodology for the Communication and Media Studies and Public Relations majors
provided an outline of their dissertation or project proposal
arranged dissertation or project supervision that has been approved by the School of Humanities and Communication Honours and Postgraduate Programs Committee.

All such applications for transfer from Graduate Diploma to Masters level will be considered by the Honours and Postgraduate Programs Committee of the School of Humanities and Communication, which shall make recommendations to the Program Coordinator based on the merits of each application.

Students may apply for entry directly into the Master of Professional Communication, but will only be able to proceed beyond the eight coursework component of the Graduate Diploma if they satisfy the above requirements.

Students who hold the IPRM Diploma and have three years work experience in the public relations industry might be granted special entry to the Master of Professional Communication (Public Relations major) providing the above requirements on progression are satisfied.

Program fees

Student contribution amount

For domestic students who are offered Commonwealth supported places, the Government pays some money directly to the University, but students are also required to make a contribution. This contribution is called the ‘student contribution’. For more information about student contribution amounts, including the calculation of fees for a particular program of study, refer to USQ fees.

Tuition fee

Domestic fee-paying places are funded entirely through the tuition/direct fees paid by the student. Tuition/direct fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. For more information about Tuition Fees, including the calculation of fees for a particular program of study, refer to USQ Fees.

International fees

International students pay tuition fees. For details about international student fees, refer to the International Fee Schedule provided by USQ International.

Program structure

The Master of Professional Communication is a 12-unit program that requires the completion of a four unit dissertation or four unit public relations project or multimedia project after completing the eight unit coursework requirements of a relevant major in the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication.

Either

7 unit major in Public Relations from the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication

plus

CMS8010 Communication Research Methodology

or8 units in the Multimedia Studies major from the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication

or 8 units in the Communication and Media Studies major from the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication

plus four units from the following six courses

CMS8000 Professional Communication Dissertation (4 units)

CMS8001 Professional Communication Dissertation A (2 units)

CMS8002 Professional Communication Dissertation B (2 units)

MMS8023 Multimedia Project A (2 units)

MMS8024 Multimedia Project B (2 units)

MMS8025 Multimedia Project (4 units)

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 6 years to complete this program.

IT requirements

The following minimum computer configuration is recommended: Intel Pentium, Power Mac or equivalent; 64Mb RAM; 4Gb hard disk; CDROM; sound card; video display card capable of displaying more than 256 colours; Windows 98, Macintosh system 8.6 or later operating system; 56kb modem. Students will also require regular access to email and the Internet.

Students studying courses in Multimedia Studies who expect to work in basic HTML, and/or programs such as Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop, Premier, Macromedia Director, and Quark Express or similar software, should note that:

courses will not teach how to use these applications
such applications may require computer configurations that differ from the minimum set out above.

Please see the following URL for up-to-date advice on computing requirements http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm.

Articulation

This program articulates from the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication .

Exit points

Students who enrol initially in the Master of Professional Communication or who transfer from the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication, and are unable to complete the requirements of the Master program, may choose to exit the program with the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (either Public Relations major, Communication and Media Studies major or Multimedia Studies major), the Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication (Multimedia Studies), or the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations , or the Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication (Communication and Media Studies major).

Exemptions

Students with prior industry experience and/or prior related study may be eligible for exemptions up to a maximum of six units from the coursework component of the program, although such students may be required to complete appropriate bridging courses before enrolling in dissertation or project courses. Students granted exemption from a course on the basis of prior related undergraduate study will be required to complete an alternative course of equal weighting. Students entering the Master program on the basis of the IPRM Diploma and work experience are not eligible for exemptions on the basis of that qualification and experience.

In this section:

Applied communication recommended enrolment pattern
Communication and media studies recommended enrolment pattern for part-time students
Communication and media studies recommended enrolment pattern for full-time students
Multimedia studies recommended enrolment pattern for full-time students
Multimedia studies recommended enrolment pattern for part-time students
Public relations recommended enrolment pattern for full-time students
Public relations recommended enrolment pattern for part-time students

Applied communication recommended enrolment pattern

This major is available only to continuing students; such students should contact the Postgraduate coordinator for advice on the recommended enrolment pattern.