The Master of Professional Communication program at ETSU is unique among the Peer Institutions and state-supported four-year universities in Tennessee. No program offered at the 12 official Peer Institutions (see Table 1) appears to be similar to the PCOM degree program
TABLE 1
EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY PEER INSTITUTIONS
(2009)
|
Alabama |
|
University of South Alabama |
|
Arkansas |
|
University of Arkansas-Little Rock |
|
Kentucky |
|
Eastern Kentucky University |
|
Florida |
|
Florida A&M University |
|
Florida Atlantic University |
|
North Carolina |
|
Appalachian State University |
|
East Carolina University |
|
University of North Carolina-Charlotte |
|
University of North Carolina-Greensboro |
|
Texas |
|
University of Texas-Arlington |
|
University of Texas-El Paso |
|
Virginia |
|
Old Dominion University |
Comparable Tennessee Master’s Programs
Among four-year state universities in Tennessee, three master’s degree programs offer similarities to the PCOM degree at ETSU. These programs include offerings at the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Ultimately, however, the PCOM program is unique in the following ways:
1) Our program offers a within program interdisciplinary approach, allowing students to examine their communication from a holistic approach (e.g., Speech, Mass Communication);
2) Our program offers emphasis classes in Advertising, Journalism, Public Relations; Speech (e.g., interpersonal communication, rhetoric & public address, health communication, intercultural communication), and Theatre;
3) Our program requires an additional layer of interdisciplinary work on the part of our students by requiring a cognate component from outside the department (e.g., Marketing, Public Health, English, Art, Sociology, Digital Media, Foreign Languages, Counseling, Storytelling).