School of Arts, Media & Communication
The School of Arts, Media & Communication offers the Master of Arts in Communication and offers the terminal degree of the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art.
Graduate programs offered by the School of Arts, Media & Communication are designed to provide opportunities for students to engage in academic study at advanced levels. Knowledgeable and professionally active faculty guide students through their cognate disciplines and fields, produce creative and critical works of high quality, and practice the skills and techniques of their disciplines. Emphasis is placed both on the acquisition and on the generation of knowledge.
The School’s graduate degree programs value excellence, and to achieve this outcome, the college seeks to attract students of high potential and encourages intellectual inquiry and creative/scholarly engagement and production.
School of Arts, Media, and Communication (SAMC)
The mission of the School of Arts, Media & Communication is to develop and promote collaboration, innovation, and creation among students and faculty in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, media, and communication. SAMC students engage in experiential learning, develop leadership, teamwork, and organizational skills, and apply 21st century technology in service of expressing and understanding human experience. SAMC offers cultural enrichment and collaborative opportunities to all university students and members of the South Texas community. To support this mission, the School of Arts, Media & Communication subscribes to the highest academic, artistic, and ethical standards.
Program Admission, Continuance, and Completion Requirements
Students in graduate programs in the School of Arts, Media & Communication must meet the minimum standards for admission, continuance, and completion specified by the University, as well as any additional criteria required by the degree program.
All graduate programs in the School of Arts, Media & Communication require students to complete exit requirements. These may vary from written or oral examinations to capstone courses, theses, and exhibitions. The exit requirements shall be rigorous and appropriate to the specific discipline. A student must successfully complete the exit requirements described in the course of study to graduate with an advanced degree.
A student on enforced withdrawal may not enroll in any graduate program for a minimum of 12 consecutive months. Please see “Scholastic Probation and Enforced Withdrawal” in the catalog section entitled “Graduate Academic and Degree Requirements.”
Student Responsibility
Each student working toward a graduate degree is responsible for meeting the requirements outlined in the degree plan. The student is also responsible for meeting all deadlines: program application, examination, and graduation application. If the deadlines for examination and graduation application are not met, the student will not graduate that semester. In no instance will a student be admitted to degree candidacy without an approved and completed degree plan on file in the office of the Director. Amendments to the degree plan must be proposed by the student and approved by the degree committee or program advisor and the Director.
Course Load
A graduate student registered for 9 semester hours or more is considered a full-time student. It is recommended that no more than 12 semester hours should be taken in a regular semester or 6 semester hours during each summer term. A student employed full time should not register for more than 6 semester hours in a regular long semester or 3 semester hours in a summer term.
Conditional Admission
To earn a graduate degree, a student who has been accepted conditionally into a program in the School of Arts, Media & Communication must fulfill the requirements of the conditional admission set by the program’s admission committee, as well as all university and School degree requirements. For more information on conditional admission, see “Graduate Student Admission Classifications” in the “Admissions” section of the catalog.
Non-Degree Seeking Status
Students classified as non-degree seeking may take graduate courses in the School of Arts, Media & Communication with the approval of the Director. They also must meet the minimum requirements set by the University for admission. Priority for class enrollment will be given to degree-eligible students. In addition, non-degree seeking students must be approved for registration by the chair of the department offering the course or courses they wish to study. Those students needing additional professional development beyond one semester must seek permission from the Director of the School. No more than 9 semester hours earned as a non-degree seeking student may be counted toward the requirements for any graduate program in the School of Arts, Media & Communication.
Graduate Courses
The Courses A-Z section of the catalog lists the complete course inventory in each teaching area. When registering, the student should always consult the Semester Schedule, which contains the specific course offerings for that term.