Program overview

The interdisciplnary Master of Science in Communication and Information will prepare you for professional and management positions in communication organizations. It also provides excellent preparation if you plan to pursue related doctoral studies.

Why study Communication and Information?

We offer four areas of concentration in our on-campus master’s program:

Advertising

Do you enjoy developing creative strategies, meeting deadlines under pressure, writing persuasively, and presenting your work? Do you prefer competitive and innovative environments? A concentration in advertising includes courses in advertising research, creative strategy, media planning, campaign development, social media, account planning, client relations, and more.

You will gain skills required for a brand planner, account service manager, ad sales person, strategy director, campaign manager, copywriter, research analyst, media buyer/planner, social media marketer, and more.

Our advertising professors are experts in design, policy, advertising and society, privacy and disclosure, and gender and health.

Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations

Communication Studies

Do you have a passion for exploring and understanding human behavior, or do you seek answers to questions about human interaction? Do you enjoy working as part of a research team? If that describes you, then communication studies could be a great fit.

Our communication studies faculty seek to improve the quality of work and family life by advancing understanding of how communication can be made to work well.

As you work with faculty, you will gain research knowledge and skills in the areas of interpersonal communication and organizational communication.

You will graduate from the program prepared for careers in higher education, public service, public health, and management.

School of Communication Studies

Journalism and Media

Do you enjoy technology, news, sports, science, and video? Do you enjoy reporting facts and telling stories?

The journalism and media concentration is designed to prepare students for professional positions in digital journalism and multimedia production, sports journalism, and media leadership and management.

Students develop skills in digital journalism and multimedia production, sports journalism, science journalism/communication, media management, and leadership.

School of Journalism and Media

Public Relations

Are you ready for a career to think on your feet, write, speak, and use creativity to solve problems and achieve understanding between organizations and their stakeholders? Do you have strong oral and written communication skills, thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments, and enjoy hands-on learning? If so, public relations is the right field for you.

You will gain the skills to write, research, design, strategize, develop, and manage digital and traditional media, business media, and communication planning.

You will acquire knowledge from graduate coursework that blends theoretical and practical knowledge needed for a diverse career in strategic communication.

Our public relations professors are experts in international public relations, crisis, risk, digital communication, and non-profit organizations.

Our graduates work in careers around the world in corporate and non-profit sectors; educational institutions; and government, military, and public relations agencies. Their work includes: public relations (agency or corporate), media relations, community relations, social media and digital strategy, risk and crisis management, public affairs, and more.

Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations

Four Plus One programs

The College of Communication and Information offers Our Four Plus One programs to our CCI current students and recent graduates to turn their bachelor’s degree into a master’s degree with just one additional year of coursework. These programs are for students wanting to work in management or higher-level positions in their field. They offer more advanced strategic coursework and follows an approach that gives students an advantage when entering the workforce. 

For admission into the Four Plus One program with an advertising and public relations concentration, students must have majored in either advertising or public relations and have graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, within the past three academic years.

For admission into the Four Plus One program with a Journalism and Media concentration, students must have majored in journalism and media and have graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, within the past three academic years.

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