Founded in 1987, the Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) degree program prepares students for the interrelated demands and responsibilities of the new and dramatic transformations of the information age, providing the knowledge and skills necessary to balance and understand the complex relationships among communication and information processes, technology and human behavior. The program particularly stresses development of the ability to critically evaluate results and anticipate unforeseen by-products of communication and information processes and technologies.

The MCIS degree requires 36 credits of coursework, and includes an 18 credit core, a three credit capstone seminar that requires the completion of an organizational case study and 15 elective credits. The first MCIS degree was granted May 1989. As of May 2004, 362 students have graduated from the program since the first degree was granted. Currently there are 75 active students in the program, with 29 joining the program fall semester 2002. The program admits full-time and part-time students. Non-matriculated study is only offered during the Rutgers University Summer Session, and is not available during the academic year.

The MCIS program is offered by the Department of Communication, one of three departments within the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS). The program’s defining focus is concern with communication theory and practice in organizations. Coursework prepares students for a wide range of professional career paths across multiple industries and economic sectors. Applicants who wish to pursue doctoral study following completion of the MCIS program are also encouraged to apply.

The MCIS curriculum examines communication and information processes in organizational life and work. Core concepts and competencies are introduced through four core courses offered by Department of Communication (COMM) faculty. These courses are approached through the scholarly focus of faculty in communication: social interaction, mediated communication and organizational communication. Two additional core courses add an interdisciplinary perspective to these concepts and competencies through staffing by faculty from Departments of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) and Library and Information Science (LIS), the two other departments at SCILS. The MCIS Capstone Seminar requires that students apply these core concepts and competencies by conducting a case study of one organization or organizational issue of interest. Students register for the Capstone Seminar in the semester they complete their degree requirements.

Electives that further develop and complement core concepts and competencies are organized according to specific Context and Processes Areas. Faculty in COMM offer a wide range of courses in the area of Communication Studies, with specific emphasis on advanced organizational communication issues including leadership and decision making, and health communication. Health represents an important site of organizational communication practice and identifies a prominent sub-area in COMM at the interface of the department's tripartite scholarly focus: social interaction, mediated communication, and organizational communication.

JMS and LIS faculty offer courses in two additional Context and Processes areas that complement the Core Concepts and Competencies introduced. Coursework of relevance to the organizational communication focus is offered through the Media Studies area by JMS faculty and through the Knowledge Management area by LIS faculty. Along with their core course offerings, courses in these areas complement the organizational communication focus of the degree within a unique multi-disciplinary model.

Students, additionally, have the opportunity to draw on graduate coursework from across the vast range of options that a great research university like Rutgers offers. This allows a student with clearly defined career goals to fulfill elective requirements through relevant coursework available in departments outside of SCILS.

Curricular and extracurricular options are also available to students through the Rutgers Center for Organizational Development and Leadership and the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Offices in nearby downtown New Brunswick. Each offers multiple students extensive training, development and financial support through research and fellowships opportunities. Significant opportunities are also available through links to SCILS Alumni Association such as the Professional & Academic Communication Exchange (PACE) MCIS student initiative.

MCIS Mission Statement

The MCIS program mission is to advance the understanding and practice of communication theory in organizational settings including health, information, media, and technological, governmental and educational institutions. By critically examining organizational issues, the program seeks to:

• Examine core concepts and competencies in three primary areas of social interaction, mediated communication and organizational communication
• Contribute to scholarly thinking about organizational communication practice
• Develop students’ expertise in applying communication concepts and competencies in interpersonal, group and mediated settings in organizational contexts
• Prepare students to understand, supervise, conduct and report research in organizations
• Enhance students’ personal growth and insights into their own communicative behaviors in organizational settings
• Foster leadership and citizenship through organizational communication practices
• Expose students to the relevance of knowledge management and media research and theory for organizational practice

An overview of the program can be found in the MCIS Brochure.