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Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
CANYON, Texas — As more adults reconsider career options in the wake of record unemployment numbers and other job insecurities, West Texas A&M University offers two new master’s programs that can be taken completely online, providing flexibility while maintaining an excellence in education.
Students are now being accepted to study for master’s degrees in English and a master’s degree in communication with a specialization in media management. A master’s in communication program became available as an online option in August 2019 and is accredited by the American Communication Association.
These new 100-percent online programs join more than 25 other options already offered by the University. They represent one path students have in pursuing post-bachelor degrees, as students also may opt to take in-person classes or a mix of face-to-face and online courses.
“The Department of English, Philosophy, and Modern Languages is delighted to be able to offer students a brand-new path to an MA degree in English that is 100 percent online,” said department head Dr. Bonnie Roos. “We believe this program to maintain the standards of excellence in teaching and learning to which we have long been accustomed in our ongoing face-to-face program.”
The communication degree also offers students the opportunity to work with experts in the field as they develop their own research efforts.
“As a faculty, we would like to extend the reach of our program making it available to diverse populations,” said Dr. Trudy Hanson, communication department head. “Learning is not confined to a physical space, but rather has been enlarged to use technology while still maintaining the essential quality of teaching—the relationship between the instructor and the student.”
Such programs appeal to nontraditional students looking to expand their career options while working full time.
“The online option allows media professionals to continue fulltime in their careers while working on their master’s degrees,” Hanson said. “There is also interest on the part of area public school teachers who specialize in speech or journalism for the option of completing an online master’s degree program.”
Roos agreed.
“Dr. (Patricia) Tyrer (director of English graduate students) has been a fierce advocate of our working students, who often require flexibility in their pursuit of education in order to fit their coursework around the demands of family and employment,” Roos said. “Our online program offers these students the kind of superior education they deserve, and that we are proud to be able to deliver.”
WT’s online programs are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and nationally recognized for quality and value by major publications, including the Princeton Review, TFE Times, and the U.S. News and World Report. Faculty members also have been nationally and internationally recognized for their commitment to student success and research.
For information about the online master’s programs, contact the Graduate School at 806-651-2730 or visit wtamu.edu/graduate.
—WTAMU—