Comm Studies honored with Outstanding Master's Degree Program Award

Inside TXST

Hannah Holder | November 29, 2018

Texas State University’s Department of Communication Studies has been selected by the Master’s Education Section (MES) of the National Communication Association (NCA) as recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Master’s Degree Program Award.

The purpose of the MES Outstanding Master's Degree Program Award is to recognize a master's education program that demonstrates excellent quality in developing research and teaching and that mentors students well in their personal and professional growth.

Erik Timmerman, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State, said the department’s method for providing sophisticated teaching and research skills to master's students is among its most significant innovations.   

"This award is important because it recognizes our program’s long-term dedication to education of future teacher-scholars by focusing upon two core functions of the university–research and teaching," Timmerman said.

Previous winners include Texas Christian University, Northern Kentucky University, Indiana University-Purdue University, Illinois State University, Colorado State University and Villanova University.

MES works to promote dialogue and scholarship engaging issues of master’s level education in the communication disciplines. To fulfill this purpose, the section creates panels and programs at NCA’s annual convention that examine and improve master’s level education.  

To find out more about the award and the NCA, visit www.natcom.org/awards/masters-education-section.