Student Testimonials
Supreet (Sam) Mann
My experience as a master's student in the Communication department has been absolutely wonderful! I have been privileged to work with extremely supportive faculty who have helped me explore and develop my interests in both qualitative and quantitative research. Working as a TA for multiple undergraduate courses has provided me with much needed funding and has helped me realize how much I enjoy being in front of the classroom. I recently received admission, along with a fellowship, to the communication doctoral program at UC Davis with plans to continue researching and teaching at the university level. I look forward to continuing my education and am confident that the skills I have gained at Pacific will help me reach my goals.
Mostafa Aniss
I do not use the word excellent lightly. But that is the word that comes to mind when I reflect on my experience as a Master's student in the communication program at Pacific. The combination of a diverse (and also, very patient and supportive) faculty, tuition remission, acquiring teaching experience, and rigor make this program a superb option for any student considering graduate school in communication. The diversity of the faculty affords students the ability to explore a wide range of career and educational interests including mass media, public relations, research (both qualitative and quantitative), and teaching. In addition, if you are a student who is an aspiring communication professor and/or doctoral student (like I was), I can only highly recommend this program because not only do you gain teaching experience, but your tuition is mostly paid for (you still have to buy books and parking passes). Moreover, the structure of the program, which includes a comprehensive exam and a thesis (or final project), is so rigorous that upon completion, you will be perfectly prepared to begin a PhD program. And indeed, I am currently a first year PhD student at Wayne State University and I got straight A's my first semester. So, that whole "perfectly prepared" bit was by no means an engagement in hyperbole. Ultimately, though, I came here with an objective and the faculty made this objective their own, which resulted in its completion. Further, they do this for all their students, whether their goals are to get into a doctoral program or begin a career in a different communication related field.
Ben Mann
Pacific's M.A. program in Communication fires on all cylinders. In the Spring, I will conclude my fourth and final semester in the program. At Pacific, dedicated instructors have honed my research skills, knowledge, methodological groundwork, and writing to direct my passion for communication studies. My experience in the program has helped me to write my thesis, which analyzes media representations of gender and sexual orientation. Additionally, it has provided teaching opportunities: I have helped teach courses in Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication as well as working as an assistant coach for Pacific's nationally competitive collegiate forensics team and serving as a teaching intern at San Joaquin Delta College. Graciously, as a graduate assistant, this program's funding provides me with a full tuition remission and a monthly stipend. Following completion of my M.A., and thanks to Pacific's program, I will begin a Ph.D. program in Communication with a teaching and forensics fellowship at the University of Utah this Fall.