Communication for Organizations, Graduate Certificate

Department of Communication, Journalism, and Public Relations
316 Wilson Hall (map)
(248) 370-4120 • Fax (248) 370-4208
www.oakland.edu/ CJ

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Program Coordinator:
Rebekah Farrugia
306 Wilson Hall
(248) 370-2065
farrugia@oakland.edu

Program description

The Graduate Certificate in Communication for Organizations is designed to provide specialization in interpersonal communication and other specialized topics relevant to workplace settings such as leadership and organizational communication.

Additionally, students with bachelor’s degrees, especially those with a Bachelor’s in Communication, will find the specialized certificate program useful to make them more competitive in the workplace.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

Applicants can be admitted to this program in both fall and winter semesters. The application deadlines are:

February 15 (early) (International students and graduate assistantship deadline), April 15 (regular), and July 15 (late) for fall semester and November 1 for winter semester.

International students

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all of the following University and Program application documents by the published application deadlines:

Graduate Application Requirements
Additional department application requirements

All applicants with an overall completed baccalaureate degree GPA of B or higher from an accredited institution will be considered.

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Certificate requirements

To fulfill the certificate requirements for the graduate certificate in Communication, Diversity, and Organizations, the student is required to complete a minimum of 16 credits in the courses listed below with an overall average of B or higher. Students who have completed any of these courses for their master’s program or another graduate certificate program will be required to take additional courses to complete the 16 credits required for this graduate certificate.

Course requirements (minimum of 16 credits))

Required core course.

COM 5002 - Communication Studies Scholarship (4 credits)

Electives ( 12 credits)

Please choose a total of 12 additional credits from among the following list of courses.

COM 5410 - Advanced Interpersonal Communication (4 credits)
COM 5413 - Communication and Leadership (4 credits)
COM 5414 - Health Communication and Close Relationships (4 credits)
COM 5415 - Sexuality and Communication (4 credits)
COM 5900 - Special Topics in Communication (4 credits) (Special topics courses will count towards the certificate requirement when the topics are appropriate to the Certificate and approved by the graduate program coordinator.)
COM 6212 - Communication and Cultural Citizenship (4 credits)
COM 6460 - Organizational Communication Theory (4 credits)
COM 6450 - Interpersonal Communication Theory (4 credits)
COM 6621 - Gender, Sexuality, and the Media (4 credits)
COM 6625 - Audience Research in Media Studies (4 credits)

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Department requirements: At the end of any semester, a graduate student who earns an individual course grade below a B will be reviewed by the graduate program and subject to academic warning, probation or dismissal, according to published program requirements. Additionally, any course in which students earned below a B grade will not count for credit towards the degree. As work progresses two grades below B is grounds for dismissal from the program.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with the program coordinator, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Number of graduate certificates

Students may earn more than one graduate certificate, but cannot use (double count) any specific course to meet the requirements of two graduate certificate programs.

Transfer credit

Up to 4 credits of graduate work taken at another institution may be transferred to Oakland to meet part of the 16-credit requirement; these credits may not be used toward another graduate certificate or degree program.

Course requirements

Courses used toward the graduate certificate requirements must be beyond those earned for the master’s degree.

Software skills

Students must have proficiency in the use of Microsoft Professional Suite (or comparable package) and use of the Internet; students deficient in these skills may take an approved PC skills course which will not apply toward the certificate program.