Master in Communication and Advocacy

Students enroll in the Communication and Advocacy program because it equips them with the knowledge tools they need to effect positive change in the world. Students learn how to advocate, not only for themselves, but also for social and political change, marginalized communities, and other individuals or groups in need throughout the world. With its small cohort approach, the program benefits from the perspectives of both domestic and international students.

Why Communication and Advocacy at JMU?

The program offers a cutting-edge curriculum that prepares students to be skilled and ethical advocates in the face of rapidly changing 21st-century issues, contexts, and communication technologies. The program offers advanced research and training in communication and advocacy with concentrated coursework in environmental communication, health communication, and strategic communication. The program is ideal for students pursuing academic careers as well as professionals seeking to advance at work.

Our M.A. program in Communication and Advocacy provides you with the skills to be a voice for change in the world.

Whether it is through interpersonal advocacy as an ombudsperson in the workplace or as a patient advocate in a hospital, working at the community level as an outreach program coordinator with elderly populations, or advocating at the national and global levels as a public relations manager for an environmental nonprofit, our graduates are prepared to be an advocate for change.

We know that success requires equal parts intellect and action. At JMU, that’s what Being the Change is all about.

When students graduating from James Madison University proudly walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, they’re more than just educated. They’re members of a fellowship of doers. They know how to make things happen. They’ve honed their ability to think critically. They’ve learned the importance of a strong work ethic and they’ve become committed to and skilled at collaborating with others. Diplomas in hand, they leave campus determined to live lives of meaning and pursue careers of purpose.

Only two hours from Washington D.C., JMU is fast becoming one of the nation’s leading lights in higher education. That’s because students enjoy unusually engaged relationships with world-class faculty who are at JMU because they want to pursue knowledge and teach talented students.

JMU students, faculty and alumni are using equal parts intellect and action to succeed in every sort of pursuit: they’re boosting innovation and discovery, leading in business, advancing culture, improving health care, reforming education, renewing civil society, competing in athletics — they’re Being the Change in every imaginable way.