Mission Statement

The School of Arts and Humanities offers the Master of Fine Arts in Debate and Communication to provide opportunity to talented and highly self-disciplined individuals to earn a Master of Fine Arts tailored to fit their lifestyles, interests, and goals and to develop their debate teaching, coaching, research, and administration skills to an exemplary level through study under successful debate coaches and scholars from a variety of backgrounds.

The mission of the MFA program is directly related to the mission of the university in that it enhances individuals’ abilities to think creatively and critically, to effectively communicate, to be technologically literate, to appreciate and contribute to the cultures of their communities and beyond, and to possess awareness and sensitivity to global issues.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

A graduate of the Master of Fine Arts in Debate and Communication from the University of Arkansas at Monticello will demonstrate:

• A broad knowledge of argumentation theory and pedagogy.
• An exceptional depth of knowledge regarding successful coaching and administration of competitive debate teams.
• The ability to interpret, evaluate, and critique research related to debate and forensics.
• The production of original research that contributes new knowledge to the field of debate and forensics.

Admission Requirements

A student who is admitted to the Master of Fine Arts in Debate and Communication program must:

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
2. Have an undergraduate or graduate degree in Communication or closely related field;
3. Be currently employed by a secondary or postsecondary educational institution with duties that include being the primary or assistant coach for a competitive debate program;
4. Submit a writing sample demonstrative of the applicant’s potential for success in a graduate program.
5. Submit a curriculum vita detailing the applicant’s previous education, academic achievements, and experience and accomplishments as an educator and debate coach.
6. A 2-3 page personal essay addressing the following:
   1. Applicant’s background in competitive debate coach
   2. Applicant’s goals and expectations for their graduate education
   3. How applicant’s work, family, or other obligations will accommodate devoting 20 to 25 hours per week to coursework and to the completion of other program requirements.
   4. Reasons why an online MFA program suits the applicant’s level of experience and goals for future development as a debate coach.

Graduate Assistantships

Contingent annually upon budget approval, Graduate Assistantships may be awarded to a small number of qualified students on a competitive basis. Graduate Assistants teach one online section of an undergraduate Communication course per semester in exchange for a waiver of graduate tuition costs up to 9 credit hours for that semester. Blackboard (online learning management system) training is required. Graduate Assistants are closely mentored by the MFA Director.

Student Advising

All MFA students are advised by the MFA Director to assure that program requirements are being met and that each student is progressing toward completion of the degree.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of nine hours of graduate-level work can be transferred from other accredited universities with the approval of the MFA Director and the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. No course with a grade lower than “B” can be transferred.

Length of Program

The MFA requires completion of 48 semester credit hours. Students will typically complete all degree requirements within 3 years.

Academic Status

Students will receive grades of A, B, C, or F in all courses except Comprehensive Exams and Prospectus which will receive a CR when completed. If a student receives a grade of C, he or she will be placed on probation for a semester. If a student receives two grades of C or one grade of F, he or she will be expelled from the program. A student cannot hold a Graduate Assistantship if he or she is on probation.

Mentor & Committee

By the time a student has completed 18 hours, he or she must select a faculty mentor to be their committee chair. The mentor may be a full-time graduate faculty member or a member of the adjunct graduate faculty. In consultation with their mentor, the student will select a committee of 3-5 faculty members. Full-time graduate faculty must make up the majority of the committee and all committees must include the MFA Director.

Comprehensive Exams

After a student completes SPCH 53403 , SPCH 50003 , SPCH 53303 , SPCH 52303 , SPCH 51103 , and STAN 53803 , he or she is eligible to take comprehensive exams. The student will register for COMM 5585V  the semester they take exams. The student will receive 3 total questions authored by their committee over the areas of Coaching, Administration, and Research over the course of one week with 48 hours to complete and submit each question. No earlier than one week from the submission of the third question, the student will video conference with their committee to defend their exams. In order to pass, a student must receive a passing vote from all members of the committee. If the committee does not pass the student, he or she will be given an opportunity to revise their answers and a second opportunity at defense. If the student does not pass the second defense, they will be terminated from the program.

Prospectus

Following the completion of comprehensive exams, a student will enroll in COMM 5505V  and will be continuously enrolled until they pass their prospectus. In order to pass, they must submit an original research proposal to their thesis committee and defend by video conference no earlier than a week after submission. The student must have IRB approval for any study involving human subjects prior to submitting the prospectus. The student must receive a passing vote from all committee members in order to pass the prospectus. Upon passing, the student will be admitted to candidacy.

Thesis

Once a student has passed their prospectus, he or she will enroll in COMM 5795V  and remain continuously enrolled until the completion of the degree. A minimum of 6 hours of COMM 5795V  must be completed, though some students may need to take the course for more hours due to the time required to complete their theses. Once the student and mentor are satisfied with the quality of the work, the student will provide all committee members with a copy of their thesis and schedule a video conference defense no earlier than 2 weeks after submission. In order to pass, all committee members must vote in favor of passing the student but can require revisions to be completed even with a passing vote. A student has only one opportunity to defend their thesis. If they do not pass, they will be immediately terminated from the program.