Courses of study are designed to engage research in diverse career arenas such as human resources, politics, advertising, education, public relations, broadcasting, and social services, as well as for students who aspire to continue their education in doctoral programs.

All students are required to take four introductory courses: survey of graduate studies, quantitative analysis, qualitative research methods, and theory. Yet because each student's goals are unique, the curriculum allows flexibility in developing individual degree programs. Such development aims to balance the discipline's varied traditions in theoretical, historical, and applied research, with particular attention to the changing culture of the twenty-first century.