MA Rhetoric and Communication Design

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In the Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design (MA-RCD), students anchor their research in the foundational course of rhetorical theory (ENGL 700), and follow a program of study involving such fields as rhetoric, discourse analysis, semiotics, multimedia design and critique, composition pedagogy, and professional writing. MA-RCD graduates are employed in private industry, government, educational organizations, non-governmental organizations, and in their own businesses; others go on to doctoral programs.

The MA-RCD can also be taken in the co-op stream.

Full program information and regulations are available in the Graduate calendar. Admission requirements and the application process can be accessed through Discover Graduate StudiesMA-RCD specific requirements can be tracked with the help of our department checklists.

You can earn your MA-RCD by following any of the following streams:

  • Course work

  • Major Research Project (MRP)
  • Thesis

The following sections outline the shared requirements of all streams and the individual requirements of each.

Shared requirements

The following requirements are shared between all streams:

Academic integrity  workshop 

All students are required to complete a University of Waterloo workshop on academic integrity and sign a pledge to conduct their research with scrupulous honesty. The workshop takes place before classes begin and students will not be allowed to take classes until they have signed the pledge.

Stream-specific requirements