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I pursued my masters degree at Purdue University because I believe the curriculum encompasses the fundamentals I want and need to progress in my career. I appreciate real-world application style of learning and the courses that I have taken at Purdue will undoubtedly prepare me in the workforce. Purdue's reputation for innovation and discovery built on a foundation of tradition and history, reflected my position for pursuing this degree. While I want to provide innovative approaches to communications... Read More and advance my career, I needed the fundamental principles to develop those skills. For example, the Strategic Communications course afforded me the skills to develop effective communication strategy plans in any industry; whether it is in the corporate sector, academia or government. We live in an ever-changing digital media world, so the course in Strategic Communication and Social Media prepared me with the tools to create useful social media strategies and analyze the method to determine if it effectuated the desired outcome. The professors were extremely engaging and provided detailed feedback that allowed you to understand the full circle of each assignment. In addition, the knowledge received from my classmates was invaluable as we all came from different industries with varying backgrounds and responsibilities. This myriad of people allowed for in depth conversations and approaches on the case study discussions. I would strongly recommend Purdue University to anyone who wants a challenging and reality-based education.

The Purdue program is challenging and finding time as a professional can be a challenge. However, there is a great deal of reward built in that challenge. On-line coursework demands a great deal of personal accountability, which honestly, I was not sure was in my wheelhouse. It turns out it is. Returning fifteen years after I graduated from undergrad, I was nervous about how I would adapt. While you do have to make time for the readings and an effort to get to know your classmates in the online format,... Read More thus far, it's been very worth it. The best part about the program, for me, is the exposure to students of all backgrounds, but more importantly, professors of all backgrounds.

I'm about 2/3 of the way finished with Purdue's online MS in Communication program. In all, I'd say I'm pretty pleased with it. The instructors are very smart and thoughtful -- although be mindful that it's not the same faculty that they have on-campus, as they've advertised in their marketing of the program. That said, I've been very happy with the quality of the instructors overall. The degree requires a good deal of work, but it's really fulfilling and, for the most, relevant to my current career... Read More in marketing/PR. One huge plus about the program is the structure. You only take one, 8-week, intensive class at a time. From a work/school balance standpoint, it's a great system. My only complaint would be that the technology they use for the degree isn't always great. They require students to use video presentation software that, frankly, doesn't even work. So expect hours of headaches every single time you need to present material to your classmates. Great program otherwise!

While I am currently pursing my MS in communication with Purdue, I also went there for my undergraduate studies. The school can definitely be challenging, but when a student graduate you understand you worked hard for the degree a student received. There's bus systems to help get to and from a places around the city, but students really never have to leave campus to get what you need.While Purdue is such an amazing school, there does need to be a better balance with diversity on the campus. That... Read More has been a topic of concern for years and the school is still working on trying to address the issue. Other than that the school is just an all around amazing university to attend where memories can be made and be taken with a student for a lifetime to come. BOILER UP!

There are serious political problems in the department, which were not apparent when I visited. Professors frequently come and leave (I've already seen seven leave and three or four come, in just two years), and graduate students are too often left with an absent advisor. Faculty support of MA students is atrocious. The education and training we receive is negligible. PhD students receive some better support and a clearer education. Most of the success MA students gain is self-guided and gained through... Read More taking advantage of networks or the high academic reputation of this department, which, by itself, can help you get jobs or into PhD programs. For those who never find themselves on the radar of capricious, nasty professors in the department, they seem to do fine, but it's increasingly apparent that that's luck of the draw. Many of my colleagues are unaware that they shouldn't be as miserable as they are, which is a strange phenomena here. Graduate school is always hard, but in any program worth your commitment, you have support, guidance, and security. The teaching load is heavy, pay is low, and the cost of living is too high to afford without roommates or student loans. Graduate students regularly teach three classes in a semester to try to make ends meet. To make matters worse, the rules for teaching are extremely precise, and your funding is not secure. There is a "three-strikes-you're-out" policy, which allows strikes as trivial as missing an office hour because you got pulled away to count against you for the entire time you are here as a graduate student. Strikes do not go away, and the department does not follow its own procedures while taking away a student's funding. If you have any special needs as a graduate student, don't expect the kind of accommodations undergraduates at Purdue have. The university has done nothing to accommodate those I know who have special medical or psychological needs despite their every attempt, and is even currently forcing one graduate student out because she's too sick to hold regular office hours. This is a terrible place. Don't be fooled by how nice the other graduate students are. It's the politics that will dictate your happiness and whether you are allowed to graduate. Most of us in my cohort agree that we would not have come here if we knew it would be like this. So, take one of your other offers, and run for the hills.