Area
social Sciences
Sub-Discipline
Journalism and Communications

Austral University of Chile
- City: Valdivia,
- Commune: Valdivia,
- Region: Los Ríos Region
goals
General objective:
The Master's Program in Communication aims to train graduates whose skills enable them to contribute to society through basic and applied research in the field of communication, with the ability to work interdisciplinarily and with an awareness of the relevance and significance of communication within contemporary society and culture. Within this framework, basic research is understood as that which is oriented toward the production of new knowledge; and applied research as that which is oriented toward the use of knowledge to solve problems in intervention contexts.
Specific objectives:
1. To train postgraduate students with specialized knowledge in human communication who contribute to providing solutions to problems of symbolic, technological, socio-structural mediation at interpersonal, institutional and public levels of communication.
2. To train postgraduate students with the necessary skills and abilities to develop basic and applied research initiatives in the field of human communication.
3. To train postgraduate students with the necessary skills and abilities for the design of communication strategies, the management of processes and the production of texts for the dissemination of content to diverse audiences.
Applicant Profile
To be considered for admission to the program, candidates must submit their application materials through the online platform provided for this purpose. The required documents for completing the application are:
• Certificate or Diploma of Academic Degree of Bachelor and/or Professional Title
• Certificate of previous studies grades (grade summary).
• Curriculum vitae in academic format.
• Letter of recommendation from two academics.
• Cover letter outlining research interests.
The selection process includes the following stages:
• 1) Admissibility review (technical evaluation).
• 2) Background assessment by the Program Committee (qualitative assessment).
• 3) Personal interview with the Program Committee.
The Academic Committee of the Master's Program is responsible for evaluating the backgrounds of the applicants according to a Rubric for Weighting Candidate Backgrounds, which is based on three fundamental principles to be assessed:
a) Academic quality reflected in the grades and processes carried out in the previous academic degree;
b) Professional experience consistent with the training profile of the program;
c) Alignment of the candidate's research interests with the research lines of the Master's program.
The sum of the scores obtained determines an application ranking, which establishes an order of priority for candidates. Based on this ranking, the acceptance or rejection of the application is determined, taking into account the vacancies available for the application period.
Graduate profile
The graduate of the Master's in Communication from the Austral University of Chile is a postgraduate professional with the ability to perform in the field of basic and applied research in the field of human communication, and in the dissemination of knowledge in the area to specific audiences.
His training is based on a critical perspective, through interdisciplinary approaches, theories and analyses that enable him to develop studies on the processes of human communication, at their interactional, institutional and public levels, considering their symbolic, technological and socio-structural mediations.
Lines of investigation
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGIES
This line of research focuses on media and its mediations. Within this area, research proposals are developed that encompass interpersonal and group mediations, as well as those mediated through devices and tools specific to traditional media, and media products originating from contemporary remote, virtual, and digital devices. It also considers the study of the implications of technological changes on communication processes and the application of data science to understanding informational and communicative ecosystems.
COMMUNICATION, SOCIETY AND CULTURE
This line of research focuses on human communication as an articulating manifestation of culture and a constituent element of the phenomenology of the social. The study of the relationships between communication and culture encompasses the domain, configuration, and field of symbolically mediated social interaction and the various modes of meaning production that shape human experience. As such, it is a strategic approach for studying the knowledge and skills that constitute the collective order, the repertoires of cultural resources activated in the management of social systems, and also a field of disputes in their construction.
COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
This line of research focuses on communication processes aimed at social change. The research conducted in this area has as its main objective to empower individuals and communities to create and take ownership of social change processes through the planning and implementation of strategies based on dialogue and negotiation. This perspective also incorporates a reflection on the imbalance in the flow of information and cultural products, as well as an investigation into the effectiveness of communication processes applied to strategies for education and social change.
