There is a problem with mass communication. For the marketer, it is a blunt tool. It takes a lot to chop down a tree with a blunt ax.

The sharper the ax the easier your job of communicating.

You see the problem is simple: a unique idea only interests certain people - not everyone (mass communications). That is why newspapers have sub headings because the boys go to sport and the girls to fashion.

You need something panoramic yet specific. Now if you have the intellectual muscle* to be able to communicate amorphous things like emotions to your academic mentors, you have a starting point.

*You're a girl. That means you should be more in touch with your emotional side.

You will need to be much more specific in terms of what you want to research. What topics or industries or causes interest you? Which markets are of greatest interest? The more specific you can be, the easier it will be to find a suitable topic.

As it is you will be drinking from a fire hose. Zero in on a very narrow segment of the problem. Example: A comparison of how Coke and Pepsi communicate with teenagers in Chicago.

Seems to me that "mass communications" is broadcast-oriented, a far cry from advertising and PR, and with very little in common. My thought is that you need to change your area area of concentration.