Journalism and Mass Communication, M.A.

Required Courses

A maximum of eight credit hours of graduate work may be transferred from other universities if such work meets the college’s requirements. No transfer credit will be accepted toward meeting core requirements.

A maximum of 12 credit hours of G4000-level courses will count toward the master’s degree. No more than nine of these hours may be in journalism and mass communication.

Thesis Option

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
JMC 5073	Conceptual Issues in Graduate Study in Journalism and Mass Comm	3
JMC 5083	Mass Communication Theory	3
JMC 5093	Introduction to Research Methods in Mass Communication	3
JMC 5091	Thesis/Project Seminar	1
JMC 5113	Qualitative Research Methods	3
or JMC 5133	Quantitative Research Methods
JMC 5980	Research for Master's Thesis	4
Choose 9 hours of graduate electives in journalism and mass communication		9
Choose 6 hours of graduate work in areas other than journalism and mass communication		6
Total Credit Hours		32

Non-Thesis Option

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
JMC 5063	Readings in Mass Communication	3
JMC 5073	Conceptual Issues in Graduate Study in Journalism and Mass Comm	3
JMC 5093	Introduction to Research Methods in Mass Communication	3
Choose one of the following:		3
JMC 5001	Professional Practices (three 1-hour courses)
Choose 3 other hours approved by the graduate liaison and advisor
Choose 12 hours of graduate electives in journalism and mass communication		12
Choose 9 credit hours of graduate work in an area other than journalism and mass communication		9
Total Credit Hours		33

Professional Project Option

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
JMC 5063	Readings in Mass Communication	3
JMC 5073	Conceptual Issues in Graduate Study in Journalism and Mass Comm	3
JMC 5093	Introduction to Research Methods in Mass Communication	3
Choose one of the following:		3
JMC 5001	Professional Practices (three 1-hour courses)
Choose 3 other hours approved by the graduate liaison and advisor
JMC 5091	Thesis/Project Seminar	1
JMC 5880	Graduate Project	4
Choose 10 credit hours of graduate electives in journalism and mass communication		10
Choose 6 credit hours of graduate work in an area other than journalism and mass communication		6
Total Credit Hours		33

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General Requirements for all Master's Degrees

The master’s degree requires the equivalent of at least two semesters of satisfactory graduate work and additional work as may be prescribed for the degree.

All coursework applied to the master’s degree must carry graduate credit.

Master’s degree programs which require a thesis consist of at least 30 credit hours. All non-thesis master’s degree programs require at least 30 credit hours.

Credit transferred from other institutions must meet specific criteria and is subject to certain limitations.

Courses completed through correspondence study may not be applied to the master’s degree.

To qualify for a graduate degree, students must achieve an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher in the degree program coursework and in all resident graduate coursework attempted. A student must also have at least a 3.0 in all coursework (including undergraduate coursework if any).

Additional information for master's degree students may be found in the Graduate College Bulletin.