Journalism and Mass Communication MA

Three available tracks¹:

1. Professional-track master's focused on specialized training in multimedia skills that lead to careers in mass media industries.
2. Thesis-track master's focused on developing skills in mass communication research and typically leading to enrollment in a doctoral program.
3. Non-thesis master's for students interested in basic concepts and theories in journalism and mass communication studies but not in advanced doctoral-level training.

Graduate programs in journalism and mass communication are designed for advanced academic preparation in the various fields of mass communication and journalism, and for training in research and teaching. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers three paths for the master of arts: professional-track M.A. (30 credits in multi-media communication and topic specialization); thesis-track M.A. (30 credits in theory and methods plus thesis); and non-thesis M.A. (30 credits with tight focus on journalism and mass communication concepts).

The school is a recognized leader in teaching and research in a variety of topics including the process and effects of mass communication; communication campaigns; community and social movements; consumer and popular culture; health and science communication; history of mass communication; international communication; media accountability and criticism; media law and policy; new media technology; political communication and public opinion; and race, gender and mass communication. Graduate work prepares students to use and contribute to the research and scholarship in these and many other areas. Identifying important questions, gathering evidence, and understanding standards of inference are dominant features of all graduate degree programs.

FACILITIES

TheCenter for Journalism Ethicsadvances the ethical standards and practices of democratic journalism through discussion, research, teaching, professional outreach, and newsroom partnerships. Students, faculty, leading journalists and members of the public participate in conferences, workshops, and publications. The center tracks and analyzes ethical issues for all media platforms on its website. The center contributes to the teaching of ethics in the school's curriculum. Students have the opportunity to write for the center's website, cover conferences, and contribute to research.

The Mass Communication Research Center is an interdisciplinary research facility that conducts research into all phases of communication and provides a common meeting ground for scholars with an interest in communication behavior. It also provides an opportunity for graduate students to participate in research programs and to initiate and conduct their own thesis projects.

The Center for Communication and Democracy is a research and action project at UWMadison. The goals of the center are to study how citizens can use new communications technologies to advance democratic discussion and civic participation; to explore the relationships between geographic communities and the emerging world of cyberspace; to explore the structural relations among communications and information markets, the civic sector, and government to find relationships necessary to build and sustain a public sphere in communication that is not dominated by the market, while sustaining economic growth and technological innovation; and to ask what government policies are most appropriate for combining the vibrancy of the market with the common needs of citizens in the sphere of communication.

The Mass Communication History Center, a part of the Wisconsin Historical Society, provides scholars access to private collections, papers, and various types of unpublished materials relating to the growth of mass communication in the United States and other parts of the world. The Wisconsin Historical Society also has a large collection of bound and microfilm files of American and foreign newspapers.

1. Attain mastery in an area of the mass communication field. This encompasses an ability to articulate, critique, or elaborate theories, research methods, and approaches to inquiry in the chosen field of study. (Research)
2. Identify sources and assemble evidence pertaining to questions or challenges in the field of communication. (Research)
3. Demonstrate understanding of the primary field of study in a historical, social, psychological, cultural or global context. (Research)
4. Select and/or utilize the most appropriate methodologies and practices. (Research)
5. Evaluate or synthesize information pertaining to questions or challenges in the field of communication. (Research)
6. Develop professional communication skills related to gathering, assessing, compiling and disseminating information, by selecting and/or utilizing the most appropriate methodologies and practices and the evaluation and synthesis of information. (Professional)
7. Demonstrate understanding of the journalism field of study. (Professional)
8. Select and/or utilize the most appropriate professional journalistic practices. (Professional)
9. Evaluate or synthesize information pertaining to questions or challenges in their field of journalistic specialization. (Professional)
10. Attain mastery in an area of the mass communication field. This encompasses an ability to articulate, critique, or elaborate theories and approaches to inquiry in the chosen field of study. (Non-Thesis)
11. Develop in-depth and specialized expertise in a topic of interest. In doing so students will be able to identify sources of information and assemble evidence pertaining to questions in that area. (Non-Thesis)
12. Demonstrate understanding of the primary field of study. (Non-Thesis)
13. Select and/or utilize the most appropriate professional practices. (Non-Thesis)
14. Evaluate or synthesize information pertaining to questions or challenges in their field of specialization. (Non-Thesis)
15. Communicate clearly in ways appropriate to the field of study. (Research)
16. Communicate clearly in ways appropriate to journalism practice. (Professional)
17. Communicate clearly in ways appropriate to the field of study. (Non-Thesis)

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: