The master of science in journalism (M.S.J.) program in the Reed College of Media is designed to help persons involved in various aspects of mass communication to better understand and to cope not only with the increased complexity of their own majors but also with fields outside mass communications.
The program, created to assist each student in reaching his/her potential as a worker, teacher, or scholar in mass communications, prepares a master's candidate not only for a first job but also for long-term and productive career development through the study of mass communications and related fields. Students who obtain the M.S.J. degree should excel in professional skills.
The M.S.J. program is intended to afford liberal arts graduates an opportunity to concentrate on advanced study in mass communications; to provide intensive study for persons who have undergraduate journalism training and who wish to pool their journalistic skills with extensive knowledge in another substantive area or areas (e.g., political science, economics, science); and to give persons who have had considerable professional experience an opportunity to broaden their academic bases through carefully selected advanced studies.
Assistantships and Tuition Waivers
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for College of Media students across West Virginia University each academic term. Graduate assistants may assist professors with their research or create content for such University support units as the Libraries, Research Office, Student Activities or Health Sciences Center, among others. Students might also work for WVU Student Media outlets to obtain solid professional experience outside of the classroom.
Students may receive stipends for the academic term and may apply for tuition remission for the entire year. Although sometimes renewed for a second or third term, assistantships and internships are typically granted for one academic term. Graduate assistants and interns work an average of twenty hours per week during the academic year.
Persons who wish to be considered for assistantships or internships should have their applications on file with the Director of Graduate Studies before March 1 of the same year.
Tracks
The College of Media offers two tracks–the teaching/research track and the professional track–within the M.S.J. program. In either track, the M.S.J. program offers five Areas of Emphasis (AOEs) that students may pursue, if desired, to obtain additional focus in a specific curricular area. AOEs are available in Advocacy & Public Interest Communications, Media Innovation, Digital Publishing, Visual Journalism, Reporting & Writing, and Television.
Teaching/Research
The teaching/research track is generally a program for persons who wish to pursue a Ph.D., to teach at the college/university level, and to conduct research in areas of mass communications. Persons in this track normally take research and theory courses both inside and outside the College of Media, as well as social science courses. The program culminates in a thesis, which is a scholarly theoretical study of an important aspect of mass communications.
Professional
The professional track is designed primarily for persons who wish to become excellent practitioners in some field of mass communications and who have less desire to teach or to become mass communications researchers. Persons in the professional track normally take communication and outside area courses that will help them to become better practitioners. The program culminates in a professional project, which helps a student to extend his/her practical and theoretical knowledge about a given aspect of mass communications and should be a non-routine project on which the student could work as a professional.
Time Limitation
Students must complete all graduate degree requirements, including either a thesis or a professional project, within eight years of beginning the initial coursework of the program. After this period, courses must be revalidated according to the procedures set forth in the WVU Graduate Catalog.
Maintenance of Scholarship
A journalism graduate student must maintain satisfactory progress toward the M.S.J degree. The candidate's graduate record begins with the first course credited toward the master's and includes all subsequent courses. Every graduate student must maintain at least a 2.75 grade point average and complete all requirements within eight years. Anyone who fails to meet this standard will be subject to academic probation and possible dismissal from the program.
Each person working toward the M.S.J. should register for at least one hour during every regular (fall and spring) term. This enrollment may be in coursework or in research.
International Students
Believing that mutual benefit is derived when scholars from other countries study in the Reed College of Media, the faculty welcomes international students. At the same time the faculty recognizes that journalism, more than any other field, requires language skills. To profit from journalism study, international students must have a ready understanding of English. International students, for whom English is not their official language, must include TOEFL scores. The minimum TOEFL scores needed for consideration at WVU are 550 (paper test), 213 (computer test), or a 79 (internet test). The minimum score for IELTS is a 6.5; the minimum for Duolingo is 105.