WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM MASTERS PROGRAM
Go where the silence is and say something.
--Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now and winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, on reporting
Analyzing how newspapers cover labor strikes, interviewing Iranian bloggers, assessing how homeless newspapers create news, conducting an oral history with a photographer for the farmworker’s movement.
These are all examples of Master of Arts Degree work at the Department of Journalism at California State University, Northridge. Our program trains students to conduct research about the media. Opportunities also exist to work for the department’s student-run newspaper, television station and magazine, as well as receive credit for internships in one of the most vibrant media markets in the country.
OVERVIEW / DEGREES OFFERED
A Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communication is offered by the Department of Journalism. The degree requires 30 units of coursework including a master’s thesis/thesis project or comprehensive exams.
A comprehensive, intensive program in Mass Communication is offered to students who possess academic or professional backgrounds in journalism and seek to further their professional or personal goals; have little or no background in journalism, but who have developed strong undergraduate records and now seek the skills and insights necessary for careers in the media; or wish to engage in media research, seek admission to doctoral programs or want to enter teaching or academic administration.
The graduate program requires intensive advanced study and applied analytic and research skills. Students complete a thesis or graduate project of significance. By probing the intellectual, social and technical aspects of mass communication, students study problems they may face as professionals.
REQUIREMENTS
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
- A 3.0 (B) GPA in all undergraduate courses and an above average score on the verbal portion of the GRE.
Applicants with significant professional journalism experience may, with substantial justification, seek to waive this requirement.
Students in the graduate program usually fall into one of the three groups:
- Students with academic or professional backgrounds in journalism or related communication fields who seek advanced study to assist them in their professional lives.
- Students who wish to pursue careers in media analysis and research, who wish to enter teaching or academic administration, or who plan to seek admission to a doctoral program.
- Students with little or no background in journalism, but who posses strong undergraduate records and now seek the skills and insights essential for entry level media placement and at the same time wish to undertake a more thorough investigation of the media leading to an advanced degree.
Graduate course requirements are as follows (a total of 30 units is required):
Required Seminars
- MC 600 Seminar in Research Methods (3 units)
- MC 620 Seminar in Media Criticism (3 units)
- MC 630 Seminar in Analysis of Media Performance (3 units)
- MC 690 Research practicum (3 units)
- Jour 400 Law of Mass Communication (3 units)
- Jour 585 Theory of Mass Communication (3 units)
Electives (3-12 units):
- Jour 465 Mass Communication and Popular Culture (3 units)
- Jour 478 International News Media (3 units)
- Jour 480 History of the American News Media (3 units)
- MC 693A-Z Selected Topics (3 units)
- MC 694 Media Internship (1-6 units)
- MC 699C Independent Study (1-6 units)
Courses at the 400, 500 or 600 level in journalism or other departments not used to satisfy the requirements above and with prior approval of the graduate program adviser.
MC698 Thesis or Graduate Project (1-6 units)
Projects may include photography, video or audio tape documentaries of significance, or publishable works, such as an investigative or an in-depth article. A research thesis may probe historical, legal, social or practical questions through original investigation.
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