Graduate

The master’s degree program is designed to meet the student’s professional and/or personal objectives. Although an undergraduate degree in journalism, broadcasting, media studies, or communication is not required for admission to the program, a student without a background in these related fields may be required to complete additional coursework at the graduate or undergraduate level in order to satisfy minimum expectations of someone entering a graduate course of study.

• The Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies admits graduate students only in the fall semester.
• Review of applications begins March 15.

Students should send application and college transcripts to the Graduate College. In addition, the following should be sent directly to the graduate coordinator of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies:

1. A copy of your undergraduate transcripts. (You must have a GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 90 credits of undergraduate coursework.)
2. Satisfactory scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination.
3. At least three letters of recommendation from people who are able to attest to your ability to do graduate-level work. At least one of these letters should come from a former or current professor or college-level instructor.
4. A letter of intent detailing your goals and expectations as a graduate student in journalism and media studies.
5. A writing sample such as a college course term paper.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College admission and registration requirements.

Admission Requirements

Two Page-Letter of Intent

• Describe your goals for the JMS graduate program
• Outline your possible research or creative thesis interests
• Summarize how your application packet supports these goals and thesis interests
• List faculty you would like to work with and why you would like to work with them

Primary Writing Sample

The primary writing sample should be academic and research-based. Additional secondary work samples in any media (for example, video, audio, or software) are recommended and can be either uploaded to the application system (if possible) or linked in your letter of intent. If you do not have a recent academic writing sample, a professional writing sample that demonstrates your analytical and persuasive abilities is acceptable. The primary sample must be your own work only for secondary samples, you must clearly and accurately describe your role in their creation, as well the roles of other people.

Letter of Recommendation

Your letters of recommendation should be from people who can fairly assess your ability to be successful at the graduate level; that is, to explore new areas of knowledge, to conduct research, to explain complex topics clearly in writing and verbally, and to be a self-starter in an academic setting. Because of this, we generally require that two of the three letters be from recent academic recommenders who have experience with you in such settings. If you have been out of school for some time and have attempted to contact previous instructors but have not received a response, you should ask people familiar both with graduate-level expectations and with your recent achievements to write letters assessing your potential. Typical workplace recommendation letters are usually not sufficiently informative about applicants’ ability to succeed in a graduate environment.

GRE Scores

While we look at applications holistically, we do expect GRE scores of around a combined 300 and 4+ on the writing component. (Be sure to spend some time studying beforehand; you can retake it if needed.) If we do not receive GRE scores by the deadline, but you otherwise present a strong application, you may be admitted provisionally and with a requirement to submit acceptable scores.

For more information about the Journalism and Media Studies graduate program, please visit the degree page.