Journalism, M.A.
Take your education a step further by earning a Master of Arts in Journalism in our academic or professional tracks designed to advance your journalism skills and prepare you for careers in teaching, management or research.
“College only lasts a few years. Take advantage of that time. As a French student, I can tell you there are so many more opportunities I got while studying here than I would have had in France, in terms of student life, academics and work opportunities.”
Elise-Joelle Denoulet
M.A. Journalism, ‘22
About the M.A. in Journalism
It would be hard to imagine a better place for a journalist to study the art of storytelling at the graduate level than the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. This fabled place that William Faulkner once called his personal “postage stamp of native soil” was indeed fertile soil for writers even before Faulkner began penning his stories and novels.
Famed theater critic, journalist and novelist Stark Young lived and taught here at the turn of the last century. A long list of other writers and journalists—from legendary Harper’s editor Willie Morris to CBS News White House correspondent Randall Pinkston–have contributed to the mystique of this unique and special place where storytelling, whether written, spoken or seen in vivid images, is the very core of our mission as a journalism program.
The priority deadline to apply is February 1 and the final deadline is March 15.
On this Page…
Program Information
Degree
M.A. in Journalism
Emphases
Academic ;
Professional
Required Credit Hours
30
Program Type
Master's Program
Program Location
Duration
2 years
Select a Track
Tailor your journalism degree to your passions, whether in academic or professional journalism, and prepare for a dynamic career in the field. Find the degree path that's right for you.
Students take 30 semester hours exploring topics, such as research in mass communications, communications law, and history of mass media.
They must complete a formal thesis or a creative project.
Students take 30 semester hours in classes exploring multimedia documentary reporting, multimedia storytelling and narrative journalism, and they must complete a non-thesis professional project.
Students in Action
While enrolled in the graduate program, Taylor Tucker began working with local news station WTVA. After graduation, she landed a full-time role. You can now find Taylor on the news each morning.
“News has earned my heart, and I plan to continue my journey as a news anchor and reporter. It’s comforting to know I now have my master’s and plan to utilize it in my career.”
Taylor Tucker
Broadcast Journalist, M.A. Journalism '22
Class Offerings
You’ll analyze politics in the Southern United States and examine the role of the press in covering social issues. You’ll also study techniques used to inform the public, such as protest movements and their impact on social, political and economic change.
The theory of mass communications technology in relation to media functions, responsibilities, and influence in society.
Effects of language, culture, and ideology. Communication in the formation and action of crowds, masses, and publics. Mass and personal persuasion and propaganda techniques. The diffusion of ideas. Community power structures. Public opinion measurement.
Formulation and discussion of professional ethics for journalists. Analysis of social forces affecting media performance.
Investigative and interpretative news writing; coverage of courts and legislative bodies; use of public records.
Development of skills in conceiving, documenting, recording, and presenting information at broadcast standards as mini-documentaries in newscasts or as 30-minute and 60-minute documentary programs.
Perspectives on issues such as international mass communication, media and society, journalism ethics, diversity, etc. May be repeated for credit.
Students learn effective communications using graphical content, multimedia and interactive elements, creating a deliberate blend to add value to their storytelling. They acquire “hard” as well as “soft” skills needed in an unceasing news cycle.
Expands on principles and techniques learned in Jour 590 as students marry new production skills to evolving news sensibility, producing potentially rules-bending, “out of the box” projects as selected areas of digital media are investigated in-depth. Prerequisite: Journalism 590
Continuation of Communication Law with a concentration on specific areas of law in regard to the mass media. Prerequisite: Jour 371
Concentrated analysis and discussion of readings on media history.
Analysis of the people who report the news within the context of a time period, an ethical issue, a specific media or any other construct that provides a cohesive whole. Issues covered will range from professional problems to the human, social, and other consequences of news, news practices and news technology on the people who report the news.
In-depth, non-fiction narrative writing course for print, radio and online, consisting of features, profiles, personal essays, travel writing and sports analysis. Considers the practice of narrative journalism within the context of American journalism-literary history and within the context of daily news, giving student writers an expansive platform to explore topics of interest.
A non-thesis project must be a professional work in an appropriate medium equal in scope to a formal thesis, i.e., based on a formal proposal encompassing problem analysis, literature review, method statement, and bibliography. The project requires pre-approval of a written prospectus and an oral examination.
Meet the Graduate Program Coordinator
At the University of Mississippi, storytelling is at the heart of graduate study in journalism. From Faulkner to national correspondents, Oxford has long inspired great storytellers. Meet the graduate program coordinator who helps guide future journalists through this rich tradition and toward a career shaped by craft, voice, and vision.
If you have any questions about the Master of Arts in Journalism, don't heistate to get in touch!
Marquita Smith
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Media and Communication
Accelerated Master’s Degree in Journalism
Undergraduate students at UM that are interested in graduate study in Journalism can get a head start through the Accelerated Master’s Degree Program.
Undergraduate students that would like to qualify for the Accelerated Master's Degree Program must meet the following requirements:
- Journalism major
- 3.4 minimum GPA
- 90 completed credit hours as an undergraduate
Number of credit hours a student can earn towards the graduate degree while completing their undergraduate studies:
- 15 credit hours
Courses undergraduate students in the Accelerated Master's Degree Program can take to earn credit towards the graduate degree:
- JOUR 578 Multi-Media Documentary (counts as UG elective)
- JOUR 590 Multi-Media Storytelling 1 (counts as UG elective)
- JOUR 575 Media Ethics
- JOUR 513 Media and the South
- JOUR 580 Topics in Journalism II
- JOUR 610: Multimedia Storytelling II
Remember: Students who fail to reserve 500-level courses for graduate credit at the time they take the course will not receive graduate credit for the course (graduate level work must be completed to earn graduate credit).
- Reserving graduate credit with 500-level courses is required to ensure the Graduate School and instructor know the student must complete graduate credit requirements for the course.
- Students cannot later claim graduate credit for 500-level courses if they did not take the appropriate steps to notify the Graduate School prior to taking the course.
Students must be accepted into the Accelerated Master's Degree Program and complete the requisite Accelerated Master's Degree Program Course Enrollment Form for this degree. The form must be received by the Graduate School.
- Students must download and complete the participating program’s specific enrollment form each term. The form must be completed prior to the start of the term.
- The form requires approval from the Undergraduate Advisor and Graduate Program Coordinator.
- By signing the form to approve the enrollment for the semester, the Graduate Program Coordinator is agreeing that the student has been admitted to their Accelerated Master's Degree Program opportunity.
After the Graduate School receives the first approved program-specific enrollment form, the student will be identified as enrolled in the Accelerated Master's Degree Program for that degree.
- Each subsequent term for which the student wishes to earn credit towards the graduate degree while still completing their undergraduate studies, they must submit a registration form prior to the start of the semester.
- Failure to submit the required form on time will mean that the student does not earn graduate credit.
The Accelerated Master's Degree Program Course Enrollment Form must be submitted to the Graduate School by the Graduate Program Coordinator. Until the Graduate School receives the required form, the student is not officially registered for graduate coursework for that term.
Next Steps
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