School of Journalism and New Media

Undergraduate Studies

Admission Policies

Students wishing to enter the school must meet all requirements for general admission to the university.

Academic Regulations

Program Completion Requirements

Total Hours Required - At least 124 semester hours with passing grades must be completed for the school degrees. A minimum grade of C is required in all Jour and IMC courses. The school will accept transfer credits from another institution, but no more than 6 of those transfer credits will be accepted as equivalent to required core courses within a major. Advanced Work Requirement - At least one-third of the hours applied toward a degree must be at the 300, 400 or 500 level. For example, a student qualifying for a degree with 124 semester hours must show at least 42 hours of work at the 300 level or above. Total Grade Points - A student must attain an average of at least 2.00 grade points for all ABCDF-graded credit hours attempted. Z- and P- graded credit hours are not included in this calculation. Thus, a student qualifying for a degree with 118 ABCDF-graded hours and 6 Z- graded hours would need 236 grade points to meet the requirement, whereas the same student would need 248 grade points if all 124 hours were ABCDF-graded.

Minor Degree Requirement

Electives or work applied toward a minor must be taken outside the journalism school and applied toward completing a journalism degree. A minor in business administration is built in to the degree for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. Degree Application - Each senior must apply for a degree by returning a completed Degree Application Form to the dean's office two semesters before the semester in which the student expects to graduate. The dean's office sets the application deadlines and notifies students of their specified deadlines by letter, e-mail, and the university online notification system. This deadline will allow a student time to make any schedule changes required to complete all degree requirements and should guard against the disappointment of having graduation delayed. After obtaining the form from the dean's office, students list the courses they plan to submit for graduation and then take the form to a faculty advisor for certification that all degree requirements will be or have been met. Students then returns the form to the dean's office for final certification that the courses listed on the application qualify them for graduation. The degree application should not be confused with the diploma application, which is filed only after the degree application has been approved by the dean. The diploma application is an online form that must be filed during the semester of anticipated graduation.

Graduate Studies

M.A. Journalism

Admission Requirements

• Incoming students in the graduate journalism program come from a variety of countries, schools and undergraduate majors. Evidence of engagement with current events and an interest in finding, reporting and writing/telling stories is important.

• The admissions committee makes decisions on applicants in a holistic fashion. That means that no single piece of information is sufficient to “make or break” an application.

• In addition to meeting Graduate School admission requirements, applications must include an official transcript, three letters of reference, a resume and a “1500-word or less” personal statement. The GRE is not required.

• The three letters of reference should come from people who can speak to the applicant’s ability to perform well in a graduate program. They can be from former professors, supervisors or colleagues, but they should explain why the applicant is well suited to the rigor of a graduate program in Journalism. When applicants create the application, they will be able to enter their contact information, and the references will receive an email invitation to upload a letter to the application website. The letter should not be given to an applicant directly.

• In the personal statement, applicants should explain why they want to attend graduate school, discuss what they have to offer the program and what that hope to gain from their SJNM graduate experience. This also serves as an opportunity for applicants to highlight their qualifications, including any relevant experience and career goals. Though not required, prior professional and/or campus journalism experience is recognized. Applicants with prior experience should explain how the experiences have prepared them to succeed in journalism.

• Applicants should use the statement to share their personal and professional narratives with the committee.

• See the degree requirements under Programs. M.A. in Journalism

M.S. Integrated Marketing Communication (Residential Online)

Admissions

• Incoming students in Integrated Marketing Communication come from a variety of academic and work backgrounds. What matters is that you can think analytically and express yourself clearly in written and oral communications.

Admission Requirements

• The admissions committee makes decisions on applicants in a holistic fashion. That means that no single piece of information is sufficient to “make or break” an application.

• In addition to meeting Graduate School admission requirements, applications must include an official transcript, three letters of reference, a resume, and a “1500-word or less” personal statement. The GRE is not required.

• The three letters of reference should come from people who can speak to the applicant’s ability to perform well in a graduate program. They can be from former professors, supervisors or colleagues, but they should explain why the applicant is well suited to the rigor of a graduate program in IMC. When applicants create the application, they will be able to enter their contact information, and the references will receive an email invitation to upload a letter to the application website. The letter should not be given to an applicant directly.

• In the personal statement, applicants should explain what professional experiences have inspired you to pursue an IMC graduate degree. What professional/academic experiences have influenced your decision to join us at this time? This also serves as an opportunity for applicants to highlight their qualifications, including any relevant experience and career goals. Applicants should use the statement to share their personal and professional narratives with the committee.

• See the degree requirements under Programs. M.S. in Integrative Marketing and Communication