Degree Offered
- Master of Science in Journalism
Nature of the Program
The master of science in journalism (M.S.J.) program in the Reed School of Media and Communications is designed to assist students in reaching their potential as professionals, teachers or scholars in media and communications. The program prepares students not only for a first job but also for long-term and productive career development through the study of media, communications and related fields.
The M.S.J. program is intended to afford graduate students an opportunity to concentrate on advanced study in media and communications and to give persons who have had considerable professional experience an opportunity to broaden their academic bases through carefully selected advanced studies. Students have the opportunity to work for WVU Student Media outlets, such as The Daily Athenaeum and U92 College Radio, to obtain professional experience outside of the classroom and to work with school faculty on research and special projects.
Time Limitation
Students must complete all graduate degree requirements 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.
Academic Progress
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; failure to do so may require readmission to the University.
International Students
Believing that mutual benefit is derived when scholars from other countries study in the School of Media and Communications, the faculty welcomes international students. At the same time, the faculty recognizes that journalism, 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 iBT score needed for consideration at WVU is 79; the minimum score for IELTS is a 6.5; the minimum for Duolingo is 105; the minimum PTE Academic score is 53; the minimum TOEFL Essentials score is a 9.0.
Admissions for 2026-2027
Admission to the M.S.J. program is limited to recipients of baccalaureate or equivalent degrees from institutions of higher learning. Applicants should have earned at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement may be accepted only if the low GPA scores are offset by extraordinary factors. Excellent recommendations, unusual grading patterns (e.g., a steady rise of grades), an outstanding statement of purpose, or examples of professional accomplishment sometimes can offset a low GPA. Applicants should submit to the School of Media and Communications Director of Graduate Studies a detailed statement of purpose explaining why the student wishes to undertake graduate study in journalism, what the student hopes to glean from the graduate journalism program, what his/her long-term goals are, and how graduate education in journalism can help achieve those goals.
Students must apply online. More information at: https://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/how-to-apply.
Major Code: 3747
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 6 | |
| Master of Science in Journalism Major Requirements | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Electives | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
Master of Science in Journalism Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required in all courses toward the major. | ||
| JRL 604 | Mass Media and Society | 3 |
| JRL 528 | Media Ethics and Law | 3 |
| JRL 620 | Advanced Journalistic Writing and Research | 3 |
| Select one of the following: ** | 9 | |
Area of Emphasis | ||
School of Media and Communications Electives | ||
| Complete one of the following options: | 6 | |
Thesis Option | ||
| Research (6 Hours) | ||
Professional Project Option | ||
| Research (6 Hours) | ||
Coursework Option | ||
Select two of the following: | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Multimedia News Publication | ||
| Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications | ||
| Introduction to Digital Marketing Communication | ||
| Introduction to Data Marketing Communications | ||
| Research * | ||
| Audience Insights and Analysis | ||
| Advertising and Public Relations Campaigns | ||
| Crisis Communication | ||
| Advocacy Communication | ||
| Public Interest Communication | ||
| Strategic Event Planning and Promotion | ||
| Interactive Media and Audience Building | ||
| Disruptions & Trends in Media Enterprise | ||
| Community Journalism | ||
| Next Gen News Analytics | ||
| Product Development for Newsrooms | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
- *
Students who choose to write either a thesis or a professional project must register for at least 6 credits of Research (JRL 697).
- **
Excluding the research hours, a minimum of 18 credit hours must be earned in the School of Media and Communications. Students may choose either an Area of Emphasis or School of Media and Communications electives.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JRL 604 | 3 | JRL 620 | 3 |
| Electives* | 6 | Electives* | 3 |
| JRL 528 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JRL 697** | 3 | JRL 697** | 3 |
| Electives* | 3 | Electives* | 3 |
| 6 | 6 | ||
| Total credit hours: 30 | |||
- *
Various electives. In both programs, sixty percent of the graduate credits submitted for the degree (eighteen credits) must be in courses numbered 500–799
- **
Students who choose to write either a thesis or a professional project must register for at least 6 credits of Research (JRL 697) .
Students should note that the majority of credits submitted for the degree must be in courses numbered 500 or above.
The thesis or professional project will be graded as an S or U (satisfactory or unsatisfactory).
Except for thesis, professional project, and internship courses, no student may take a course on a P/F or S/U grade basis without prior approval of the Director of graduate studies.
Thesis/Professional Project
Each student must complete a thesis or a professional project involving original work in his/her area of interest. The master’s candidate should have a thesis or professional project proposal written by the end of the academic term in which the first nineteen hours of coursework are completed.
Each student is responsible for developing ideas for the thesis or professional project. Through consultations with journalism faculty, the student can determine faculty interests and areas of expertise; he/she then refines a preliminary idea to a significant, feasible thesis/project topic.
Normally students will enroll for six credit hours of research courses. The Director of Graduate Studies must approve any deviations from this norm.
In addition to this six-hour limit, no graduate student will be permitted to enroll in more than six hours of research courses without approval from the director of graduate studies.
Advisory Committee
The student, with approval of the director of graduate studies, selects a journalism graduate faculty member who would be best able to chair his/her Advisory Committee, subject to the agreement of the faculty member. If questions arise about a faculty member’s interest or knowledge, the student should consult the director of graduate studies. With the chairperson, the student further refines the topic to a “preliminary proposal” stage, in which concepts and appropriate methodology are on paper but not necessarily in formal proposal form.
After the student has written a preliminary proposal and selected a faculty chairperson, the student should select other members of his/her committee, subject to their willingness to serve. The committee must consist of no fewer than four members (including the chair) and at least two persons must be members of the WVU faculty; others may be from other departments at WVU. Committee chairs must be members of the School of Media and Communications graduate faculty. The fourth member of all thesis committees must be affiliated with the graduate program at an accredited university (or another department at WVU). The fourth member of professional project committees may be from the professional realm.
Proposals
At this point, students in the thesis/professional track must submit proposals to their committee, which must approve all topics (but not research methods, specific research questions, or hypotheses, etc.). After securing committee approval, students schedule a proposal defense date. Proposal defenses are required of all students.
Working under the committee’s guidance, each student revises the thesis or project proposal, extended from the preliminary proposal. Guidance for designing a proposal is available from the Director of Graduate Studies.
Once the committee agrees that the proposal is ready, a proposal defense is scheduled.
Final Thesis/Project Approval
After the thesis/project proposal defense, the committee votes to accept (often with revisions) or to reject a proposal. The student whose proposal is approved works closely with the committee chair to complete his/her final thesis or project. A master’s candidate must inform his/her committee and consult its members for advice (as needed and as desired by them) as the thesis or project develops.
After each advisory committee member is satisfied with the thesis or project, a final defense is scheduled. Announcements of the defense should be posted in Martin Hall. (Interested students and faculty may attend the presentation portion.) Students also should make certain that they file their thesis/project signature form with the director of graduate studies (and the University Libraries) two weeks before their defense date.
Only committee members may vote on acceptance or rejection of a thesis. Although someone may cast a recorded dissenting vote, a majority vote is sufficient to approve a thesis/project. Furthermore, at least three signatures (two of which must belong to School of Media and Communications faculty members) must appear on the approval sheet. Often, only small changes are required prior to final submission to the committee chair and then to the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation system.
Master’s candidates should follow APA (or another chair-approved stylebook) during preparation of a thesis or professional project.
Each committee chairperson will ultimately decide whether the candidate has properly made the requested corrections (after the final defense); that chairperson also will check the style and form of the final version. Every graduate student is responsible for delivering a copy of a final thesis or professional project to the director of graduate studies; he/she also must file a thesis or professional project electronically (to the University Library) before the academic term’s deadline.
Areas of Emphasis Offered:
- Advocacy and Public Interest Communication
- Digital Publishing
- Media Solutions and Innovation
- Reporting and Writing
- Television
- Visual Journalism
Advocacy and Public Interest Communication Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Interactive Media and Audience Building | ||
| Crisis Communication | ||
| Advocacy Communication | ||
| Public Interest Communication | ||
| Special Topics (Audience Development/Engagement) | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Digital Publishing Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Interactive Marketing Commctns | ||
| Experimental Journalism | ||
| Multimedia Storytelling | ||
| Documentary Storytelling | ||
| Digital Publication: Social Video | ||
| Special Topics (Data Journalism for a Better Story) | ||
| Special Topics (Ethics in an AI Society) | ||
| Multimedia News Publication | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Media Solutions and Innovation Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Interactive Marketing Commctns | ||
| Experimental Journalism | ||
| Multimedia Storytelling | ||
| Documentary Storytelling | ||
| Interactive Media and Audience Building | ||
| Special Topics (Data Journalism for a Better Story) | ||
| Special Topics (Ethics in an AI Society) | ||
| Special Topics (Audience Development/Engagement) | ||
| Multimedia News Publication | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Reporting and Writing Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Sport Journalism | ||
| Adventure Travel Writing & Photography | ||
| Investigative Reporting | ||
| Special Topics (e.g. Science/Health Journalism; Nonfiction Storytelling) | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Television Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Live Sports Video Production | ||
| Special Topics (e.g. Digital Publication; Social Media Video) | ||
| Advanced Video Reporting and Producing | ||
| Multimedia News Publication | ||
| Special Topics (e.g. Audience Development/Engagement) | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
- *
WVU News requires JRL 488 as a prerequisite.
Visual Journalism Area of Emphasis Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students are expected to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA. | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Multimedia Storytelling | ||
| Documentary Storytelling | ||
| International Media 1 | ||
| Interactive Media and Audience Building | ||
| Special Topics (e.g. Digital Publication; Social Media Video) | ||
| Advanced Video Reporting and Producing | ||
| Multimedia News Publication | ||
| Independent Study (must be approved by grad director) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
- *
WVU News requires JRL 488 as a prerequisite
Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Programs
- B.S.J. in Advertising and Public Relations/M.S.J. in Journalism
- B.S.J. in Journalism/M.S.J in Journalism
Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree Requirements
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for the BSJ in Advertising and Public Relations, including earning a minimum grade of C- in School of Media and Communications Core Requirements and Advertising and Public Relations major requirements. In addition to all the requirements of the M.S.J in Journalism, students must also meet all the requirements of the ABM.
ABM Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising and Public Relations Major Requirements | 108 | |
| Shared Bachelor's/Master's Coursework | 12 | |
| M.S.J Journalism | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 138 | |
Shared Coursework Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| JRL 500 | Introduction to Graduate Studies | 1 |
| JRL 504 | Mass Media and Society | 3 |
| JRL 520 | Advanced Journalistic Writing and Research | 3 |
| JRL 528 | Media Ethics and Law | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 13 | |
Suggest Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ADPR 215 | 3 | ANTH 105, PSYC 101, or SOC 101 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | MDIA 215S | 3 |
| JRL 191 | 2 | English Literature or Creative Writing course | 3 |
| MDIA 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | GEF 3 | 3 |
| Language Course | 3 | Lanuguage Course | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 200 | 3 | ADPR 319S | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | 3 | HIST 153 | 3 |
| MDIA 225S | 3 | STAT 111 | 3 |
| GEF 2B | 4 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | Elective | 2 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ADV 315S or PR 324S | 3 | BCOR 350 | 3 |
| POLS 102 | 3 | AOE course at 300 or 400 level | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | Electives | 6 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ADPR 421S | 3 | ADPR 559S | 3 |
| JRL 500 | 1 | JRL 520 | 3 |
| JRL 504 | 3 | JRL 528 | 3 |
| AOE Course at 300 or 400 level | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Elective* | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JRL 697 | 6 | JRL 689 | 3 |
| Elective* | 3 | JRL 698 | 3 |
| Elective* | 3 | ||
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Total credit hours: 138 | |||
- *
These electives should be at the 500- or 600-level and may come from within or external to the School of Media and Communications.
Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree Requirements
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for both the B.S.J and the M.S.J in Journalism. Students must also meet all the requirements of the ABM.
ABM Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| B.S.J Undergraduate Requirements | 108 | |
| Shared Bachelor's/Master's Curriculum Coursework | 12 | |
| M.S.J. Master's Requirements | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 138 | |
Shared Bachelor's/Master's Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| JRL 458 | Interactive Media and Audience Building | 3 |
| JRL 504 | Mass Media and Society | 3 |
| JRL 520 | Advanced Journalistic Writing and Research | 3 |
| JRL 528 | Media Ethics and Law | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MDIA 191 | 2 | ENGL Literature or Creative Writing course | 3 |
| MDIA 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | Language Course | 3 |
| MDIA 215S | 3 | GEF 2B | 4 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | Select one of the following: | 3 |
| Language Course | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| One-credit-hour JRL Skills course | 1 | JRL 318S | 3 |
| MDIA 225S | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | HIST 153 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| BCOR 350 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| One-credit-hour JRL Skills Course | 1 | ||
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JRL 319S | 3 | STAT 111 | 3 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| JRL 341S | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| POLS 102 | 3 | ECON 200 | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | JRL "track" elective | 3 |
| One credit-hour-hour JRL Skills Course | 1 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JRL 458 | 3 | JRL Capstone Course | 3 |
| JRL 528 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| JRL 504 | 3 | JRL 520 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | JRL "track" elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Elective* | 3 | JRL 689 | 3 |
| Elective* | 3 | JRL 697 or 698 | 3 |
| JRL 697 | 3 | Elective* | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Total credit hours: 138 | |||
- *
These electives should be at the 500- or 600-level and may come from within or external to the School of Media and Communications.
Major Learning Outcomes
Journalism
Whether students in the M.S.J. program are interested in teaching and research or strictly professional pursuits, upon completing the program, they will be able to:
- Understand economic, ethical, historical, legal, political, social and technological forces that shape the roles and structures of the media.
- Employ writing, researching and editing skills to be a professional in the graduate’s chosen field.
- Articulate journalistic concepts, values and skills.
- Understand methodology used in historical, legal, cultural and other types of qualitative and quantitative research.
- Conduct original research that contributes to knowledge in the field.
- Effectively communicate orally, through writing, and through various media.
- Understand and critically evaluate public opinion polls and other types of quantitative and qualitative research.