Master's Program
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Master's Program |
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Changes effective Fall 2006
Graduate Handbook (For a PDF version of this page click here.) The Master of Arts in Journalism program is an interdisciplinary program requiring 24 hours of coursework: 12 hours of graduate credit in journalism and 1 hour in a second field approved by the Journalism Graduate Faculty Committee. Students write and have an oral defense of a thesis, for which they receive an additional 6 hours credit when completed. Admission to the Master of Arts in Journalism program requires approval by the Graduate School as well as the Lemke Department of Journalism. Prospective students should note that admission to the Graduate School is prior to and separate from admission to the M.A. program in Journalism and that acceptance by the Graduate School does not guarantee admission to the Journalism program. Here is more specific information on applying to the Graduate School: THE DOMESTIC APPLICANT back to top Domestic applications are processed through the Graduate School. Obtain an application form from the Graduate School, 119 Ozark Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 72701; download an application form from the web-site: http://www.uark.edu/depts/gradinfo/apply.html; or complete the on-line application process Fill out the form, or answer the questions on the on-line application, and send together with a $40 processing fee to the Graduate School. For on-line applications, the fee may be sent by credit card. To see a Graduate School catalog, you can download this from the website or request that a paper copy be sent to you. You may call the Graduate School at 501-575-4401 or toll-free 1-866-234-3957; send a written request to the Graduate School, 119 Ozark Hall, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701; submit an e-mail to gradinfo@cavern.uark.edu; or fill out an online request form. You will be asked to have two copies of your official transcripts sent from every college or university you have attended. Admission to Graduate Standing may be classified as regular admission, letter of good standing, one-semester only, readmission, and conditional admission. Requirements for regular admission to graduate standing and acceptance in a program of study leading to a graduate degree are:
It should be noted that the minimum grade point requirement is calculated on all course work taken prior to receipt of the baccalaureate degree, including repeated courses, and thus may be different from the grade point average recorded on the transcript. Letter of Good Standing. A graduate student who is in good standing at another regionally accredited institution in the United States may be given admission (non-degree status) to the Graduate School for one semester upon submission of an Application for Admission and a letter of good standing from the Dean of the Graduate School at that institution. If, at sometime in the future, the student should wish to pursue a degree in the University of Arkansas Graduate School, it will be necessary to follow the normal procedures for admission and to have official transcripts sent from each institution previously attended. Graduate courses transferred and used for requirements for a degree at another university cannot be used for a graduate degree at this institution. Single-Semester Admission, NON-DEGREE Standing. Applicants who desire NON-DEGREE standing must obtain from the Graduate School Admissions Office and sign a STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING. Students admitted to single semester NON-DEGREE standing must understand that any enrollment taken in this classification will not normally carry degree credit. Transcripts are not required for applicants seeking this single semester NON-DEGREE standing. Conditional Admission. Applicants who do not meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for conditional admission with a satisfactory standardized test score, with the recommendation of the departmental chair and approval of the Director of Graduate Admissions. Students who are granted conditional admission must maintain a 3.0 gpa on the first twelve hours of graduate degree work. Failure to do so will result in their elimination from the graduate program and the Graduate School. . Provisional Admission. Students who apply but have not completed all requirements for a bachelor's degree will be granted provisional admission if they have an undergraduate GPA of 2.80 or better on at least 100 hours. Provisional admission means that: -the student must maintain or improve the level of academic performance in the remainder of the present degree program, -the student is admitted for REGISTRATION PRIVILEGES ONLY. The student will be granted graduate credit for the semester's courses only after two official transcripts, with degree confirmation, have been received by the Graduate Admissions Office. The transcripts must be received within 6 to 8 weeks of the requested semester. -The student will be permitted to register again in the Graduate School when all official transcripts have been received and eligibility for admission has been re-evaluated. Unofficial Admission. Students who apply for a semester which is about to begin may be granted unofficial admission in an effort to allow the student to participate in available registration periods. The Graduate School will consider unofficial documents to determine under which admission category the student will qualify once all official documents are submitted. The student must have all official documents submitted within 6 to 8 weeks. If the student fails to submit the necessary documents, they will be changed to UNDERGRADUATE standing for the semester and receive UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT for courses in that semester. Off-Campus Temporary Admission. Students who enroll in courses through our off-campus centers, including the Division of Continuing Education, Operations Management, and the Graduate Resident Center for Engineering, will be granted TEMPORARY undergraduate status in order for the student to continue to attend course(s). Full admission to the Graduate School and graduate credit will be granted to the student once all requirements for regular admission, letter of good standing, or single-semester admission are fulfilled. After all documents are received and evaluated, students not eligible for admission to the Graduate School will be admitted to an undergraduate college and receive undergraduate credit for courses. Also, if a student fails to submit the necessary documents by the end of the semester, the student will be admitted to an undergraduate college and receive undergraduate credit for courses. READMISSION back to top Readmission to the Graduate School is not automatic. Students who have been enrolled in the Graduate School within the two preceding academic years but have not enrolled in the immediately preceding semester will be readmitted if:
DUAL ENROLLMENT back to top Seniors at the University of Arkansas may register for graduate credit if they meet all of the following criteria: Must have no more than 12 semester hours to complete the requirements for the bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas in the semester in which the dual enrollment is to occur (as verified by the dean of the student's undergraduate college); Must plan to register for ALL undergraduate courses necessary to complete graduation requirements at the University of Arkansas by the end of the semester in which the dual enrollment is to occur; Must have a minimum cumulative grade point of 2.80 on ALL course work ever attempted at any institution attended prior to the request for dual registration (as verified by the Registrar's Office); Must have applied for graduation for the semester in which the dual enrollment is to occur. STANDARDIZED TESTS back to top Applicants need to consult with the specific graduate program they are applying to about whether the program faculty require a standardized test score. The Graduate School requires a standardized test score for all applicants who do not meet the requirements for regular admission. Acceptable standardized tests include the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) score, the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Further information may be obtained from the Department of Testing Services at the University of Arkansas. THE INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT back to top The International Admissions Office, located in 215 Hunt Hall, provides evaluation services to the Graduate School for all international graduate applicants.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS back to top Graduate assistantships are stipends paid from a regular university account or from a grant/contract held by a faculty member or organizational unit on campus. Normally, the Graduate School does not award assistantships; rather these are paid by an individual department, faculty member, or organizational unit on campus. However, the Dean of the Graduate School must approve all requests for new graduate assistant positions. The Lemke Department of Journalism offers a limited number of graduate assistantships and these normally involve responsibilities to assist with teaching and/or with labs, working under the supervision of faculty members to whom they are assigned. Graduate assistantships are awarded to students with a strong academic record and qualifications to assist faculty in appropriate areas. Deadline for departmental GA applications is April 1. Interested students should consult with the Journalism graduate coordinator and/or departmental chair. ADMISSION TO THE JOURNALISM GRADUATE PROGRAM back to top Applications for admission to the Journalism graduate program are considered once they have been approved by the Graduate School and are forwarded to the department. In addition to the materials submitted to the Graduate School, applicants should send directly to the Lemke Department of Journalism: · An official record of GRE scores; A minimum score of 1,000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE is required (including a minimum score of 500 on the verbal section). · A letter stating the prospective student's interest in the Journalism graduate program and detailing any professional journalism experience. Supplemental information relevant to the application may also be included. A student with fewer than three years of professional journalism experience must have an undergraduate degree, including a minimum of 21 undergraduate course hours in journalism; a minimum undergraduate grade point of 3.0; and a minimum score of 1,000 on the Graduate Record Exam, including a minimum of 500 on the verbal section. A student with three or more years of professional journalism experience must have an undergraduate degree and a minimum score of 1,000 on the GRE, including a minimum score of 500 on the verbal section, or an undergraduate degree and a record of superior professional achievement. Students who have been admitted to the Graduate School but do not fully meet the requirements for admission to the Journalism program may be considered for provisional admission subject to certain conditions. In such cases students may be required to complete specified undergraduate Journalism courses and maintain a specified grade average in order to qualify for full admission. Students may also be required to meet certain prerequisites in order to take graduate courses in the second field of study. A heavy emphasis is placed on writing and students should have strong writing skills. ADVISER AND PROGRAM OF STUDY back to top Upon admission to the Graduate School and acceptance into the Journalism graduate program, each student is assigned an adviser. Normally this adviser will remain as the student's adviser for the duration of the master's degree program and will serve as the chair of the student's thesis committee. However, in some cases another member of the Journalism graduate faculty may serve as the thesis adviser. In the early stages of the graduate program, normally no later than the conclusion of the first semester of course work, students must designate their second field of study. The student should submit a written statement to the Journalism Graduate Committee proposing the second field of study and indicating the reasons why the field is being proposed, including its relevance for the student. A suggested list of proposed courses in the second field should also be included. No second field is considered as officially accepted until it has been approved by the Journalism Graduate Faculty Committee. Normally, the second field of study will be in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; however, certain other fields may be considered. The student chooses a thesis topic in consultation with and with the approval of his/her adviser. The student is also responsible for constituting the thesis committee in consultation with the adviser. The thesis committee should consist of at least three graduate faculty members, two from the Lemke Department of Journalism and one from another discipline, usually the student's second field of graduate study. In constituting a thesis committee, attention should be given to the knowledge or expertise of the faculty members in the area of the thesis topic. All thesis topics must have direct relevance to journalism. In compliance with Graduate School regulations, all students must pass a Master's Comprehensive Examination as part of the requirements for completing the degree. The Lemke Department of Journalism uses an oral examination to satisfy this requirement. Normally this is done in conjunction with the thesis defense and the examination is conducted by the student's thesis committee. Students should consult with their advisers about procedures related to the comprehensive examination and see the section on Thesis Defense later in the Handbook. The Lemke Department of Journalism usually offers at least two graduate courses in the fall and spring semesters and some of these courses are offered in the evening. While certain courses are offered on a more frequent basis than others, the courses are usually offered on a rotating basis. Students should make note of this information from the Graduate School concerning advisory and thesis committees: COMMITTEES back to top Master's Program Advisory Committee The Master's Advisory Committee form, consisting of a major adviser and at least two other members of the graduate faculty, should be submitted (in duplicate) to the Graduate School immediately or at the time of admission to Graduate students' advisory, thesis, and dissertation committees must be composed so that no member of the committee has any personal relationship to the student which might be expected to create a conflict of interest or give that appearance. These relationships may include legal, family, and business relationships, living arrangements, and personal partnerships of other kinds. If there is uncertainty that any conditions constitute a conflict of interest between a student and members of the committee, the dean of the Graduate School will determine the issue. The dean of the Graduate School shall also adjudicate any complaint made by another party about a conflict of interest in committee membership. Master's Thesis Committee The Master's Thesis Committee form, consisting of a thesis director and at least two other members of the graduate faculty, should be submitted (in duplicate) to the Graduate School as soon as the committee has been selected but no later than three months prior to the date of the comprehensive examination. Committees may not be approved for the following reasons: If all members of the committee do not have the appropriate graduate faculty status; if faculty spouses are serving on the same committee and one is in a supervisory capacity over the other; if a member of the student's immediate family is proposed on the committee; or if there is an approved committee already on file. Graduate students' advisory, thesis, and dissertation committees must be composed so that no member of the committee has any personal relationship to the student which might be expected to create a conflict of interest or give that appearance. These relationships may include legal, family, and business relationships, living arrangements, and personal partnerships of other kinds. If there is uncertainty that any conditions constitute a conflict of interest between a student and members of the committee, the dean of the Graduate School will determine the issue. The dean of the Graduate School shall adjudicate any complaint may by another party about a conflict of interest in committee membership.
Students in the Lemke Journalism Department's master's program are required to write a thesis, which is then the subject of the student's comprehensive oral examination (see The Thesis Defense). A thesis represents an original contribution to research and analysis and is a detailed written report of an analytical research project. As part of meeting the requirement for the master's program, a student must register for a minimum total of six hours of credit for Master's Thesis (JOUR 600V). No more than six hours of credit for thesis enrollment may be applied toward the degree. The scheduling of thesis enrollment should be done in consultation with the student's adviser. (While a thesis is in progress the student's record will show a grade or mark of "R," which is the only acceptable mark when a thesis is in progress. A final grade may be assigned to the thesis when it has been accepted by the thesis committee.) Students may take a project prepared for one of their graduate courses and use it as the basis for developing a thesis. The title of the thesis must be approved by the thesis director and the thesis committee , and be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School at least three months before the date of the comprehensive oral examination. The University Graduate School has strict format requirements for the thesis. Students should obtain a copy of the Graduate School's Guide for Preparing Theses and Dissertations (may be purchased in the Bookstore), and carefully adhere to the standards and requirements listed in the Guide. Upon acceptance of the thesis by the thesis committee and at least one week before graduation, two typewritten copies of the unbound thesis in prescribed form must be delivered to the Graduate Dean for approval before being deposited in the Mullins Library. In addition, the Journalism Department requires that students turn in to the Journalism Office one bound copy of the approved thesis for Department files. All final copies of the thesis must include the original signatures of the student's thesis committee of record as approved and filed in the Graduate Dean's Office. Signatures of persons other than those of the official thesis director and members of the thesis committee are unacceptable. The Thesis Committee. (back to top) The thesis committee is normally made up of faculty members with whom the student has done graduate work. These faculty members serve as resources, guiding the student through the thesis planning, research, and writing. The main resource and guide for the student, however, is the "thesis adviser," who chairs the thesis committee and with whom the student is encouraged to consult frequently while researching and writing the thesis. The thesis committee must consist of a minimum of three (and usually no more than four) faculty members who have been approved by the Graduate School. As noted earlier (See Adviser and Program of Study), the student's journalism graduate adviser will usually but not automatically serve as chair (adviser) for the student's thesis committee. It is the student's responsibility to secure faculty members' agreement to serve on the committee and to report the members of the committee to the Graduate School. At least two members of the committee, including the thesis adviser, must be from the Journalism Graduate Faculty. At least one member must be a member of the Graduate Faculty from another department. The student must have the thesis committee's approval before proceeding with the thesis. To do this, the student writes a Thesis Proposal and presents it to the committee. The proposal should be approved at least six months before the intended graduation date. The following dates provide an example of what would be an appropriate schedule:
In researching and writing the thesis, the student should consult regularly with his/her adviser. Most advisers will asks the student to submit a planned schedule for completion of various elements of the thesis. The student should refer to the "Journalism Master's Thesis Proposal Outline" available from the Department. Thesis Defense/Comprehensive Examination. (back to top) For the Thesis Defense, the student meets with his/her thesis committee to present formally and discuss a final written draft of the thesis. The student is responsible for scheduling the defense session in consultation with the committee members and should allow at least one hour for the defense. In preparing for the defense, the student must deliver a copy of the final written draft of the thesis to each committee member no later than two weeks before the scheduled defense. The defense itself must be completed no later than two weeks before the Graduate School's deadline for submitting final thesis copy for the semester. The thesis adviser chairs the Thesis Defense. The student is responsible for bringing to the session all paperwork from the Graduate School which requires action by the committee. Students should understand that the committee may recommend changes or additions to the thesis before giving final approval.
An annual review will be conducted for each currently enrolled student in the Journalism (M.A.) Graduate Program. This annual review will focus on the student's progress toward completion of degree requirements. The review will cover these major areas:
Such reviews will be scheduled during the period March 1-May 1 each year. The review will be conduced by the department's Graduate Coordinator and the department Chair or one or more other members of the department's graduate faculty designated by the Chair. A personal interview with the Graduate Coordinator is required of all enrolled students as part of this review process. If a face-to-face interview is not possible students will receive a written summary of the evaluation by mail. If the student is not making satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements, a remedy plan must be agreed upon by the Graduate Coordinator (or assigned adviser) and the student if the student is to continue in the program. The remedy plan will be in writing and will be placed in the student's file and attached to the Academic Review Form provided to the Graduate School. It will include provision for a review date (normally no later than the end of the first full semester thereafter) by which time the stipulations of the remedy plan must have been met. A student who refuses to participate in the review process will be considered inactive by the Department and cannot be considered for reinstatement to active status without participating in such a review. For the student to continue in the program a determination must be made that the student is making adequate progress toward completion of the degree or a written remedy plan must be agreed upon.
General questions about the Journalism Graduate Program should be directed to Professor Hoyt Purvis, Graduate Coordinator, or to Dr. Patsy Watkins, chair of the Lemke Department of Journalism. Professor Purvis also serves as chair of the Department's Graduate Committee. Other members of the Graduate Faculty, in addition to Purvis and Watkins, are Dale Carpenter, Larry Foley, Gerald Jordan, Phyllis Miller, Louise Montgomery, and Jan Wicks. Advisers and members of advisory and thesis committees for graduate students must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Hoyt Purvis, Graduate Coordinator, Lemke Department of Journalism, 116 Kimpel Hall, Fayetteville AR 72701, phone 479-575-3601, e-mail: hpurvis@uark.edu.
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