Graduate Program
The Master of Arts in Journalism is an interdisciplinary program offering students advanced study of journalism.
Our graduate degree program has three concentrations:
Documentary Film
A concentration in Documentary Film in the Master’s of Arts program prepares graduates to work as documentary filmmakers, in independent and academic jobs, with study and practicum in the field of long-form, non-fiction storytelling.
News Narratives
The goal of the News Narratives graduate program is to guide students in advanced reporting, research in journalism topics, and writing narratives on another level. Faculty with years of reporting experience lead this sequence.
Strategic Advertising/Public Relations
The Strategic Advertising/Public Relations concentration offers graduate students an opportunity to learn strategic planning skills and techniques to develop campaigns for nonprofit and commercial clients.
The program requires 30 hours of coursework: 18 hours of graduate credit in journalism, 6 hours in a second field, and 6 hours of thesis credit. Students have chosen second fields such as political science, history, English, communication and art. They have the option to pursue a traditional research thesis, create a documentary film or produce a special thesis project.
The first step in admission to the Journalism MA program is approval by the UA Graduate School. Requirements for the Journalism MA program include:
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A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 credit hours of attempted coursework from a regionally accredited institution.
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A statement of purpose: An essay stating the prospective student’s interest in the Journalism graduate program and detailing any professional journalism experience.
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A current resume.
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3 letters of recommendation.
- Supplemental information relevant to the application may also be included.
- GRE is not required, but preferred for an assistantship consideration.
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A degree in journalism, and/or professional experience in the field. Applicants who lack either of these may be admitted with the requirement that they take 6 to 12 hours of specific undergraduate coursework and earn a grade of at least a B as background for entering the graduate program.
If you would like more information, please check the Journalism MA Graduate Handbook, which is a comprehensive guide to the program.
Interested in applying? Applications are handled online through the UA Graduate School. The UA Graduate School website also provides a wealth of information about the university’s
graduate programs.
Graduate Faculty
Jee Young Chung, Graduate School Coordinator (jychung@uark.edu)
Ginger Blackstone, Associate Professor
Dave Bostwick, Teaching Associate Professor
Brandon Bouchillon, Associate Professor
Lucy M. Brown, Teaching Assistant Professor
Larry D. Foley, Professor
Bobbie Foster, Assistant Professor
Kara Gould, Assistant Professor
Sisi Hu, Assistant Professor
Tiffany King, Instructor
Raymond McCaffrey, Associate Professor
Rowena Pedrena, Assistant Professor
Joel Reed, Assistant Professor
Bret J. Schulte, Professor
Teresa Tackett, Assistant Professor
Hayot Tuychiev, Teaching Assistant Professor
Admissions
Take the first step in the grad school application process for admission to the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.
The Journalism 5-Year Master’s Program
The Journalism 5-Year Master’s Program is designed to enable eligible UA journalism majors to take graduate hours during their undergraduate studies, be admitted to the Graduate School immediately after graduation, and complete much of their remaining coursework for the Master’s in a fifth year.
Traditional Thesis
The traditional research option involves producing a thesis that examines a narrowly defined question in journalism or strategic advertising and public relations.
Special Projects
Sometimes we need alternative options to fit our academic needs and pursuits: the Special Projects option offers the flexibility our grad students need to create a thesis project that's tailor-made to advance their career goals.
Course Descriptions
Learn more about the courses that comprise each grad student's program in the School of Journalism, Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, and Graduate School at the UA.