Master of Science
Studies toward the Master of Science in Journalism require 36 units of prescribed courses and approved electives in the student’s field of study. No more than 12 units of 400-level course work may be applied toward the Master of Science in Journalism.
Students who earn a GPA of below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation and must improve according to established terms if they are to remain in the school. In the case of courses offered on Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis, faculty review of competence will be substituted for grades.
Residence
Students in the Master of Science in Journalism can complete the program in nine months by enrolling in the four-week summer immersion course and enrolling in 16 units in the fall and spring semesters. The School of Journalism will accept only 4 units of approved transferred graduate credit.
Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirements
There is no foreign language or research tool requirement for the master’s degree.
Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (GSP)
Journalism and strategic public relations graduate students are required to complete an online tutorial about Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (GSP) and pass the GSP test before the end of the fall semester of their first year. Students who fail to complete the GSP tutorial and pass the test within the stated time frame will not be allowed to progress in the program and will be dismissed from the School of Journalism.
Note: Students with disabilities may register with the Disability Services and Programs office (DSP) so the DSP staff can assess the nature of the students’ disabilities and recommend the appropriate accommodations to be provided for each student.
Capstone Project
MS in Journalism students must enroll in JOUR 598 (2 units) in order to graduate.
Master of Science in Journalism Curriculum
Students enrolled in the Master of Science in Journalism are required to take 4 units in the summer and 16 units of required journalism courses in the spring and fall. These courses provide intensive preparation considered necessary for graduate studies in journalism at USC. In the 21st century, it is imperative that all journalists understand the basic techniques of writing, reporting and production for text, video, audio and digital media. Upon graduation, students will be routinely expected to function in all news media whether it be in traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines, or whether it be in new media such as electronic publications, Websites and new video and audio environments. The four required journalism courses in the summer and fall are:
JOUR 528 enables students in a four-week intensive course to learn the basics of newswriting, news judgment and technology skills for text, video-audio, and digital environments. Students also learn the fundamentals of journalism ethics, law and covering a diverse society.
JOUR 531 gives students a more in-depth experience in digital journalism by providing direct instruction about reporting and writing across multiple platforms and placing them in Annenberg’s Converged Media Center to produce professional stories and packages under intense daily deadline pressure.
JOUR 599 Students enroll in the section titled Special Assignment Reporting, which allows students to work on one of six beats in the Media Center: Urban Affairs; Science and Technology; Business and Economics; Sports; Education; and Arts, Culture and Entertainment. Through this class, students will have time to work on more long-term and long-form reporting projects. Students must tell those stories in a variety of mediums (video, audio, webtext, digital elements). The main focus of this class is story and contact development, advanced reporting work, constant critique from instructors and rewriting of stories until they are ready to be published or aired.
JOUR 505 gives students an appreciation for and an understanding of the relationship between journalism’s past and the present, linked by the evolution of journalism as a profession. A special emphasis will be placed on ethics and changing standards and practices in the digital age.
JOUR 560 gives students the opportunity to study the key legal issues facing journalists today. Students are expected to learn the basic workings of the legal system in the United States, the legal rules that apply to journalists in the United States, how to avoid being sued, and how to write clearly about legal issues.
The three required journalism courses in the spring are:
JOUR 547 teaches how the business model of news organizations has evolved over time and how it is being reinvented for the future. The course also explores different strategies for monetizing content.
JOUR 546 provides an overview of the basic quantitative analysis tools and techniques essential to give perspective to a story or to put it in context.
JOUR 598 guides students through the production of a multimedia journalism capstone project for a master’s degree.
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