Main Departmental Office
General Academic Building, 102
P.O. Box 305280
Denton, TX 76203-5280
(940) 565-2205
Web site: www.jour.unt.edu
Graduate Faculty: Albright, An, Broyles, Busby, Everbach, Gormly, Lambiase, Land, Mueller, Wells, Zavoina.
The Department of Journalism offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:
Main Office
General Academic Building, 207
P.O. Box 311460
Denton, TX 76203-1460
(940) 565-4564
Web site: mayborninstitute.unt.edu
Graduate work in the Mayborn Institute is designed to prepare students with lifetime communication and intellectual skills for successful careers in the professions represented by the department’s graduate degree programs. The Mayborn Institute also prepares students who wish to pursue academic careers in higher education. This nationally accredited program offers state-of-the-art technological training and support as well as research and study opportunities in news, advertising, public relations, photojournalism and broadcast news. Some web-based courses are now available.
Journalism graduate students are required to pass a written comprehensive examination over journalism courses taken. The examination should be scheduled near the end of the student’s program. Journalism graduate students who write a thesis will defend that thesis in an oral examination with thesis committee members.
Areas of research interest in the department include the impact of new technology on journalism and mass communication, the importance of ethics in media, the use of computers by students in professional preparation and to improve writing and information gathering skills. Research also is conducted on curriculum studies for journalism education and on defining the outcomes of journalism education. Other topics of research interest are sexism and racism in media, editorial policies of student newspapers, newspaper design and production, and international communication issues.
Application for admission should originate in the office of the dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from an approved college or university.
A satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be submitted before formal admission to the graduate program in journalism. If admitted provisionally, a student will not be permitted to enroll in any courses for credit toward the master’s degree after the first term/semester until an acceptable score is submitted and approved. A portfolio must also be submitted to the Mayborn Institute. Contact the Institute for details. International students may substitute successful completion of the Graduate Preparation Course for the verbal portion of the GRE. International students also must submit satisfactory scores on the TOEFL. The graduate director may make an exception in an unusual case.
Master of Arts
General requirements for the Master of Arts with a major in journalism are the same as those listed in the Master’s Degree Requirements section of this catalog. The MA candidate whose undergraduate degree is not in journalism may be required to take up to 12 hours of undergraduate courses in journalism as approved by the graduate program director.
The MA candidate in journalism must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours, including a thesis of 6 hours. A minor is not required, but up to 12 hours may be taken in a minor field, or the 12 hours may be divided between two minor fields. The MA requires foreign language competency. Students should meet with their adviser after completing 12 hours to select a thesis chair and committee and to register for the comprehensive exam. Comprehensive exams must be passed before registering for thesis hours.
JOUR 5040, Studies in the Mass Media, should be taken in the first term/semester of study in the journalism graduate program.
Required courses for the MA follow.
The MJ candidate whose undergraduate degree is not in journalism may be required to take up to 12 hours of undergraduate courses in journalism as approved by the graduate program director. The MJ degree has no foreign language requirement, and the 6-hour thesis is optional, but the candidate must complete a minimum of 36 hours of graduate work.
A minor of at least 6 hours in another field is required. If as many as 12 hours of minor work are done, they may be divided equally between two approved fields.
JOUR 5040, Studies in the Mass Media, must be taken in the first term/semester of study in the journalism graduate program.
Required journalism courses for the MJ follow.
Recommended minor fields for the MJ are English, history, information science, political science, radio/television/film, sociology, economics and business administration. A minor is optional for the MA.
The Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism offers a graduate academic certificate titled Religion in Media and Culture. This program consists of a focus of study examining religion and spirituality as it is expressed and perceived within culture and society generally and through mass-mediated communication specifically. The certification requires 15 hours of course work drawing from journalism and assigned readings in religious studies and the sociology of religion.
Graduate standing; demonstrate competency in reporting (or may take JOUR 5010 as a prerequisite).
The award winning North Texas Daily, UNT’s student newspaper, provides practical experience for students in all sequences of the Department of Journalism. The Student Publications Committee selects the editor each term/semester, and staff jobs are open to any UNT student. The Daily is published four days a week in the fall and spring terms/semesters and once a week in the summer. The Daily has been providing news and entertainment to UNT students since 1948. For more information, contact the Daily’s adviser at (940) 565-2205, or visit the Daily’s web site (www.ntdaily.com).
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
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