M.A. in Journalism and Media Studies Program
Graduate Handbook The Master of Arts degree in Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg prepares students for careers in the traditional and digital media and provides a foundation for those students who elect to continue their studies at the Ph.D. level. Students may take classes part time or full time. They may also sample the program by taking courses as a non-degree seeking student. Up to 12 hours of graduate credit will count toward the degree once admitted. However, the department encourages students to apply soon after completing their first course as a non-degree seeking student. The full program is offered at USF St. Petersburg; however students may choose electives, with their advisor's approval, in any department at any USF campus. |
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Characteristics of Graduate Study Graduate study differs from undergraduate work in substantial ways. Undergraduate study typically requires less analysis, interpretation and original inquiry than that expected in graduate programs. While undergraduate courses feature lecture or skill-building formats, the staple of most graduate programs, including ours, is the seminar. The word "seminar" implies an interchange of opinion, information and ideas. Seminars encourage informed dialogue and debate. Seminars depend on active student participation. Many undergraduate programs involve a structured, highly directed path to a degree, but graduate students receive greater latitude in stating their academic goals and in developing a plan for accomplishing those goals. At this stage of academic and professional development, graduate students should have clearly defined reasons for spending an additional two years or more at concentrated study. Undergraduate classes often require incentives for reading, study and attendance. None of this is deemed necessary in graduate classes, where students are expected to go beyond the assignments in exploring topics, issues and problems. For many students, undergraduate work focused on learning the fundamentals of their craft. Graduate study calls for reflection, introspection and deeper understanding. Ideally, it is a time of satisfying, rewarding discovery for students and instructors. M.A. in journalism and Media Studies requires 36 hours of academic credit. A realistic program for a full-time student involves a nine-hour load in the fall and spring terms, stretching out over two academic years. Summer courses including internships are also available. Students in our program elect to complete either a thesis, for up to six hours of credit, or an applied research project, for up to three credit hours, which is included in the 36 hour total. At least 16 of the 36 hours must be at the 6000 level, and 20 hours or more must be in formal, regularly scheduled course work. With permission from an advisor, USF graduate students may take one or two 4000 level courses, but graduate students are generally discouraged from taking undergraduate courses. Financial aid for graduate students usually will not cover the cost of an undergraduate course. Required Courses: Those who do a thesis must also take: This class is also a good class for students who have limited experience reading and writing academic research. Electives: Area of specialization: Students in the journalism program are eligible to apply for a professional practicum (internship) in a mass media setting after completing 12 hours in journalism/mass communications. Students intern in a variety of settings, including newspapers, television stations, radio stations, magazines, non-profit organizations, corporations, and in online media environments. Before a student's internship is approved, a faculty supervisor confirms that the practicum involves professional-level assignments and responsibilities. Working with an advisor, students help set up the internship and obtain a written description of duties and work hours from the editor or manager who'll be overseeing the practicum. Students may not receive internship credit for any current paid position. The academic credit for an internship, ranging from one to three hours, is assigned according to the number of days worked per week during the semester and the student's desire to be eligible for future internships. No more than three credits of practicum will count toward the student's 36 hours for graduation. Once the practicum is approved and under way, the advisor will consult with the studen concerning his or her on-the-job progress. In addition, the student's on-site supervisor will be contacted for periodic evaluations. Students are required to maintain a log or journal and submit copies of the work accomplished, such as published articles, contributions to websites, radio or television broadcasts, or visual design projects. Practicum hosts have included the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Tribune, Creative Loafing, Bay News 9 cable news, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, WFLA-TV, WTVT-TV and WTSP-TV. Poynter seminarsSee details in the Poynter Connection page. Thesis A thesis is a work of original scholarship that adheres to commonly accepted rules of academic publication. Students doing a thesis are required to take MMC 6421-Research Methods in Mass Communications. The thesis requires academic research that falls into two broad categories - quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative typically involves such research activities as survey research, content analysis and statistical studies; computer analysis often is a part of quantitative research. Qualitative research usually centers on historical, legal, ethical or critical approaches. An historical approach, for example, might concentrate on the life - or portion of the life - of an individual. Legal research often focuses on interpretation of court cases or an aspect of legal theory. Ethics research may use qualitative, philosophically based methodology and/or systematic, quantitative-based study of issues. A wide variety of methodologies can be used to study historical or current issues or to investigate questions about values, moral development and codes of ethics, for instance. Critical methodology might examine, through literary analysis, themes in media messages found in films, sitcoms, newscasts, articles and books. Theses usually include an introductory chapter based on the student researcher's prospectus, outlining the subject, its significance and the methodology employed. The second chapter is often the literature review, which relates other research in the area to the student's research in some kind of context and at the same time shows why the study is valuable. The third chapter could explain the methodology, discussing and defending the design of the project and that might include the research questions. A fourth chapter might include results. If it were a content analysis, for example, tables would show important (or all) results, pointing out similarities, major differences, and other findings. The last chapter usually contains conclusions, which, among other things, could include a complete analysis of the findings and how they relate not only to the research questions but to larger issues as well. Style manual Guidelines for theses Step 1. Go to the USF Graduate Studies Web site and view USF's thesis and dissertation guidelines. The student is responsible for knowing and following all USF procedures and deadlines regarding the thesis. Step 2. Students inform their advisor about intentions concerning the subject and format of the thesis. Student and advisor decide on a chair and thesis committee. The chair of the committee must be a graduate faculty member of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The committee comprises the chair and at least two additional faculty members, one of whom may be from another department at USF. Poynter Institute faculty may serve on a thesis committee that has three USF faculty members. Adjunct faculty members in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies may not serve on a student's thesis committee. Step 3. Prepare a thesis prospectus to submit to the chairperson and committee members. Schedule a meeting for approval of the prospectus. Step 4. Complete Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Form and have committee members sign approval. Step 5. Register for thesis or project hours. Step 6. Consult with committee chairperson on deadlines and arrange meetings for approval of the prospectus and defense of the completed thesis. Thesis prospectus Statement of purpose. A concise statement explicitly stating what the proposed research aims to accomplish. Justification of problem. What is the significance of the thesis in advancing knowledge in journalism or mass communications studies? How is it theoretically relevant? Statement of problem. Describe the thesis research problem (or topic) either in terms of the hypothesis (or hypotheses) or a set of questions to be explored and answered. A hypothesis is a clear statement(s) of conjecture about a problem, expressing a relationship between or among variables. The problem may also be stated as a series of connected questions that explore the full range of the issue or topic. Methodology. Specify in detail what will be done to solve or explore the thesis problem. Explain how information or data will be collected (observation, questionnaire, survey, content analysis, etc.) and then, how the data will be analyzed and interpreted. Review of literature. Put your proposed study into context by providing a general survey of relevant research, published and unpublished. Definition of terms. Define words or terms that have a meaning special to the thesis. Limitations. Establish the scope of the study, explaining what will and will not be included, and why. Outline and chapter summary. Provide chapter names (or topics) and subheads (if used), and a summary of what each chapter will accomplish. Bibliography. Provide a substantial, although preliminary, list of sources. Applied Research Project The project is a serious, culminating experience in reporting and writing or the investigation of an issue or problem related to journalism/mass communications. Applied research projects may focus on visual presentations, such as photography, Web design, or video instead of text-based presentations. The project offers a creative and professionally oriented approach to an in-depth study. Therefore, it is expected that students spend a substantial amount of time researching their chosen topic and producing the final outcome. The project does not require the graduate research methods course, as a project is not a research activity in the same sense as is the thesis. Often projects are called "creative" projects. While the project is different from the thesis, and may seem "easier" to some, we hold our students to the same degree of rigor as that required of the thesis. The project usually involves some kind of professional effort — a series of articles, a single, substantial journal article, or a book or some portion of a book, as examples. It gives students a wide degree of latitude but requires that they put together something beyond what they have done for classes. Ideally, the project demonstrates some notion of the mastering or coming-to fruition of ideas they have worked and struggled with during their master's work. Again, ideally, it would represent an innovative approach to some journalism or news dilemma — a writing style or form, a publication design, or Web site development. For example, a design-oriented student might come up with a well thought-out approach to redesigning all or a section of a newspaper or a newsletter. Another student might have an idea for a newsletter or publication and for the project produce a prototype. A student might report and write a series of articles on race relations, integrating the elderly into community life, crime and violence, or any other issue that affects the community. The project might demonstrate a different approach to these issues, suggesting other directions for reporting. Students planning projects must first consult with their advisor and decide on a supervisor and committee. Students should then complete the Applied Project Research Form and collect signatures from their comittee chair and committee member. A project committee requires two faculty members, usually both from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. An approved proposal is required before students can begin work on the project. Adjunct faculty within the Department of Journalism and Media Studies may serve on a project committee with committee chair approval. Project proposal Statement of purpose. A concise statement explicitly stating what the proposed project intends to accomplish. Justification. What is the significance of the project in advancing knowledge or performance in journalism or mass communications studies? Approach. Specify in detail what approaches will be used to accomplish project objectives. Explain how information will be collected and how it will be analyzed or interpreted. (Every project, no matter what format, must be accompanied by a typed text explaining its purpose and significance, not only why the specific topic was chosen, but why the researcher collected and dealt with data in the particular ways chosen.) Outline and summary. Provide an outline of the project, summarizing its contents. Describe its components, providing headings if possible. Sources. Cite sources, including interview subjects. Graduate students in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies must pass a comprehensive written examination, which can be taken after completing 21 hours of course work, including all three core courses. Students should monitor their coursework and advise the graduate program director, Xiaopeng Wang, the semester before they plan to sit for the comprehensive exams. The graduate director will authorize the student's eligibility to sit for the exam. Comprehensive exams will be given in the fall and spring semesters on the Friday that falls two weeks prior to the end of exam week. Comps will be written from 9-1 p.m. in FCT 107. Reading and concept lists for the three core areas, theory, law and ethics, will be available no later than the graduate student orientation held at the beginning of fall semester each year. Students are expected to prepare for comps over at least three semesters, supplementing what they've learned from their coursework with outside reading. On comps writing day, students will receive one question from each of the core areas to answer. The question may include an example that students will use to demonstrate their ability to apply core content knowledge. Reading and concept lists for comps are here. The subject exams will be graded by the particular subject instructor. Students will receive the grade of pass, no pass, or defense. Students who pass all three questions may register for thesis or project credits. Students who receive a "no pass" for one or more exams may not attempt comps again until the following semester. Students who receive a grade of "defense" will, at the faculty member's discretion, respond to questions of clarification, either in writing or orally. Any defense must be completed before the end of the term in which the exam was written. A student may attempt a subject area comprehensive exam no more than three times. The comprehensive examination must be completed satisfactorily before a student is allowed to register for thesis or project hours. Advisement Assistantships, Fellowships, and Financial Aid Graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis for students who qualify. Students must be formally admitted to the M.A. in journalism program and must be full time (nine credit hours) for the term in which the assistantship is held. The duties and responsibilities of graduate assistants vary, and may include research or service support as well as assisting instructors with undergraduate journalism and media studies courses. Graduate assistants receive a full in-state tuition waiver. Assistantships are generally awarded to begin in the fall term. Deadlines for consideration for a graduate assistantship or other departmental support is March 15. Graduate assistantships that become available at mid-year are advertised to current and potential graduate students as they become available. To apply for the assistantship, complete this form and email it to Dr Wang by the deadline. Fellowships, grants and scholarships Eligibility for support: Minimally, applicants to the department must have an undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 or above, a score on an admissions test that places them in the 75th percentile or above, and demonstration of accomplishment in previous work or academic environments. Current students must have a current G.P.A. of 3.0 or above and have demonstrated their commitment to the department or the field. All support is awarded on a competitive basis. There are always more qualified candidates than supported positions. Applications for support for Fall term are due no later than March 15. Applications for support for Spring term are due no later than October 15. Support funding that becomes available after these deadlines will be offered to applicants or students who previously were not offered support, but who have been wait-listed. NO support will be provided without a completed support application. Type of support: Tuition Waiver – The Department provides support at the level of one semester’s in-state tuition. This is deposited directly into the student’s university account. Stipend – The Department provides support at a set amount paid out over a semester that is generally equivalent to a semester’s tuition waiver .Hourly pay – depending on the source of funding, the Department may pay a student a set hourly rate that is determined in consultation with HR. Sources of funding: College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Assistant Funding – the amount that the Department receives each semester in this funding line varies and may be directed support, in that it limits student services to a particular function, such as online course support. Poynter-Jamison Foundation Scholar – the Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy may select a student with an outstanding academic background who has also demonstrated an interest in ethics or responsible media practices. This scholar will provide teaching and/or research assistance to the Poynter Jamison Chair. St. Petersburg Times Fellow – the St. Petersburg Times may be used to support eligible students who bring strong interest or professional experience in media presentations of those who have traditionally been underserved by traditional media. The St. Petersburg Times Fellows often work as teaching or editorial assistants for the departmentally-supported Neighborhood News Bureau. Financial aid and loan programs
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