Admissions Standards and Procedures

The following is required to be considered for admission to the PhD program: 

• A master’s degree in journalism, strategic media, mass communication, or a related field from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA. Students seeking to pursue the degree with a master’s degree from another discipline will be considered with an undergraduate degree in the field, professional work in the field, or a statement of justification to explain how previous studies and experiences prepared them for work at the doctoral level. 

It is strongly recommended that applicants have at least three years of professional work experience in the journalism or strategic media industries. 

The following documents are required to be uploaded through UofM’s graduate admissions application: 

1. Official or unofficial transcripts of prior undergraduate and graduate coursework. Official transcripts must be submitted to be admitted to the University. 

2. A curriculum vitae or resume including relevant teaching, research, and work experience. 

3. Two samples of academic writing, such as a research paper from your MA program, professional research or position papers, or chapters from your MA thesis. 

4. A statement/letter of purpose (maximum 1500 words), explaining your purpose in pursuing a PhD, the specific specialization you would like to explore, and why you would like to study in our department.  

5. At least three letters of recommendation from faculty or other individuals who are familiar with your academic background and aptitude for doctoral work. 

Meeting the minimum department standards does not entitle an applicant to admission. Meeting such standards only ensures consideration of the application.  

Deadlines:  

Fall Admission: May 1 

Spring Admission: October 1 

Summer Admission: January 1 

Priority deadlines for consideration for graduate assistantships: 

Fall Admission: March 1 

Spring Admission: September 1 

Program Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 42 credit hours beyond the master’s degree. Courses taken at the 7000-level as a master’s student may be retaken at the 8000-level or replaced with an alternative course approved by the Journalism & Strategic Media Graduate Council. 

Major core (3 hours):  

JRSM 8002 Doctoral Pro Seminar 

Journalism & Strategic Media Core (12 hours) 

JRSM 8010 Pedagogy in Journalism and Strategic Media 

JRSM 8050 Mass Comm Theory 

JRSM 8080 Quantitative Research Methods 

JRSM 8085 Qualitative Research Methods 

Theory and Methods (select three classes for 9 hours) 

JRSM 8025 Law of Mass Communication  

JRSM 8125 Mass Communication History 

JRSM 8320 Mass Media & Diversity  

JRSM 8400 Public Relations Theory & Issues 

JRSM 8424 Media Effects & Communication 

JRSM 8530 Visual Media Theory & Practice 

Electives (6 hours) 

Six semester credit hours taken inside of Journalism and Strategic Media at the 7000-level or higher. Electives can align with the following areas of specialization, if desired:  

Integrated Strategic Media 

JRSM 7410 Crisis Communication 

JRSM 7412 Analytics and Evaluation 

JRSM 7414 Audience Analysis & Segmentation 

JRSM 7416 Global Strategic Communication  

JRSM 7418 Integrated Strategic Management 

JRSM 7422 Writing for Strategic Media  

JRSM 8330 Social Media and Community Engagement 

Multimedia Journalism 

JRSM 7015 Advanced Media Writing 

JRSM 7124 Data Journalism 

JRSM 8350 Multimedia Reporting 

Visual Media courses 

JRSM 7510 Information Design 

JRSM 7412 Analytics and Evaluation 

JRSM 7414 Audience Analysis & Segmentation 

JRSM 7416 Global Strategic Communication  

JRSM 7418 Integrated Strategic Management 

Outside cognate area (6 hours) 

Six semester credit hours taken outside of Journalism & Strategic Media at the 7000-level or higher. 

Dissertation (6 hours) 

JRSM 9000 

1. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 throughout the PhD program. A student whose cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 is placed on academic probation by the graduate school. Any assistantship is forfeited if a student is put on probation. 

2. A minimum of 42 credit hours of graduate credit at the 7000-level or higher beyond the master’s degree. A maximum of 9 hours may be taken from outside of the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media. No more than 6 hours of dissertation (JRSM 9000) will count toward satisfying the total number of graduate hours required for the PhD. 

3. Core Competencies. Students must have competency in the Department’s areas of specialization. These competencies can be satisfied academically in a variety of ways in consultation with the student’s advisor. 

4. Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examinations must be taken within two semesters of completing coursework. This examination includes a written part and an oral part and covers broad scholarly areas with custom areas tailored to the student’s research specialty. 

5. Departmental PhD Guidelines. Additional details and information are available in the departmental PhD Guidelines found on the department website. 

Academic Standards

At the end of every semester, the graduate faculty in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media evaluates the progress of every PhD student in the program. During the review, the graduate faculty also evaluates the performance of GAT/GAR work. For those guidelines refer to the department’s website. 

For a student to continue in the program, they must maintain satisfactory progress. The student will be judged as NOT making satisfactory progress if: 

1. The student’s cumulative GPA drops below 3.0. 

2. The student does not submit an approved plan of study before registering beyond 18 credit hours. 

3. The student does not pass comprehensive exams within two semesters of completing 36 credit hours of coursework. 

4. The student does not defend prospectus successfully within two semesters of passing comprehensive examination. 

5. The student does not demonstrate progress on their dissertation within two semesters of defending their prospectus and within each subsequent semester. 

6. The student has acquired more incompletes than they can complete during one semester of normal academic work. 

7. The student’s coursework does not demonstrate promise for independent scholarly work. 

Should a student fail to maintain satisfactory progress, the Department Chair, in conjunction with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies may begin a termination process as outlined in the graduate catalog (Academic Performance Termination and Appeal). Moreover, students found by the Office of Student Conduct to have committed misconduct will be sanctioned by the University in accordance with the policies contained in the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.” In these cases, the Department Chair, in conjunction with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, may also begin a termination process as outlined in the graduate catalog (Academic Performance Termination and Appeal.) The Department Chair, in conjunction with the Graduate Director, may also (in accordance with the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities) initiate academic retention processes against students for alleged violations of professional standards or ethics (e.g. the National Communication Association’s Code of Professional Ethics and Credo for Ethical Communication; the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Code of Ethics; or any other applicable code of professional standards or ethics) as a separate issue or as an extension of alleged acts of academic misconduct or other violations of the Code.