Program Description
The M.S. in Journalism combines traditional reporting, multimedia storytelling and journalistic ethics with cutting-edge issues in the media industry, including data visualization, solutions journalism, and inclusive community engagement. The program is designed to meet the needs of students of varying backgrounds, including those who are new to journalism, recent graduates, and working media professionals seeking to advance their skills and their careers. The 33-credit program is offered by Stony Brook’s School of Communication and Journalism, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).
Students will take classes that enhance their multimedia storytelling skills. They will gain an understanding of media law and fully engage with the ethics of journalism as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists. They will examine data to find and tell stories in ways that are accurate and engaging. They will explore solutions journalism, and learn to look for stories about organizations and communities seeking to solve problems in unique ways. Underpinning these skills, students will learn to question their own biases and recognize how their experiences shape how they see and interact with individuals and societies. Students become media professionals who understand and are committed to working within and among the communities they cover.
Students will learn from leading journalists, including Pulitzer-Prize winners and foreign correspondents, and experts in audience engagement and innovation. They will learn and work in professional spaces, including the School’s two-story newsroom and state-of-the-art broadcast studio and control room. They will complete professional projects and network with industry professionals working in and around Long Island and New York City.
Student Learning Outcomes
Our program has been designed to meet programmatic outcomes that are outlined in the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)’s professional values and competencies (listed below). ACEJMC Professional Values & Competencies require that, irrespective of their particular specialization, all graduates should be aware of certain core values and competencies and be able to:
(See: http://www.acejmc.org/policies-process/nine-standards/) All syllabi have been designed to ensure that students develop these competencies and have opportunities to refine them over the course of their program.
Stony Brook University has begun ongoing implementation of a comprehensive “ Plan for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, ” and is committed to broadening participation of students from historically underrepresented groups in careers in journalism and mass communication. Particularly noteworthy is the SBU Graduate School’s Center for Inclusive Education , which is home to funded projects designed to grow the pool of diverse scholars pursuing full-time graduate studies, advancing into postdoctoral positions and successfully transitioning to competitive careers in research and the Academy.
Master of Science in Journalism
Dean of the School of Communication and Journalism
Laura Lindenfeld, PhD
Graduate Program Director
Brenda Hoffman, PhD
Graduate Program Coordinator
Stefanie Ambrosio-Mullady, MA
For questions related to applications and course registration, email SOCJ_grad@stonybrook.edu
Website
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/journalism/academics/ms-journalism.php
The Master of Science in Journalism program prepares graduates to tell the stories society needs to understand and combat the significant challenges facing people and the planet. This program offers students a firm grounding in multimedia journalism and ethics, and helps them develop skills that are increasingly important in our divided society: inclusive communication and community engagement, data journalism and visualization, and solutions-based journalism.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must submit the following:
Degree Requirements
To earn the master's degree in journalism, students must complete 33 credits. Faculty advisors will guide students in creating educational plans that best fit their backgrounds, interests and aspirations. The curriculum is built around a core group of required courses:
JRN 510: Reporting and Writing for Journalism
JRN 520: Multimedia Journalism
JRN 521: Solutions Journalism
JRN 577: Communication Law and Ethics
JRN 583: Principles of Inclusive Engagement
JRN 560: Graduate Internship
JRN 600: Master’s Project in Journalism
JRN 615: Data Storytelling
Students must attain a grade of at least B, or a GPA of at least 3.0, in the core courses to have them count toward the degree.
Along with the core courses, students will take skills courses in digital and other forms of reporting, as well as electives ranging from science communication and reporting, to strategic communication. With these electives, students can personalize their degree program to support and enhance their professional goals and career aspirations.
CHOOSE 3 ELECTIVES (9 credits)
JRN 530: The Big Story: Science Issues Seminar (3 credits)
JRN 587:Independent Study (3 credits)
JRN 590: Special Topics in Journalism
JRN 603:Storytelling and Narrative Design (3 credits)
JRN 605:Environmental Communication (3 credits)
Facilities
The School of Communication and Journalism maintains a technologically advanced, $1.3 million, bi-level Newsroom. It is located in Melville Library, and is equipped with 38 workstations, a collaborative learning system that allows any piece of work to be displayed simultaneously on any or all desktops, and a large projection screen. Each workstation has two displays and industry standard software.
The School of Communication and Journalism also has a fully equipped HD broadcast studio, with multiple studio cameras, teleprompters, an anchor desk, an interview set, chroma key green-screen set and a control room. Mobile equipment available for use by journalism students in the field includes Padcasters to broadcast live remotely, JVC 4K video cameras, Nikon D610 and D7500 DSLR video/still cameras SB700 Speedlights and digital audio recorders. Students can collaborate on projects between the Newsroom and studio spaces using state-of-the-art production software. The broadcast studio includes a podcasting studio, equipped with a mixing board and four professional-level microphones.
Students in the M.S. program will have access to a wide range of library and online resources.
Faculty
Master of Science in Journalism
Dean of the School of Communication and Journalism
Laura Lindenfeld, PhD
Graduate Program Director
Brenda Hoffman, PhD
Graduate Program Coordinator
Stefanie Ambrosio-Mullady, MA
For questions related to applications and course registration, email SOCJ_grad@stonybrook.edu
Website
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/journalism/academics/ms-journalism.php
The Master of Science in Journalism program prepares graduates to tell the stories society needs to understand and combat the significant challenges facing people and the planet. This program offers students a firm grounding in multimedia journalism and ethics, and helps them develop skills that are increasingly important in our divided society: inclusive communication and community engagement, data journalism and visualization, and solutions-based journalism.