23 Best Journalism Master of Arts (MA) Degree Programs in United States of America (USA) for 2024

Master the art of communication and learn how to craft and share compelling messages that will cut through the noise to reach your target audience. Earn your MA in Communication at Johns Hopkins online or onsite in Washington, D.C.

Our Master of Arts program is flexible enough to accommodate a broad range of career goals and objectives in communication. Some of our students are working full-time in their chosen fields but want to earn a graduate degree that will advance their career. Other students envision a career in teaching and plan to pursue a Ph.D. or simply want the intellectual enrichment that a master’s degree offers. As a graduate student pursuing an M. A. in Communication, you can choose one of two specializations that you can tailor to your interests and goals: 1. Communication and Media Studies 2. Digital Communication Strategies

The Master of Arts in Professional Communication is an applied, professional degree designed to focus on advanced research, writing and presentation skills required for effectiveness in diverse communication industries. The practice-oriented program is ideal for those working for companies requiring audience messaging capabilities in advertising and public relations campaigns, social media content creation, strategy, and curation, internal organizational analysis, training and consulting, and media production. Candidates need not have a Bachelor's degree in Communication to apply, be accepted or succeed in the program.

Prepare for a Career in Enterprise or Investigative Storytelling, Grounded in Environmental Sciences. Point Park University will offer a 36-credit Master of Arts in Environmental Journalism starting in Fall 2020.

The Master of Arts in Communication (MAC) program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the field of communication through hands-on experiences, small group analysis and applied coursework. With access to state-of-the-art facilities and a small student-to-faculty ratio, the MAC program prepares students for careers and advancement in the vibrant field of communication.

The Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Arts degree. Courses of study are designed to engage research in diverse career arenas such as human resources, politics, advertising, education, public relations, broadcasting, and social services, as well as for students who aspire to continue their education in doctoral programs.

The Master of Arts in Communication degree is a course of study for persons in or preparing for further graduate study or mid-level and upper-level professional positions in public and nonprofit organizations. The program emphasizes the theoretical, practical, and analytical abilities required of persons holding responsible communication positions. Centered in the Department of Communication, it also permits the incorporation of specialized fields of interest such as general communication, journalism, mass communication, and speech communication.

At UAH, you can earn a high-quality MA in Professional Communication to prepare you to work in various communication-intensive careers, including social media management, user experience, advertising, public relations, professional and technical writing, fundraising, event management, and more.

The Master of Arts in Communication Studies is a comprehensive program that focuses on the broad field of communication. Given the breadth of the field of communication, the program seeks to build students' understanding and abilities across a broad array of communication contexts (including organizational, interpersonal, small group, mass media, and public relations). The program is designed to provide a theory-based approach to a variety of communicative phenomena while simultaneously stressing the value of research. Together, theory and research provide students with the proper foundation for making solid persuasive arguments in their professional and academic pursuits. By acquiring theoretical knowledge and research skills, students and graduates can best apply their education in their chosen fields. The M.A. in Communication Studies is designed as both an academic and a professional development degree with thesis and non-thesis track options. Many students complete the program and pursue additional graduate work at the Ph.D. level. The program offers a thesis option for students interested in pursuing a large-scale research project in preparation for future Ph.D. work. In terms of professional development, all courses explore pragmatic issues of communication. The program offers tremendous flexibility enabling students to further their chosen career goals, and perhaps future success, by exploring up to 15 credits outside the Department of Communication and Media. For example, students interested in administrative work can take elective courses in the Master of Public Administration program (M.P.A.). The department faculty also are ideally suited to help with students' professional development goals because they serve as communication consultants to groups and organizations outside of the University. Since the program is designed to enhance students' communication skills, courses within the program require extensive speaking and writing. Courses are generally taught as small discussion-oriented seminars, and most course grading centers on students' papers and presentations.

This master’s degree is designed to be completed in one year, or over a fall, a spring and a summer semester. (Working professionals may want to take longer to complete it.) It will prepare recent graduates or practice professionals to excel in the exciting field of digital journalism and in other media- or communication-related fields.

The master's degree provides students with knowledge of communication scholarship and develops their ability to analyze complex communication situations. The program is intended to serve two main groups of students: those planning to pursue the PhD degree and those seeking employment in businesses, nonprofit institutions and community groups.

The Cronkite School’s Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism is the first graduate degree devoted exclusively to investigative journalism in the country. Led by five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, the program will prepare students to launch high-level investigative reporting careers at the nation’s most prestigious news organizations. This interdisciplinary program is designed for career-switchers and early or mid-career journalists, particularly those who have some expertise in other fields such as law, health, business, science and the arts. The program aims to combine that knowledge with investigative techniques and multimedia skills to produce stories with public impact.

The Master's Degree Program in Communication from Michigan State University has two major directions, the thesis option (pre-Ph.D. track) and the final examination option (career-oriented track). For either option, you can select a focus area in communication as an emphasis, such as interpersonal communication, organizational communication, mediated communication, persuasion and social influence, political communication or intercultural communication.

The hybrid program in JMS prepares students for careers in print, electronic and digital media or for college-level teaching, and provides a foundation for those students who elect to continue their studies at the Ph.D. level or teach at the post-secondary level. The program includes a mix of on-campus, online, and hybrid courses, requires a thesis or culminating professional project, and takes at least two years to complete.

We make our top-quality education accessible to working journalists and communicators through our online master’s degree options in health communication, interactive media, media management, or strategic communication. Learn skills and gain the credentials to excel in leadership – whether you work in print, broadcast, advertising, corporate communication, or public relations.

Communication makes the world go round. Think about it. From writing an A+ paper to texting friends—it all requires communication. So why not become a pro?

To achieve their goals, the programs combine work in theory, writing, text design, and analysis of communication systems and contexts to help students to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to begin careers in writing, rhetoric, and technical communication. The programs emphasize scholarly, humanistic, and social scientific perspectives on the function and application of writing, rhetoric, and technical communication. Consequently, the programs provide students with not only the knowledge and skills required for careers in industry, business, or government but also the research skills and communication theory that will prepare them for doctoral study in communication and rhetoric. The long-range goal of the degree, then, is to enable program graduates to grow as professionals and, ultimately, to contribute to the developing field of writing, rhetoric, and technical communication. Students work with school advisers to design a program that fits their unique educational needs and career aspirations. Depending on their backgrounds and options they might choose to pursue while in the degree program, students may decide to take additional courses to obtain knowledge or skills in specialized areas. For example, students may choose to take extra coursework to enhance their skills in communication technologies or to deepen their academic training in the writing, rhetoric, and technical communication content areas in which they intend to work as professional writers or editors.

The Master of Arts program in Media Studies offers an interdisciplinary curriculum in media theory, design, and practice with an emphasis on the production of the video, audio, and Web-based media.

The New Media Photojournalism program at the Corcoran School is the first of its kind, created to help visual journalists study and address their ever-changing field. Underscoring strong storytelling skills and fluency in multimedia platforms, the MA in New Media Photojournalism incorporates writing, photography, audio, video, and web design in its curriculum to prepare students to work as freelancers, visual reporters, editors, and producers.

The Master of Arts Program in Fashion Journalism equips students with subject-area expertise to help communicate the rising complexity of the global fashion industry. M.A. students develop both: a deep understanding of social media for journalism and a strong fashion industry grounding that enables them to ask more informed questions, to situate fashion news and business of fashion events into a larger context, and to evaluate fashion collections with a critical, well-informed eye. Students learn to produce cross-platform stories that are nuanced and sophisticated for social, digital, mobile and print media. The M.A. program is fueled by a deep intellectual understanding of fashion, ethics, and the ability to professionally utilize social media - skills that are required of the leading fashion journalists of tomorrow.