Professional M.A.

Join the professional master’s degree program in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and get prepared to work in a newsroom with a full set of professional skills, conceptual background and specialization you design.

The professional M.A. typically leads to careers in news and information production. In collaboration with an advisor, students construct a program of required and elective courses that emphasizes in-depth coursework in a variety of nonfiction genres such as investigative reporting or literary journalism. This 30-credit degree should combine a mix of courses on practical communication skills, conceptual knowledge of journalism and mass communication, and an area of specialization.

Skills classes are a significant component of this program. However, a hallmark of the Wisconsin method of journalism education is that press theory and the role journalists play in society are given equal weight. The development of a specialty in journalism is a central component of this program. As such, all applications will be considered, however preference will be given to those seeking to pursue and build journalistic credentials within a specialty area in order to seek a job in the professional world.