87 Best Journalism Master's Degree Programs for 2025

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.

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 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.

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.

Students who join the M.F.A. program in Documentary take advantage of the combined focus on both cinematic arts and journalistic approaches. You benefit further from the School’s many strengths such as Interactive Media, Strategic Communication, and Communication for Global Social Change.

Maybe you’ve got the next killer app, or perhaps you want to take a traditional industry leader to the next level. Either way, are you ready to create the media’s future?

We strive to cultivate students to become high-level professionals with investigative and collaborative skills, and the communication skills necessary in modern society. The Studies in Contemporary Society program is composed of two courses. The information communication specialty deepens theoretical and practical analysis skills regarding various problems related to the information communication that forms the basis of modern society. Also, we support students who are working adults who aim to increase their qualifications by acquiring information education qualifications or IT passport qualifications or becoming information processing experts or fundamental information technology engineers. These career enhancements are becoming increasingly important as IT continues to rapidly progress. Studies in Contemporary SocietyThe clinical sociology program conducts research about clinical sociology related to contemporary life and death and gender. By conducting research to help eliminate violence towards women and children and to support the victims while this violence is being eradicated, by understanding the culture and customs connected to birth and burial of the dead, and by deepening insight into human existence, we aim to train our students to become graduates who have the clinical skills to offer better support and care to others, and the skills to investigate and analyze social structure, consciousness, and conditions. Both courses aim to cultivate students to become higher-level professionals with clinical and communication skills, who strive to work together with the specialized academic and professional fields demanded by modern society.

The Plurimedia International Journalism Master allows you to add an international dimension to your training course. Classes are taught in English by media and journalism professionals.

The program is designed for current and aspiring professionals. Some students include post-bachelor and post-graduate students who have earned their degrees in other disciplines but desire careers in publishing. Current publishing professionals can sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge through high-level coursework. The master’s degree in Publishing integrates traditional print with digital publishing topics, including editorial acquisitions, production and design, copyright law in print and cyberspace, marketing, distribution, management and business. Taught by nationally and internationally recognized leaders, you will master the skills required for traditional print publishing as well as online and electronic publishing.

Expand your knowledge and practical skills in a specialized area of the media industry. The Media School’s professional master’s degree will provide you with a comprehensive set of technological and practical tools to launch you to the next level of your career.

As the field of communication has evolved, research-based decision making has become increasingly important. Specifically, communication professionals must be able to acquire and assess relevant information and effectively integrate their analysis into the decision-making process.

The Cronkite master's in mass communication is design to be completed in 12 months. This 36-credit hour program begins with a multimedia “boot camp." From there, students dive deeper into advanced courses in broadcast production, investigative reporting, online media, business reporting, Spanish-language news, transborder coverage or digital media entrepreneurship. The program culminates in a professional immersion experience in one of the Cronkite School's news bureaus in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. Working under the guidance of award-winning journalists, these capstone programs offer real-world experience in a professional news environment.

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.

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.

Develop your communication skills and prepare to enter or to advance in occupations requiring extensive written analysis and reporting. The program prepares you to improve written communication and its management in the corporate and public sector and in professional organizations. The program also features workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry, taught by published and award-winning authors.

The Master of Science in Publishing is an academic degree program that focuses on the history, development, and current practice of publishing. The program integrates literary and cultural studies with practical skills that reflect the dynamic technological changes within the publishing industry. UHV supports an online community where students participate in distance learning through lectures, critiques, meetings, and interactive projects. UHV is the home of American Book Review, Cuneiform Press, Centro Victoria, The Society for Critical Exchange, and symploke. Working under the guidance of our nationally recognized faculty, you will explore acquisitions, book and magazine design, professional editing, publicity, marketing, and become familiar with cutting-edge software such as InDesign, Illustrator, and FontLab. Field trips, readings, guest lectures, and internships are at the core of this dynamic program. Courses are offered in English, History, Marketing, Communication, Curriculum & Instruction, and Management. Alumni from our program go on to become editors, published writers, directors of their own publishing houses, or enter the industry with a practical, intellectual foundation in the history of publishing as well as the skills necessary to compete in the job market today.

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 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 master's in sports journalism is designed to be completed in 12 months. In this 36-credit hour program, students begin with an intensive multimedia "boot camp," which teaches students to produce sports and news coverage across broadcast, digital and print platforms. From there, students take advanced classes in sports reporting, videography, photojournalism, ethics and diversity and participate in sports bureaus located in Phoenix and Los Angeles. Working under the guidance of veteran sports journalists, they gain real-world experience in a professional news environment.

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.