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Journalism MJ

Master of Journalism

Become a versatile and innovative professional journalist with the Master of Journalism degree programÌýfrom the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication at 51¶¯Âþ. Develop your talents in writing, editing and multimedia work, and gain a deeper understanding of journalism’s evolving roles and practices in today’s media landscape. Using Philadelphia as an extension of the classroom, you will refine the reporting skills necessary to convey compassionate and extensively researched stories centered in an urban environment.Ìý

Designed to teach current and aspiring journalists, the 30-credit Journalism MJ provides rigorous training as a cohort experience, encouraging students to work together and learn from one another as much as they’re learning from faculty and local professionals. Expand on your overall reporting expertise, or receive specialized training in one of the following areas.

  • Broadcast journalism

  • Community journalism

  • Entrepreneurial journalism

  • Investigative reporting

  • Podcasting

  • Various forms of digital journalism

Within one year, your immersive training experience will culminate in a self-guided capstone project that represents your independent reporting.

Philadelphia Is Your Classroom

Located in the fourth-largest media market in the U.S., the Journalism MJ program offers students access to a city ripe with innovation. Philadelphia is replete with journalistic experiments (including startups and nonprofits) that are rethinking metropolitan, niche and ethnic media.Ìý

The city’s daily newspapers are owned by a nonprofit organization—an experiment many hope will represent a path to sustainability for news organizations around the country. As a student in this master’s program, you will interact with journalists and innovators from those organizations, forming strong connections in Philadelphia’s vast network of media professionals.

Program Format & Curriculum

The 30-credit Master of Journalism courses take place at 51¶¯Âþ’s Main Campus, and students are expected to complete the program in one year of full-time study. The following courses are required.Ìý

  • Editing the News

  • Introduction to Urban Journalism

  • Journalism and the Public Interest

  • Journalism Concepts

  • Urban Reporting Lab 1 and 2

Additionally, students areÌýrequired to complete the Capstone Reporting Experience, which consists of an independent reporting project. The goal of this project is to produce a journalistic masterwork (analogous to a thesis) that will lead to professional publication. Students must also choose one elective course to aid in their specialization.ÌýLearn more about program requirements for the Journalism MJ.

Related Graduate Degrees

Related Graduate Certificates

A student reporter talks with a source on the street.

Tuition & Fees

In keeping with 51¶¯Âþ’s commitment to access and affordability, this Master of Journalism offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. These tuition costs apply to the 2025–2026 academic year.

Pennsylvania resident: $1,264.00 per credit
Out-of-state: $1,693.00 per credit

You can view the full .

Our Advisors

Faculty advisors can help you navigate your program and discuss research opportunities, teaching assistantships and more.Ìý.

Program Contacts

Contact the following faculty or staff members with questions about the Journalism MJ.

Kaitlin Pierce is the director of the graduate office.
Phone: 215-204-8560
Email:

Logan MolyneuxÌýis the department chair and an associate professor.
Phone: 215-204-3092
Email:

Andrea Wentzel is the program director.
Email:Ìý

Student Clubs & Organizations

Supplement your Journalism MJ coursework and enhance your graduate education experience through student clubs and organizations. You’ll meet and network with other like-minded students, gain invaluable knowledge and skills, and become involved with a community that helps you bring your personal and professional goals to fruition.Ìý

Participation in student organizations will support and prepare you for a career in advertising, communication, journalism, media and more.Ìý

Some of the related clubs and organizations include the following.

  • strives to faithfully represent the experiences of Philadelphia’s international student community as well as those who show appreciation for diversity and cultural uniqueness.

  • The provides support, opportunities, professional development and extracurricular enrichment to LatinX students and students interested in LatinX media, communication and culture.

  • Ìýis a preprofessional organization for students who are interested in public relations.

  • is 51¶¯Âþ’s first organization dedicated to supporting women in sports media.

  • The aims to support students of color and all student journalists as they pursue their career goals.Ìý

  • , an award-winning student publication, has been the paper of record for the 51¶¯Âþ community since 1921.

  • , 51¶¯Âþ’s student-run internet radio station, provides the opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience in radio production.

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Accreditation

51¶¯Âþ’s Department of Journalism is one of only three programs in Pennsylvania that are accredited by the .

For more information about our student retention and graduation data, see Program Outcomes.

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Additional Program Information