Hola, DegreeInfo!

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by EvanMilberg, Dec 20, 2010.

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  1. EvanMilberg

    EvanMilberg New Member

    Hello everyone.

    My name's Evan. I'm about to graduate in May from George Mason University with a BA in Communication. Ultimately, my goal is to work in some form of media (print, television, radio, online, whatever opportunity arises). I would have loved to continue at GMU, but sadly the university only offers an MA in Health Communication and Strategic Communication. I'm looking for media/journalism programs.

    I'm already doing research on some online MA programs, but there's only so much you can garner from Google searches. I joined this forum in order to interact with actual people, who are a lot more helpful than lists of aggregated content!

    Thanks!
    -Evan
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Hi Evan - Welcome to degreeinfo! I think you'll find that there are a nice little bunch on Masters degrees in Communications and fewer in Journalism. I'm sure that our members will be able to put together a list to help you out.
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Perhaps there is a reason for this. Maybe a journalism degree is not important but a degree more relevant to your intended area of specialization may be important (such as business or politics).

    Aside from that my local university offers an MFA and I see that some graduates are in journalism.

    Why not contact a few journalists and ask their advice?
     
  4. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    The University of Missouri offers a MEd in Journalism Education and a MA in Journalism with two different concentrations (strategic communication and media management). A short (one weekend in the summer) visit to the MU campus in Columbia, MO is required for the MA.

    University of Missouri | Online Master's Degrees | MU Direct
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Annandale, huh? I'm right down Little River Turnpike from you in Alexandria. Small world!

    Since you already have a degree in Communications, I agree with this who suggest you follow it up with a Master's in the subject area in which you'd like to specialize. And as much as I love distance learning, if you're planning to stay in the D.C. area you may want to consider doing it on campus at a local university (while working if possible) so that you can build up your personal network.

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I don't know if it's true but what I've imagined is that Journalism is one of those fields where experience counts for more than accumulated academic credentials.
     
  7. EvanMilberg

    EvanMilberg New Member

    Thanks for the feedback everyone!

    @airtorn: I looked at Missouri and spoke to a representative. They made it clear that their program is only for mid-career professionals who wish to go back to school. My problem is youth and inexperience. I'm only 22, and have very little work experience in my field.

    @Steve That's crazy! Yeah, I'm right around where Annandale Rd. and Little River Tnpk. intersect. Glad to meet a local on here! As for staying in the area, I've been looking at Johns Hopkins and American, but both are little too expensive for my blood. Same goes for UMD. In-state, VCU seems to have a good program, but I don't know if I want to move to Richmond.

    @Ian That's a great suggestion!
     
  8. EvanMilberg

    EvanMilberg New Member

    @Kimzet I was advised early on in college that having a Master's makes you more competitive, regardless of what field you choose to go into. I don't know if that's entirely true, but that is the main reason I'm pursuing one. :)
     
  9. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Hi Evan, glad you could join us. Just to save you some trouble, you can quote someone in your reply just by pressing the "Reply With Quote" button and then typing below it. You end up with something like you see here when you do. You can quote multiple people by clicking the icon just to the right of that, do it for each person you want to quote.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 21, 2010
  10. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    In most cases I would agree, a master's makes you more competitive. This is especially true when there are so many more bachelor's holders than there used to be. You sometimes need a master's just to stand out a little. In teaching it is sometimes the opposite for a person just starting out; a master's makes you more expensive for a district to hire and sometimes, not always, you might be passed over for that reason.
     
  11. EvanMilberg

    EvanMilberg New Member

    Ah. Sorry for not noticing the "reply with quote" button!
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Hi Evan - Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that a Masters in Journalism is a bad thing, I was just saying that maybe that's the reason there aren't more offerings in that subject area. Here's one from a school that has a growing number of DL programs, the University of Memphis.

    eCampus :: MA Journalism :: University of Memphis
     

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