Our two-year master's program helps prepare students to be leaders in the 21st-century workplace and academic community. In the Journalism, Strategic Communication and Visual Communication programs of study, students complete 36 total credit hours, comprised of 11 courses over three semesters and a final thesis or thesis project in the fourth semester.
Students in the Theory and Research program of study complete 39 credit hours, taking four courses in each of the first three semesters and completing a thesis in the fourth semester. Theory and Research students in the J.D./M.A. dual-degree program follow a specialized plan that allows them to complete our requirements and those of the UNC School of Law in about four years, depending on their individual programs of study and progress.
Master's Degree Programs of Study
Journalism | Strategic Communication | Visual Communication | Theory and Research
Journalism
Our program prepares you for a career in journalism with courses spanning multiple platforms and topic areas. You’ll learn about all facets of journalism, including research, analysis, writing, reporting and editing.
Core
- MEJO 740: Media Law
- MEJO 753: Reporting and Writing News
- MEJO 782: Multimedia Storytelling
- MEJO 790: Research Literacy for Practitioners
Required Courses
- MEJO 754: Advanced Reporting
- MEJO 790: Narrative Journalism
Electives
Three courses selected from 15 journalism electives (see worksheet), along with two other courses at the 400-900 level taken inside or outside the MJ-school (can include interinstitutional courses at nearby universities like Duke and North Carolina State) in consultation with adviser
Thesis project
Comprehensive project completed and defended in final semester, in consultation with a faculty member and thesis committee
Students also complete a comprehensive exam during the fourth semester.
For detailed course options, see the journalism worksheet (PDF). For course descriptions, please visit the UNC-Chapel Hill course catalog. For MJ-school course syllabi, please visit the Park Library’s syllabus archive.
Penny Abernathy
With more than 30 years of experience as a reporter, editor and senior media business executive, Professor Abernathy specializes in preserving quality journalism by helping the news business succeed economically in the digital environment.
Debashis Aikat
Dr. Aikat theorizes about the evolving roles of media and journalism in the digital age.
Andy Bechtel
Professor Bechtel teaches editing for print and digital media. He's interested in headline writing, social media and alternative story forms.
Paul Cuadros
Professor Cuadros’ reporting and writing focuses on issues of race, poverty, and immigration as it relates to demographic change and its impact on America.
Barbara Friedman
Dr. Friedman's research focuses on media representations of sex trafficking and, more broadly, on constructions and contestations of race, gender and class.
Rhonda Gibson
Dr. Gibson's most recent research focuses on media portrayals of sexual minorities and the influence of these portrayals on both individual perceptions and public conversations.
Ferrel Guillory
Professor Guillory works at the intersection of journalism, politics and policy, with a special emphasis on education. He is co-founder of Education NC, a nonprofit news and research organization, and a senior fellow at MDC, a nonprofit research firm.
Anne Johnston
Dr. Johnston's research focuses on media coverage of sex trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence.
Tom Linden
Dr. Linden’s focus is on reporting on environmental, science and medical stories for public consumption.
Susan King
Susan King, former vice president for external affairs for Carnegie Corporation of New York, is the MJ-school’s dean and John Thomas Kerr Distinguished Professor. She spent more than 20 years in Washington, D.C., as an anchor and reporter covering politics.
Trevy McDonald
Dr. McDonald’s creative work and research uses oral history to produce documentaries and books on the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of Black journalists.
Daniel Riffe
Dr. Riffe's research areas include mass communication research methodology, media processes and production, mass communication and environmental risk, international news, the effects on public opinion of political communication, and government-press relations.
Kate Sheppard
Professor Sheppard is a reporter and editor focusing on politics and policy as they relate to the environment, energy, science and health. She is an enterprise editor at HuffPost.
Ryan Thornburg
Professor Thornburg teaches data-driven reporting and is director of the Reese News Lab. He develops tools to help reporters use data to lower the costs of accountability and explanatory journalism.
Charlie Tuggle
Dr. Tuggle studies media coverage of the Olympics, particularly of female athletes who participate in the Games.
Carol Wolf
Following nearly two decades of reporting at Bloomberg News, Professor Wolf joined the MJ-school to teach business journalism.
Jan Yopp
Professor Yopp has focused her creative area on writing and editing for media professionals.
Strategic Communication
Our program of study in Strategic Communication prepares you for advertising, marketing communication and public relations positions in agencies, corporations, nonprofit organizations and government.
Core
- MEJO 701: Strategic Communication Research Methods
- MEJO 732: Public Relations and Strategic Writing
- MEJO 740: Media Law
- MEJO 782: Multimedia Storytelling
Required Courses
- MEJO 479: Market Intelligence
- MEJO 730: Public Relations Foundations
- MEJO 830: Public Relations Theory & Research
- One of the following courses:
- MEJO 634: Public Relations Campaigns
- MEJO 670: Digital Advertising and Marketing
- MEJO 671: Social Marketing Campaigns
- MEJO 673: Advertising Campaigns
Electives
Three courses at the 400-900 level, with up to two courses taken outside the MJ-school (can include interinstitutional courses at nearby universities like Duke and North Carolina State) in consultation with adviser
Thesis project
Comprehensive project completed and defended in final semester, in consultation with a faculty member and thesis committee.
Students also complete a comprehensive exam during the fourth semester.
For detailed course options, see the Strategic Communication worksheet (PDF). For course descriptions, please visit the UNC-Chapel Hill course catalog. For MJ-school course syllabi, please visit the Park Library’s syllabus archive.
Lois Boynton
Dr. Boynton’s research focuses on ethical decision-making by public relations and media practitioners, professionalism and agenda building, particularly related to nonprofits.
Joseph Cabosky
Dr. Cabosky's research and creative work focuses on diversifying public relations by better appreciating the differences among publics and how this diversity should lead to better ways to build relationships with publics and stakeholders.
Nori Comello
Dr. Comello's research focuses on developing and testing messages to promote health and other prosocial issues, guided by theories relating to identity and self-concept.
Valerie Fields
Dr. Fields teaches public relations and crisis communication. She has worked in public relations for some of the world’s most well-known organizations.
Deen Freelon
Dr. Freelon’s primary areas of expertise are political expression through digital media and the use of computer programming and computational methods to extract, preprocess, analyze and visualize large digital datasets.
Livis Freeman
Professor Freeman teaches courses in public relations campaigns and case studies. He started the public and community relations company 4ourFans, Inc. to help professional athletes in their work with charities.
Heidi Hennink-Kaminski
Dr. Hennink-Kaminski’s research uses the social marketing approach to develop interventions and campaigns to drive behavior change in areas such as childhood obesity and clinical trial participation.
Joe Bob Hester
Dr. Hester's research focuses on methodological issues, particularly the use of computational research methods, in areas such as sampling, agenda setting and social media.
Gary Kayye
Professor Kayye teaches courses in advertising and new media technologies. He has worked in technology branding and marketing for more than 25 years and is president and CEO of rAVe [Publications].
Daniel Kreiss
Dr. Kreiss’s research analyzes the effects of technologies on electoral politics, political thought and American democracy.
Allison Lazard
Dr. Lazard's research revolves around a core interest in how visual and interactive design influences perception and impact of strategic health and science messages.
Suman Lee
Dr. Lee teaches and conducts research on international public relations, public diplomacy, public relations theory, and international communication.
Dana McMahan
Professor McMahan teaches advertising courses in creative, art direction and experimental design. She also runs her own fashion and lifestyle company.
Adam Saffer
Dr. Saffer’s research takes a network perspective to study the relationships and social capital among individuals, groups and organizations, particularly in the areas of public relations and strategic communication.
John Sweeney
Professor Sweeney teaches courses in advertising and sports communication. His creative activity currently centers on the future of sports and media.
Lisa Villamil
Professor Villamil designs human-centered visual systems and structures using information design, data visualization and creative technologies to help people understand complex ideas and find meaning.
Visual Communication
With specializations in interactive/graphic design and photo/video, this program of study teaches students to tell stories on a variety of visual platforms. Our Visual Communication students regularly earn national recognition for their interactive work featuring websites, photos, videos and infographics.
Core
- MEJO 581: Multimedia Design
- MEJO 740: Media Law
- MEJO 753: Reporting and Writing News
- MEJO 790: Research Literacy for Practitioners
Required Courses
Three courses (see worksheet) based on choice between specializations:
- Interactive/graphic
- Photo/video
Electives
Four courses at the 400-900 level, with up to two courses taken outside the MJ-school (can include interinstitutional courses at nearby universities like Duke and North Carolina State) in consultation with adviser
Thesis project
Comprehensive project completed and defended in final semester, in consultation with a faculty member and thesis committee
Students also complete a comprehensive exam during the fourth semester.
For detailed course options, see the Visual Communication worksheet (PDF). For course descriptions, please visit the UNC-Chapel Hill course catalog. For MJ-school course syllabi, please visit the Park Library’s syllabus archive.
Spencer Barnes
Dr. Barnes' research employs cognitive engineering and quantitative research methodologies to study the design and efficacy of dynamic visual communication products such as visual explanations, motion graphics and data visualizations.
Patrick Davison
Professor Davison has been teaching photo, video and documentary multimedia storytelling in the school since 2001. He is the founder of the Carolina Photojournalism Workshop.
Steven King
Professor King is a professor of emerging technologies, teaching and helping media companies leverage virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
Terence Oliver
Professor Oliver is an award-winning motion graphics producer who teaches information graphics, magazine design, graphic design and motion graphics. He created and taught the first motion graphics courses in journalism in the United States.
Laura Ruel
Professor Ruel teaches design, user experience and interactive media for the school’s visual communication sequences.
Chad Stevens
Professor Stevens’ primary areas of expertise are documentary video storytelling and photojournalism for an array of media platforms.
Theory and Research
This program of study is designed for students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees and careers in academia, or for students interested in non-academic research positions. Theory and Research master’s students explore topics within the five areas of substantive study that comprise our doctoral program. Many of our master’s graduates apply to our Ph.D. program to continue their study here.
Substantive areas of study
- Media processes and production
- Legal and regulatory issues in communication
- Media uses and effects
- Health communication
- Political, social and strategic communication
Core
- MEJO 701: Mass Communication Research Methods
- MEJO 705: Theories of Mass Communication
- MEJO 740: Media Law
- MEJO 900: Independent Study
Other courses
- Three foundation courses appropriate to the student’s research emphasis
- Six courses, including a MEJO methods course and at least two outside the MJ-school, defining the specific focus of the student’s program
Thesis
Comprehensive research paper completed and defended in final semester, in consultation with a faculty member and thesis committee
Students also complete a comprehensive exam during the fourth semester.
For detailed course options, see the Theory and Research worksheet (PDF) or J.D./M.A. worksheet (PDF). For course descriptions, please visit the UNC-Chapel Hill course catalog. For MJ-school course syllabi, please visit the Park Library’s syllabus archive.
For more information on our areas of study for Theory and Research, including faculty members specializing in each area, please see our Ph.D. curriculum page.