The Master of Arts in Journalism is an interdisciplinary program offering students advanced study of journalism.

Our graduate degree program has three concentrations:

DOCUMENTARY FILM
A concentration in Documentary Film in the Master’s of Arts program prepares graduates to work as documentary filmmakers, in independent and academic jobs, with study and practicum in the field of long-form, non-fiction storytelling.

NEWS NARRATIVES
The goal of the News Narratives graduate program is to guide students in advanced reporting, research in journalism topics, and writing narratives on another level. Faculty with years of reporting experience lead this sequence.

STRATEGIC AD / PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Strategic Advertising/Public Relations concentration offers graduate students an opportunity to learn strategic planning skills and techniques to develop campaigns for nonprofit and commercial clients. 

The program requires 30 hours of coursework: 18 hours of graduate credit in journalism, 6 hours in a second field, and 6 hours of thesis credit. Students have chosen second fields such as political science, history, English, communication and art. They have the option to pursue a traditional research thesis, create a documentary film or produce a special thesis project.

The first step in admission to the Journalism MA program is approval by the UA Graduate School. Requirements for the Journalism MA program include:

• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 credit hours of attempted coursework from a regionally accredited institution.

• A total GRE score of 300, with a minimum of 151 on the verbal component, and a score of 4.5 on the writing component.

• A statement of purpose.

• A current resume.

• 3 letters of recommendation.

• A degree in journalism, and/or professional experience in the field. Applicants who lack either of these may be admitted with the requirement that they take 6 to 12 hours of specific undergraduate coursework and earn a grade of at least a B as background for entering the graduate program.

If you would like more information, click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the Journalism MA. You should also check the Journalism MA Graduate Handbook which is a comprehensive guide to the program. Prospective, current and new graduate students in the Journalism MA program can use the Journalism MA Checklist for a quick link to forms and procedures.

Interested in applying? Applications are handled online through the UA Graduate School at http://graduate-and-international.uark.edu. Look under Graduate and Future Students. The UA Graduate School website also provides a wealth of information about the university’s graduate programs.

Graduate Faculty