Master of Arts
Journalism
Where will your education take you? At the University of Arizona, an interest in journalism can take you as far as you can dream.
About the Program
We offer master's degrees for students wishing to become working journalists in the United States or abroad, as well as for those interested in studying the impact of the media on social, political, economic and cultural decisions and events around the world.
Our programs are designed for students who have a journalism background as well as those who have no previous journalism experience. Full-time students can complete the curriculum in as little as one year. Part-time students are welcome. Excellent undergraduate students can earn an M.A. degree in one extra year through our Accelerated Master's Program.
- One-year M.A. in Journalism
- M.A. in Journalism, professional emphasis
- M.A. in Journalism, studies emphasis
- Accelerated Master's Program
- 2022-23 Graduate Handbook
- 2017-18 Master's Program Academic Program Review
What Can We Offer You?
Just Journalism. We’re passionate about journalism. We offer classes in reporting, writing, multimedia, theory, media analysis, law, and ethics. We don’t teach advertising or public relations.
The Border, the World. Our students report from the Mexican border, just 60 miles away, as well as the Middle East and Latin America.
Science and Environmental Journalism. You can specialize in communicating about science and the environment through words, photographs, infographics, and multimedia. The University of Arizona is home to the world-renowned Institute of the Environment, a medical center, the Bio5 Institute, Biosphere 2 and the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter. The university is also a science powerhouse, with state-of-the-art research facilities and top programs in geosciences, astronomy, climate change, ecology and evolutionary biology, tree-ring research and more.
Dual Degrees. Double your options with a dual degree in journalism and one of five different programs: Legal Studies, Latin American Studies; Middle Eastern and North African Studies; Public Administration; or Soil, Water and Environmental Science.
Graduate Specialties. You can add a specialty to your diploma and transcript in Digital Journalism, Global Journalism, or Science and Environmental Journalism.
Inspirational Faculty. Work alongside award-winning professors who have been professional journalists around the globe. They have significant professional experience at The New York Times, National Geographic, Associated Press and television news stations as well as through Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporting projects.
Research Excellence. In 2017 four master's students presented their thesis research at the annual national conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. One of the students won a top paper award.
Real-World Experience. Learn by doing with hands-on skills classes, apprenticeships, internships in media outlets around the country and study-abroad classes in Oman and Dubai, Italy and Costa Rica. After taking two multimedia classes, a graduate student found an amazing internship at WIRED magazine. Another student produced a documentary about the University of Arizona’s role in landing a man on the moon.
Southern Arizona. The Tucson area is an ideal place to study, live and explore. Everything is here – from the colorful Sonoran Desert to subalpine forests and from archaeological sites to national parks. Many people are lucky enough to vacation here. You can live and study here.
Application Deadlines
- For fall: Rolling deadline, preferably by Feb. 15
- For spring: Rolling deadline, preferably by Aug. 1 for international students or Sept. 1 for domestic students.
Contact Us
For more information on application and administrative questions:
email: journal@arizona.edu
For advising and curriculum questions:
Jenn Bates
Program Coordinator
Monica Chadha
Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies