M.A. Requirements for Professional Sequence of M.A./J.D. Dual Degree Program

Basic Competencies Requirement (9 hours)

LAW course (3 hours)*
Two additional courses appropriate to path (6)

Notes: Students must satisfy the basic competencies requirement for the M.A. degree. These hours do not count toward the minimum of thirty-hours required for the M.A. degree. First year LAW courses required by the School of Law may not be utilized to fulfill the basic competencies requirement. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) also count toward the J.D. degree. Path courses define the specific focus of the student’s program and will vary according to the interests of the student.

Minimum Course Requirements for M.A. Degree (30 hours)

Core Courses:
JOMC 701 – Mass Communication Research Methods (3 hours)*
JOMC 740 – Mass Communication Law (3)

Path Courses:

Additional JOMC Courses:
JOMC 743 – Media Management (3)*
Two additional 400- through 900-level JOMC courses (6)

Seminar:
JOMC 840 – Seminar in Mass Communication Law (3)*

Outside Courses:
LAW courses (advanced or seminar only) (9)*

Thesis, Articles or Project (select one):

JOMC 993 – Master’s Thesis (3)*

Register for JOMC 993 if your final product will be in archivable form (traditional thesis, series of articles, etc.) While the School considers a series of articles a nontraditional thesis, the Graduate School considers it a traditional thesis for registration purposes. If a student chooses to do a series of articles, she or he must take JOMC 754. JOMC 993 may not be counted toward the J.D. unless the topic and methodology are approved by both of the student's M.A. and J.D. advisers. 

JOMC 992 – Nontraditional Thesis Option (3)

Students selecting the nontraditional thesis option (JOMC 392) must take Specialized Reporting (JOMC 754) as one of their additional JOMC courses (above). JOMC 992 may not be counted toward the J.D.

Notes: First year LAW courses required by the School of Law may not be utilized to satisfy the minimum number of hours required for the M.A. degree. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) count toward the minimum number of hours required for both the M.A. and J.D. degrees except that JOMC 993 only may be counted toward the J.D. degree if the topic and methodology are approved by both of the student’s M.A. and J.D. advisers. Six of the 10 courses counted toward the minimum of thirty hours required for the M.A. degree, including JOMC 993 or JOMC 992, must be at the 700-, 800- or 900-level.