Journalism, MPS

Mission Statement

The Master of Professional Studies in Journalism is committed to preparing students to be curious, responsible, and successful journalists in the digital age. Through demanding coursework taught by industry leaders and intensive practice, students develop a strong foundation of digital and entrepreneurial skills that are built on the core principles of accurate and fair reporting; sophisticated storytelling; and sound, ethical judgment.

Modality

On Campus

Learning Goals

Students who complete the MPS in Journalism will:

1. Analyze and apply the fundamentals of fair and accurate reporting to determine what qualifies as news, how to gather and verify information, and how to integrate multiple perspectives in telling stories.
2. Evaluate and respond effectively to the global news environment by collaborating with diverse participants to develop story ideas and to report, produce and disseminate the news using diverse viewpoints.
3. Create a code of ethics reflective of Georgetown's Jesuit values and industry standards to inform story development, reporting, and news dissemination.
4. Integrate and apply industry-specific knowledge, theory, and practice to report and present news and information, with an emphasis on collaboration to develop and implement solutions to real-world ethical and reporting challenges.
5. Obtain and synthesize information from a variety of sources to acquire the background and context necessary to assess credibility and bias so as to develop truthful and effective storytelling.
6. Acquire and master technologies and varied storytelling techniques to report, produce, and deliver the news across multiple media formats.
7. Analyze the needs and perspectives of diverse stakeholders when crafting the story telling discourse through text, video, audio and digital media.

MPS Journalism Program Guidelines on Internships

Students are encouraged to participate in internships but are not required to earn course credit for them. International students must receive course credit for internships, and some organizations require all students, regardless of their citizenship status, to receive course credit for internship work.

The Journalism program offers MPJO-7951: Internship I and MPJO-7952: Internship II for students who need to earn academic credit. Both courses are graded and worth one credit. Internship credits may be taken as a degree overload, in additional to the minimum number of required elective credits.

Internship courses do not count toward degree requirements. Upon completion of the degree, students may earn 31 or 32 credits in total, respectively.

Licensure Disclosure

This program does not provide any professional licensure or certification, nor is it intended to prepare students to sit for any specific professional licensing or certification exam(s). Though not required, students in these programs may wish to research and seek certifications through professional organizations in their field.

To earn the MPS in Journalism, students must complete 30 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.000 within five years of entering the program.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Core Courses 1
MPJO 5000	Ethics in Journalism	3
MPJO 7990	MPS Journalism Capstone	3
Foundation Courses
MPJO 5001	Reporting and News Writing	3
MPJO 5003	Digital Essentials	3
MPJO 5008	Photo & Video Storytelling	3
Elective Courses
A current list of approved Electives can be found on the SCS website.		15
Total Credits		30

¹

Each Core Course must be completed with a grade of B or better. Students who earn a B- or lower in these courses will have one opportunity to retake the courses. If a student does not earn at least a B after the second attempt, they will be terminated from the program without right of appeal.

Program Guidelines on Internships

Students are encouraged to participate in internships but are not required to earn course credit for them. International students must receive course credit for internships, and some organizations require all students, regardless of their citizenship status, to receive course credit for internship work.

The Journalism program offers MPJO 7951 MPS Journalism Internship and MPJO 7952 MPS Journalism Internship II for students who need to earn academic credit. Both courses are graded and worth one credit.

Internship credits may be taken as a degree overload, in addition to the minimum number of required elective credits.

Internship courses do not count toward degree requirements. Upon completion of the degree, students may have earned 31 or 32 credits in total, respectively. For more information about the policies and guidelines pertaining to internships, please see Internships and On-Site Practical Experiences for Credit in the most current SCS Academic Rules & Regulations (https://scs.georgetown.edu/resources-current-students/student-handbooks/).