School of Journalism and Communication


St. Patrick’s Building 346
Telephone: 520-7404
Fax: 520-6690
E-mail: journalism@carleton.ca

The School


Director of the School:
Peter Johansen
Supervisor of Graduate Studies (Journalism):
C.T. Dornan

The School of Journalism and Communication offers courses leading to the degree of Master of Journalism. For a description of its degree of Master of Arts in Communication, see page 105. The emphasis in the M.J. program is on advanced professional education for those who are or intend to become practising journalists in the news media. In practical terms, this entails both the polishing of professional journalistic skills to a high level of proficiency and advanced education in a related field of study. Provision is made also for students who wish to undertake research in journalism and mass media.

Following a common first year of professional coursework, students in the master’s program will choose one of three areas of concentration in their second year of study:

Specialized Print Reporting
At present, specializations are offered in the fields of politics/public administration, international affairs, and economics/business. Others may be added as resources become available.

Broadcast Journalism
The focus of this specialty will be the study of advanced techniques in reporting, writing and producing programs for the broadcast media.

Journalism Studies
This program is designed for applicants who have mastered the skills of reporting and writing for the news media but who wish to spend a year studying their craft and/or the news industry. This specialty encompasses a number of topics, which include the role of the media in society as it is conceived by selected social and political theorists, communications law, politics and the media, the economics of the media, and journalism history.

Carleton’s School of Journalism and Communication is uniquely situated for advanced journalism study. It offers ready access to many of the people and institutions that most directly influence Canadian affairs: Parliament, federal government departments and agencies, embassies, business and labour organizations, and major economic and cultural institutions.

Master of Journalism

Admission Requirements

The Master of Journalism program comprises 10.0 credits  (or the equivalent). Most applicants will be admitted to the first year of a two-year course of study, but some may qualify for admission directly to the second year (see below). An admissions committee, including the supervisor of graduate studies, will determine the admissions qualifications of each applicant.

Admission will be selective. Admission will not be guaranteed to all who meet the published minimum requirements, as there are many more qualified applicants each year than there are available spaces.

A student who holds a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a recognized university in a field other than journalism may be admitted to the first year of study if he or she achieved at least high honours standing. Such students who complete the core first year, outlined below, and meet the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Section 11 of the General Regulations section  of this Calendar, may proceed to second year.

Applicants who have a three-year (pass) journalism degree with high honours standing may be admitted to a first year made up largely of approved courses from the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences. Such students may proceed to the second year of study if they have achieved high honours standing.

A limited number of spaces will be made available for direct admission to the second year of the M.J. program. Students must normally possess one of the following qualifications to be considered for this advanced admission: a B.J. (Honours) or the equivalent with high second-class standing, or a degree in another discipline from a recognized university plus at least five years of professional experience in journalism, or long and distinguished professional experience in journalism. Students with suitable professional qualifications but no degree may occasionally be admitted to a program in which they take a required number of undergraduate courses in addition to the M.J. program.

Application is made on forms available from the School of Journalism and Communication. Students applying for the first year of the program are advised to apply by June 1 as enrolment in the School is limited. All applications received after June 1 will normally be considered only for entry into the program in the year following.

As a condition for graduation, all students are required to have a minimum of four months of practical experience in the media, and a working knowledge of a second language, preferably French.

Program Requirements

First Year Candidates admitted to the first year of the Master of Journalism program must complete the following courses before proceeding to the second year of study: First year M.J. candidates may be considered for advanced standing in certain of the above required courses, but in such cases will be required to replace waived courses with approved options.

Second Year
Credits will be determined according to the stream pursued:

Specialized Print Reporting

(i) Journalism 28.560

(ii) Journalism 28.570

(iii) Journalism 28.575**

(iv) Journalism 28.598**

(v) At least 1.0 approved credit (or the equivalent)  in the student’s area of specialization.

**   Under special circumstances, and with departmental approval, a student could replace items (iii) and (iv) above with a 2.0 credit M.J. thesis, 28.599.

Broadcast Journalism

(i) Journalism 28.560

(ii) Journalism 28.572

(iii) Journalism 28.575**

(iv) Journalism 28.598**

(v) At least 1.0 approved credit (or the equivalent)  in the student’s area of specialization.

**   Under special circumstances, and with departmental approval, a student could replace items (iii) and (iv) above with a 2.0 credit M.J. thesis, 28.599.

Journalism Studies

(i) Journalism 28.560

(ii) At least 1.0 approved credit (or the equivalent) in a field other than journalism but related to the study of journalism (eg., 47.403, 27.410*, 27.412*, 27.430*, 27.432* )

(iii) 1.0 approved credit (or the equivalent) from Journalism 28.580, 28.588, 28.589, 28.590, 28.591

(iv) Journalism 28.599

*    At the undergraduate level denotes a 0.5 credit course

Academic Standing

All candidates are required to obtain a grade of B– or better in each credit in the program. A candidate may, with the recommendation of the School and the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, be allowed a grade of C+ in 1.0 credit (or the equivalent).

Full-time students in a 10.0 credit M.J. program are advised that their thesis or research essay proposal must be formally approved within eighteen months of initial registration. Students in a 5.0 credit program must have the proposal formally approved by the middle of their second term of full-time registration. Due dates for part-time students will be adjusted accordingly. Students failing to file a proposal may not be permitted to register in subsequent terms until this requirement has been met. Approval of proposals shall be the responsibility of a thesis committee appointed by the Director of the School.

Students are advised to consult the General Regulations section of this Calendar for other regulations relating to academic standing.

Graduate Courses*

First Year

  • Journalism 28.500F1 or W1
    Journalism and Society I
    An examination of the conditions under which genuine communication is possible in a modern democratic society, with special attention to patterns of journalistic practice, media ownership, and governmental regulation in Canada, Britain, and the United States. Emphasis is placed on certain traditional texts as well as current research studies related to journalism and communication.

  • Journalism 28.520F2
    Print Journalism Laboratory
    A laboratory course in basic reporting and editing techniques, followed by application in the print media.

  • Journalism 28.522W2
    Broadcast Journalism Laboratory

    A laboratory course in reporting and editing in the broadcast media.

  • Journalism 28.524W1
    Depth Reporting
    Under the supervision of a faculty member, students will select a public affairs topic of current interest and will research and write a series of interpretive newspaper articles on that subject area. Research and interviewing techniques will be explored as will techniques of writing longer news articles. Seminars will be a combination of faculty instruction and class discussion based on the students’ written work.

  • Journalism 28.535F1 or W1
    Perspectives on Modern Society
    A seminar course examining texts from the social sciences, philosophy, literature, and journalism for the contribution they make to an understanding of issues facing modern industrial society.

  • Journalism 28.536F1 or W1
    Public Issues
    A seminar course examining literature and other sources in an attempt to understand continuing and emerging political, social, and economic problems in Canada and elsewhere.

  • Journalism 28.541F1 or W1
    Journalism Law
    The purpose of this course is to prepare journalists to function comfortably within the legal and ethical guidelines governing their occupation. The course also aims to help them avoid the large errors in reporting legal matters. Topics studied and discussed include: the difference between civil and criminal law; contempt of court; free press, fair trial; revealing of sources; civil defamation; criminal libel; obscenity; copyright; privacy; government secrecy; advertising law.

    Second Year

  • Journalism 28.560T2
    Journalism and Society II This course involves an examination of the practices and problems of journalism, and the role of journalism in modern society. Students will be asked to read texts in which journalists examine their craft and in which non-journalists analyze and comment on the manner in which journalism and communication systems are organized in modern society. The course seeks to integrate the analysis of journalism practice into general theories of media and society.

  • Journalism 28.570T2
    Specialized Print Reporting
    This course attempts, through a combination of seminars and individual or small-group tutorials, to integrate advanced journalistic skills with knowledge gained in specialized areas such as politics, international affairs, and economics. Students will study approaches to and problems in reporting in specialized areas, and work with senior professionals to research, report, and write interpretive articles in those specialities.

  • Journalism 28.572T2
    Television Journalism
    Students will be asked to analyze and, as resources permit, report, write, and produce news and public affairs television programs.

  • Journalism 28.575T2
    Professional Practices
    A senior seminar and practicum for second-year students in the specialized print reporting and broadcasting streams. Elements of the course include story analysis, publishing/broadcasting practices, ethical practices, management practices, language analysis, operation and practices of news services.

  • Journalism 28.580F1 or W1
    Survey Methods for Journalists
    An examination of basic research design and data collection with emphasis on problems of interpretation.

  • Journalism 28.588F1
    Directed Readings
    Students, working under faculty direction, will undertake an intensive reading schedule in order to pursue a subject area of particular interest.

  • Journalism 28.589W1
    Directed Research
    Students, working under faculty direction, will develop and undertake a research project in order to pursue a subject area of particular interest.

  • Journalism 28.590T2, S2
    Directed Studies
    Reading and research tutorials.

  • Journalism 28.591F1, W1, S1
    Directed Studies
    Reading and research tutorials.

  • Journalism 28.598F2, W2, S2
    M.J. Research Project
    The student will complete a substantial piece of public affairs journalism in print or, if resources permit, in radio or television; or a research project on the mass media; or a major contribution to journalism education through the production of a document on an aspect of journalism practice. Students in the specialized reporting stream will be expected to write on public affairs; broadcasting students will be expected to examine problems in broadcast journalism or, if resources permit, may be given an opportunity to submit a completed work on film or video or in radio.

  • Journalism 28.599F4, W4, S4
    M.J. Thesis
    To fulfil the requirements of this 2.0 credit thesis course, students must produce a major piece of journalistic research or complete an academic thesis in the area of journalism studies.