Hussman School of Journalism and Media (GRAD)

The Hussman School of Journalism and Media offers programs leading to three graduate degrees:

  • Doctor of philosophy in media and communication
  • Master of arts in digital communication (online)
  • Master of arts in media and communication, with distinct areas of study in:
    • Journalism
    • Strategic communication
    • Theory and research

In all the school’s graduate offerings, students are taught to examine critically the role of media in society and are provided with a firm grounding in theory and analysis. By setting high standards for both scholarly and professional achievement, the school seeks to prepare graduates to be leaders and critical thinkers, no matter what career paths they might take.

Master of Arts in Media and Communication

The master’s in media and communication prepares students to be leaders and critical thinkers through training in skills, communication concepts, and research and analysis. With high standards for scholarly and professional achievement, the program serves individuals interested in entering media and communication professions, professional communicators who want more education in a specialized field, and individuals interested in communication research and teaching. Annual enrollment in the program totals about 45 students.

The program consists of three areas of study: journalism, strategic communication, and theory and research. Students in the new, one-year journalism curriculum specialize in interactive design journalism, public life reporting, or video journalism. The strategic communication and theory and research programs of study are both designed to be completed in two academic years. A J.D.–M.A. dual-degree program, part of the theory and research area of study, also is offered in partnership with the UNC School of Law. It allows students to earn both degrees in as little as four years.

Requirements

All residential master's students, regardless of area of study, must pass the school's word usage and grammar test. This examination is a basic requirement for graduation for UNC Hussman undergraduate students and should pose no challenge for graduate students. 

Each student must pass a comprehensive examination — either written or oral, depending on area of study — covering the material in the student's courses and an oral defense of the final project (journalism, strategic communication) or thesis (theory and research).

Journalism Area of Study

The 2023–2024 academic year is the first for the new, one-year journalism program of study. The 30-credit curriculum allows aspiring and early-career journalists to — in just 12 months — intensively learn the specialized skills of their craft. Each journalism student pursues one of three specializations:

  • Interactive design journalism focuses on the development of interactive stories and content production for dynamic web projects.
  • Public life reporting focuses on the development of investigative reporting expertise, allowing students to produce stories about education, health care, housing, immigration, labor, law enforcement, and racial/ethnic discrimination, among other issues.
  • Video journalism teaches students how to acquire audio, photo, and video content; structure stories; and produce short and long-form documentary films.

Students start with a bootcamp course, either fundamentals of reporting or fundamentals of video journalism, in summer session II to develop foundational skills. In the fall, all students take law, ethics, and contemporary issues, as well as journalism methods. The remaining two fall courses and four spring courses are a mix of specialization requirements and electives. Students begin work on a culminating final project during their spring courses and finalize the project during the following summer session I, with guidance from a panel of three faculty. They complete the program by passing an oral comprehensive exam and presenting their completed project to the faculty panel.

Up to two elective courses may be taken from related subject fields in other schools and departments of the University or at neighboring universities.

Strategic Communication Area of Study

The strategic communication area of study prepares students for advertising, marketing communication, and public relations positions in agencies, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government. Because the professional master's curricula should prepare students to be leaders in the 21st-century workplace, this area of study seeks a balance between critical thinking and technical communication skills.

Strategic communication master’s students complete 36 total credit hours, comprised of 11 courses over three semesters and a final thesis project in the fourth semester. At least nine courses must be taken within the school, and up to two courses may be taken from related subject fields in other schools and departments of the University or at neighboring universities.

Each student is required to take four core courses (research methods, media law, strategic writing, and digital storytelling). Other required courses include a campaigns course, market intelligence, principles of public relations, and a public relations seminar.

Theory and Research Area of Study

The theory and research area of study is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree or research positions in industry. The curriculum for students in this area is closely tied to the Ph.D. program curriculum. Theory and research students do not take professional skills courses.  

Within this 39-credit-hour curriculum, each student completes a core set of classes and works with an advisor to build a specialized program of study based on this foundation. Core courses include mass communication theory, research methods, and media law. Students also are required to take at least two courses in other schools and departments at the University or at neighboring universities. A research thesis also is required of each theory and research master’s student.

J.D.–M.A. Dual Degree

The J.D.–M.A. dual-degree program is designed for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in law and media and communication, and who plan to practice media or intellectual property law, pursue academic careers in law and mass communication fields, pursue doctoral study in a related field, or pursue careers in journalism or strategic communication with a law-related emphasis.

Admitted students typically complete the required first-year law school curriculum during the first year of study. The M.A. portion of the program requires 39 course credit hours and typically follows the theory and research program of study curriculum described above. In the dual-degree program, a student may count up to 12 credit hours of LAW courses toward the M.A. and up to 12 credit hours of MEJO courses toward the J.D. That accounts for the 24 course credit hours that are "shared." That means that the dual degree requires a total of 101 unique course credit hours, and 27 of those course credit hours are MEJO course credit hours.

All degree requirements from both schools must be completed before the degrees are awarded, and dual-degree students must apply for concurrent graduation for both degrees the same semester. Students who do not maintain dual-degree status may need to take additional coursework if they pursue either degree separately after being admitted to the dual-degree program.  

Master of Arts in Digital Communication (Online)

The master’s in digital communication empowers working professionals to advance their careers and bring immediate impact to their organizations. Students explore the economic drivers and technological changes affecting media and communication. Through a rigorous, project-based curriculum, students learn to find trends, patterns, and stories in data and communicate insights that will drive impactful decision-making. Students collaborate closely with faculty and peer professionals, learning to develop effective content creation and dissemination strategies across platforms, deliver unforgettable user experiences, and lead with strategic and entrepreneurial thinking.

Courses use an asynchronous course management system, which means that students are not required to gather online for class at specific times. The M.A.D.C. does feature one-hour synchronous sessions in some courses. These sessions are recorded for students to watch at another time if they are unable to attend in real time. M.A.D.C. students also are required to attend two on-campus residencies, first a two-day orientation the week before classes begin and then a week-long summer residency between the first and the second year of the program.

The M.A.D.C. program admits one group of no more than 20 students each fall. Each entering class progresses through the program together over a 2.5-year period. Classes are intentionally small with an emphasis on interaction between faculty and students. 

Requirements

The final new courses of a revised curriculum were added in 2022–2023. The 30-credit-hour program consists of nine online courses and the final thesis project:

MEJO 710Psychology of Audiences3
MEJO 711Multi-platform Storytelling3
MEJO 713Media Analytics3
MEJO 719Leadership and Entrepreneurship3
MEJO 720Communication Strategy and Planning3
MEJO 722The Business of Media3
MEJO 723Visual Literacy and User Experience3
MEJO 724Reputation Management3
MEJO 725Media Innovation in Practice3
MEJO 992Master's (Non-Thesis)3

Length of the M.A.D.C. Program

The M.A.D.C. program is designed to be completed in 2.5 years on a part-time schedule. During the first year, students enroll in two courses in the fall, two courses in the spring, and one course in the summer. In the second year, students enroll in two courses in the fall and two courses in the spring. In the third year, students enroll in a nontraditional thesis course in the fall.

Ph.D. in Media and Communication

The doctorate in media and communication prepares students to excel in college teaching and research positions or research careers in communication industries. Advancing the body of knowledge through theory building and testing, faculty work closely with each student to develop a program of study that is both interdisciplinary and tailored to meet the specific needs and interests of the student. The goal of the program is to produce outstanding scholars, effective educators, and highly skilled researchers.

The program is small and selective; no more than seven to 10 students enter the program each year. Admissions decisions are based not only on standard criteria but also on a determination of whether the applicant's interests and goals fit with those of the program and faculty. For that reason, the statement of purpose that must accompany an application is extremely important, and applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible in outlining their research interests and career goals.

Requirements

The doctoral program is designed to be flexible and interdisciplinary, but also to ensure that students are equipped to conduct rigorous research and teach or practice in at least one substantive area. Full-time students take four courses each semester for their first two years in the program, for 48 credit hours (400-level and above courses) that combine the three core courses below and electives. In their third year, students enroll in six dissertation credit hours, to total 54 required credit hours, and also complete comprehensive exams.

MEJO 703Mass Communication Research Methods3
MEJO 705Theories of Mass Communication3
MEJO 801Professional Seminar in Doctoral Studies3

The remaining required credit hours must be arrayed into three groups of courses: 1) a substantive area of study consisting of at least 15 hours of coursework; 2) research methods consisting of at least four courses; and 3) at least nine hours of coursework for the development of a secondary area of expertise or exploration of other substantive or methodological areas of the academy. Major and minor substantive areas include:

  • Media processes and production
  • Legal and regulatory issues in communication
  • Media uses and effects
  • Health communication
  • Political, social, and strategic communication

Other requirements include:

  • At least eight courses, totaling at least 24 credits, of 700-, 800-, and 900-level courses within the Hussman School of Journalism and Media

  • At least four semesters in residence, with a minimum of two semesters in continuous study at UNC–Chapel Hill

  • Satisfactory performance on both written and oral comprehensive exams, taken at the end of the Ph.D. coursework

  • Successful completion and oral defense of a dissertation

Length of the Ph.D. Program

Most students complete the Ph.D. program in three to four years. Some students elect to stay a fourth year to compete more effectively for research-intensive positions at Research 1 universities or to pursue more ambitious dissertations. The Graduate School requires students to complete the degree within eight years of first registration in the doctoral program.

J.D.–Ph.D. Dual-Degree Program

The J.D.–Ph.D. dual-degree program is designed for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in law and media and communication and who plan to practice media or intellectual property law, pursue academic careers in law and mass communication fields, or pursue careers in journalism or strategic communication with a law-related emphasis.

Admission to the UNC School of Law and the doctoral program in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media must be gained independently in order to be admitted to the J.D.–Ph.D. program. Admitted students typically complete the required first-year law school curriculum during the first year of study.

Dual-degree students must complete the required 54 credit hours for the Ph.D., of which up to 12 credit hours may be drawn from approved courses in the J.D. curriculum. Dual-degree students also must complete the required 86 credit hours for the J.D. degree, of which up to 12 hours may be drawn from approved courses in the Ph.D. curriculum. This allows J.D.–Ph.D. students to complete the dual-degree program with 116 credit hours over approximately five years, depending on the individual student’s progress and program of study.

All degree requirements from both schools must be completed before the degrees are awarded, and dual-degree students must apply for concurrent graduation for both degrees the same semester. Students who do not maintain dual-degree status may need to take additional coursework if they pursue either degree separately after being admitted to the dual-degree program.

Funding

Roy H. Park Fellowships are available to select incoming doctoral students each year. Each fellowship provides an annual stipend, payment of tuition and fees, research and travel support, and health insurance. Park fellows are guaranteed three years of funding. Many doctoral students who desire to study for four years are able to secure a fourth year of funding from other sources. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for Park Fellowships, and continuation of funding each year is dependent on satisfactory progress in the program. Each fellow must work as a graduate assistant for 15 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters.

The school also funds doctoral students through the Cobbs Scholarship, for which international and domestic applicants are eligible. Ph.D. students are also sometimes funded by external grants supporting UNC Hussman faculty research projects.

Professors

Francesca Dillman Carpentier, W. Horace Carter Distinguished Professor; Media Uses and Effects, Health Communication
Patrick Davison, Journalism
Rhonda Gibson, James H. Shumaker Term Professor; Media Uses and Effects, Journalism
Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, Hugh Morton Distinguished Professor; Health Communication; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Susan R. King, John Thomas Kerr Jr. Distinguished Professor; Journalism
Daniel Kreiss, Edgar Thomas Cato Distinguished Professor; Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Thomas R. Linden, Glaxo Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Medical Journalism; Journalism
Seth Noar, James Howard and Hallie McLean Parker Distinguished Professor; Media Uses and Effects, Health Communication
Terence Oliver, Walter Spearman Distinguished Professor; Visual Communication
Marisa Porto, John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability; Journalism
John Sweeney, Distinguished Professor in Sports Communication; Strategic Communication
Charles A. Tuggle, John H. Stembler Jr. Distinguished Professor; Media Processes and Production; Journalism

Associate Professors

Debashis Aikat, Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication; Journalism
Lucinda Austin, Media Uses and Effects; Health Communication; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Spencer Barnes, Media Uses and Effects, Visual Communication, Health Communication
Andy Bechtel, Journalism
Lois Boynton, Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Nori Comello, Media Uses and Effects; Health Communication; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Paul Cuadros, Journalism
Joseph Czabovsky, Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Victoria Smith Ekstrand, Legal and Regulatory Issues in Communication
Deen Freelon, Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Barbara Friedman, Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication; Journalism
Chad Heartwood, Journalism
Joe Bob Hester, Media Uses and Effects; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Steven King, Journalism
Allison Lazard, E. Reese Felts Jr. Distinguished Associate Professor; Media Uses and Effects, Health Communication, Strategic Communication
Suman Lee, Media Processes and Production; Strategic Communication
Trevy McDonald, Julian Scheer Term Associate Professor; Media Processes and Production; Political, Social and Strategic Communication; Journalism
Amanda Reid, Legal and Regulatory Issues in Communication
Laura Ruel, Journalism
Ryan Thornburg, Journalism

Assistant Professors

Shelvia Dancy, Journalism
Shannon McGregor, Media Processes and Production; Media Uses and Effects; Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Lee McGuigan, Political, Social and Strategic Communication
Erin Siegal McIntyre, Journalism
Xinyan (Eva) Zhao, Political, Social and Strategic Communication

Professors of the Practice

Jules Dixon, Strategic Communication
Michelle LaRoche, Hussman Professor of Business Journalism; Journalism
Dana McMahan, Professor of the Practice of Advertising; Strategic Communication
Peter Sherman, Strategic Communication

Teaching Professor

Valerie Fields, Strategic Communication

Teaching Associate Professor

Livis Freeman, Strategic Communication

Teaching Assistant Professors

Scott Geier, Journalism
Gary Kayye, Strategic Communication
Nazanin Knudsen, Journalism
John Robinson, Journalism

Professors Emeriti

Penelope Muse Abernathy
Harry Amana
Richard J. Beckman
Thomas A. Bowers
Jane D. Brown
Napoleon Byars
Queenie Byars
Richard R. Cole
George W. Cloud
David Cupp
A. Richard Elam
Frank Fee
Ferrel Guillory
Jean Folkerts
Anne Johnston
Robert F. Lauterborn
Raleigh Mann
Philip Meyer
Cathy Packer
Carol Reuss
Daniel Riffe
Richard Simpson
Dulcie Straughan
Leroy Towns
Lucila Vargas
Jan Yopp
Xinshu Zhao

MEJO

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

MEJO 421.  Television News Reporting and Producing.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course covers writing, reporting, and producing television news stories and programs, with emphasis on basic as well as innovative broadcast story forms.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 121 and 252.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 424.  Media Management and Policy.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to media management, generally, and the supervision and motivation of employees, specifically. The course also delves into policy and legal issues impacting modern media operations. It explores the special skills associated with management of media properties in the context of constant change.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 425.  Voice and Diction.  3 Credits.  

Designed to help students develop presentation skills and use voices effectively as professional broadcast journalists.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 426.  Audio Journalism for Radio and Podcasts.  3 Credits.  

A practicum class in which students work under faculty guidance to produce news stories, features, interviews, sports, and other audio content. Student work is broadcast on "Carolina Connection" -- a weekly radio program -- and is distributed on iTunes and other digital platforms. Students also have the opportunity to produce their own podcasts in the Carroll Hall studios.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 252.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 430.  Personal Finance.  3 Credits.  

Learn the concepts of personal finance including mortgages, credit card management, checking accounts, credit ratings and scores, privacy, retirement planning, and stock market investing to help you successfully navigate your finances after graduation. We will explore the concepts of personal finance and also at looking behind the numbers to spot how the consumer might be taken advantage of financially by banking and other institutions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 432.  Cause Communications.  3 Credits.  

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of public relations in the nonprofit realm and a service-learning experience. Students will be introduced to the essential skills and core responsibilities of practicing public relations for the public good. Lectures, case studies, and discussions will be integrated with service-learning experiences in which students apply course concepts to address real concerns and issues of community partners.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 433.  UX Strategy and Design.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, a prior or concurrent visual design course, internship, or work experience demonstrating basic graphic design skills. Immersion in experience design (XD) for products and services with a focus on digital user experience (UX), interface design (UI), analytics and marketing strategies. Students use design thinking, research, data, testing, business models, social media, and optimal conversion to engage diverse audiences. Previously offered as MEJO 336.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 435.  Public Information Strategies.  3 Credits.  

This course provides a comprehensive assessment and understanding of the role of public relations professionals throughout government and the nonprofit sector as well. The course examines the unique requirements placed on communicators who are simultaneously responsible for representing their respective organizations while keeping the public informed.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 437.  Media in Asia.  3 Credits.  

The study of media in Asia, including how news and information are disseminated and used by audiences. Includes a trip to the region as part of the course. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, EE- Study Abroad.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137 or 153.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 438.  Advertising in the Age of Alexa.  3 Credits.  

An exploration of established advertising and brand theory and their evolving best practices in response to decades of continuous digital disruption. Through selected readings, engaging discussion, student research, and live interface with some of today's most enlightened, real-world practitioners, we'll investigate how content on powerful platforms shapes both attitudes and behavior, how marketing communications methods have been challenged and discarded, and why fundamental objectives in creating brand-based relationships remain remarkably constant.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 439.  Producing for Advertising.  3 Credits.  

This class is designed to enhance your understanding and appreciation for the producers' role in the advertising process. Students will be introduced to terminology, roles, shooting fundamentals, and interpreting the written word as they explore the three stages of filmmaking: preproduction, production, and post-production. Students will also learn what goes into bidding, scheduling, and delivering a completed campaign while also delving into client interfacing, legal, and union/nonunion rules.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 440.  Digital Media Law and Society.  3 Credits.  

Explains legal issues raised by Internet communication and guides students in thinking critically about how those issues can be resolved. Reviews how courts, other branches of government, the private sector, and legal scholars have responded to the Internet. Topics may include digital copyright, net neutrality, privacy, and Internet censorship abroad.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 340.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 441.  Diversity and Communication.  3 Credits.  

An examination of racial stereotypes and minority portrayals in United States culture and communication. Emphasis is on the portrayal of Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans in the mass media.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 442.  Gender, Class, Race, and Mass Media.  3 Credits.  

The media play a critical role in the construction and contestation of ideas about gender, class, and race. Using a range of methods, students will analyze media messages past and present to understand how gender, race, and class influence media production and consumption.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: WGST 442.  
MEJO 443.  Latino Media Studies.  3 Credits.  

An introductory course to the study of United States Latina/os and the media. It analyzes the media portrayal of Latina/os in United States mainstream media. The course also examines media that cater to Latina/os and explores the way in which Latina/o audiences use the multiple media offerings available to them.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 445.  Process and Effects of Mass Communication.  3 Credits.  

Mass communication as a social process, incorporating literature from journalism, social psychology, sociology, political science, and history. To acquaint students with factors in message construction, dissemination, and reception by audiences.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 446.  Global Communication and Comparative Journalism.  3 Credits.  

Covers theories explaining the workings of global and local communication systems, the transnational flow of news, and opportunities and challenges that social media and other new platforms pose to the production and distribution of news. It also familiarizes students with the media communication systems of key countries.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 447.  Media in the United Kingdom.  3 Credits.  

The study of media in the UK including how news and information are disseminated and used by audiences. Includes a trip to the country as part of the course. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work, GL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137 or 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 448.  Freedom of Expression in the United States.  3 Credits.  

An examination of the development of freedom of expression in the United States within the context of the nation's history.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 449.  Blogging, Smart Mobs, and We the Media.  3 Credits.  

For advanced undergraduates through Ph.D. students. Practical and theoretical approaches to understanding, designing, building, and using virtual communities, including studies of network capital, social capital, and social production.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 454.  Advanced Feature Writing.  3 Credits.  

Writing and reporting important topics in in-depth feature articles. Discussion and utilization of writing and reporting techniques in order to complete articles for publication or other dissemination. In-depth instruction and critiques of student work.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 153 and 356.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 455.  Creative Sportswriting.  3 Credits.  

Researching and writing sports stories, including game coverage, magazine features, and opinion columns. Students complete reporting and writing exercises inside and outside of the classroom.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 458.  Southern Politics: Critical Thinking and Writing.  3 Credits.  

Interpretive-contextual journalism focused on the trends, issues, and politics that influence democracy in North Carolina, the American South, and the nation. Through readings and the practice of analytical journalism, the course explores government policy making, election campaigns, social and economic trends, ethics, and citizen-leader relationships.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 459.  Community Journalism.  3 Credits.  

Comprehensive study of the community press, including policies, procedures, and issues surrounding the production of smaller newspapers within the context of the community in its social and civic setting.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning, US.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 463.  News Lab: Creating Tomorrow's News Products.  3 Credits.  

Students work under faculty guidance to develop and test an idea for a start-up news product. Students will create a prototype, test it on a target market, and compile a business feasibility report for the product. The course emphasizes collaboration among students with a variety of skills and experiences.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 469.  Health Communication and Marketing.  3 Credits.  

Forbes magazine projects a crest of increasing employment in healthcare over the next decade. This means the strategic communication skill set is in high demand by hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare advertising or PR agencies, insurance companies, non-profit organizations, and more. In this course, students will learn about the healthcare sector, explore the patient journey, map stakeholders and influencers, and get hands-on experience with marketing and communications that can help people lead healthier lives.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 471.  Advanced Advertising Copywriting.  3 Credits.  

Rigorous, in-depth instruction and critiques of student advertising writing. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 475.  Concepts of Marketing.  3 Credits.  

Designed to provide the larger business context for students anticipating careers in advertising, public relations, and other media industries, the course teaches the vocabulary and basic concepts of marketing as it will be practiced.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 476.  Ethical Issues and Sports Communication.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Ethical dilemmas and decisions in the commercialization and coverage of sports, including the influence of television, pressure to change traditions and standards for monetary reasons, and negative influences on athletes.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 477.  New Media Technologies: Their Impact on the Future of Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations.  3 Credits.  

This course will introduce you to the nontraditional, future vision required to be successful in advertising, marketing, and public relations and the more personal, individualized technologies that will grab people's attention in the future.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 478.  Media Marketing.  3 Credits.  

Principles and practices of retail advertising in all media, with emphasis on selling, writing, and layout of retail advertising for the print media.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 479.  Market Intelligence.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course helps students learn to make better business decisions by teaching contemporary analytical tools to solve brand and advertising problems. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-QUANT.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 482.  Media Design.  3 Credits.  

Detailed study of page layout and graphics techniques for all forms of news media. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 182.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 484.  Information Graphics.  3 Credits.  

Study and application of graphic design and information-gathering techniques to creating charts, maps, and diagrams.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 182; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 485.  Publication Design.  3 Credits.  

Detailed study and application of graphic design techniques in magazines, newspapers, advertising, and corporate communication.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 182; pre- or co-requisite, MEJO 153; permission of the instructor.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 487.  Intermediate Interactive Media.  3 Credits.  

Web programming, graphic design, and storytelling for the Web. Students will use HTML5 CSS3, JavaScript, and other Web publishing languages while learning how to design, storyboard, and script an interactive storytelling project. Students will collect and incorporate photos, text, video, graphics, and database information into interactive multimedia presentations. Previously offered as MEJO 586.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 187.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 488.  Multimedia Storytelling: Carolina Photojournalism Workshop.  3 Credits.  

The Carolina Photojournalism Workshop has a dual mission: to provide an immersive, real-world learning experience for students, and to create and publish exceptional multimedia content on the culture of North Carolina that can be a resource for people in our state and the world. Previously offered as MEJO 587.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 489.  Photojournalism, Lighting, and Business Techniques.  3 Credits.  

Students expand their personal photographic vision and professional portfolio by honing their knowledge and skills of studio and location lighting, propping, and styling. Students learn studio and location portraiture and photo illustration and create a photo essay or portrait series. Previously offered as MEJO 181.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 180.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 490.  Special Topics in Mass Communication.  1-3 Credits.  

Small classes on various aspects of journalism-mass communication with subjects and instructors varying each semester. Descriptions for each section available on the school's Web site under Course Details. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 9 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 500.  Freelance Fundamentals.  3 Credits.  

Students gain an understanding of the fundamentals of freelancing in the media and journalism industry. The course will utilize online learning tools to offer an introduction to skills and concepts necessary to manage a creative communication production business. MEJO undergraduate and graduate student initially. Open to other majors once courses open to campus wide.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 522.  Producing Television News.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Students work under faculty guidance to produce "Carolina Week," a television news program, and are responsible for all production tasks such as producing, reporting, anchoring, directing, and others. Previously offered as MEJO 422.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 421.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 523.  Broadcast News and Production Management.  3 Credits.  

Students participate in a collaborative learning environment to hone skills learned in earlier courses and help less-experienced students acclimate to the broadcast news experience within the school. By invitation only. Previously offered as MEJO 423. Permission of the instructor. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 530.  Green Brand Lab.  3 Credits.  

Development and design of creative strategies for green products and good services. Students innovate environmentally sustainable products, services, and processes that lead to brand loyalty and positive impact. Triple bottom line: social, ecological and financial strategies, brand development, advocacy communications, research, data, and storytelling come together to make the world a better place. Course previously offered as MEJO 335.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 531.  Case Studies in Public Relations.  3 Credits.  

Helps students think as public relations professionals who deal with the demanding, dynamic environment of corporate, government, and nonprofit public relations. Students examine real-world situations and strategies, discussing factors that affect how public relations is practiced in organizations, including identifying stakeholder groups, developing strategies, embracing diversity, and recognizing ethical issues. Previously offered as MEJO 431.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 532.  International Public Relations.  3 Credits.  

This course aims to introduce students to the global and international perspectives of public relations. Corporations, governments, and non-government organizations (NGOs) actively seek to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the public in other countries beyond their national boundaries. Public relations agencies serve foreign clients facing a variety of issues and challenges on a global scale. Key literature on international public relations, public diplomacy, global reputation management, and international media relations will be covered.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 533.  Crisis Communication.  3 Credits.  

Provides an assessment and understanding of crises, examining the role public relations professionals play in helping organizations use mass communication theories and best practices. Includes media training. Introduces students to areas of crisis research, allowing them to complete the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Incident Management System certification. Previously offered as MEJO 433.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 137.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 537.  Washington Experience.  3 Credits.  

This course is an intensive, semester-long course that will introduce students to political communication and organizations and individuals from the Hussman School's vast alumni and friend network. Political communication spans everything from political journalism and public relations to advertising and marketing. The hallmark of the class is a week in Washington D.C. during fall break when students will visit various social media firms, journalism, party, and advocacy organizations, political consultancies, and legislative offices.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 541.  Economics Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Coverage of Wall Street and the economy, including stocks, bonds, and economic indicators. Reporting on the Federal Reserve, labor, consumer sector, manufacturing and inflation, and certain industries. Previously offered as MEJO 451.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 542.  Business Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Methods and tactics of covering businesses for mass communication. Why and how companies operate and how to write stories about corporate news from public records and other sources. Previously offered as MEJO 452.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 544.  Career Exploration and Preparation.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide detailed information about all communications careers, help you discover which careers best suit you, make sure your brand matches your career choice, help you maximize mentor relationships while becoming more effective networkers, and help you better understand all available job search resources. This will essentially be the final step in making sure you look and sound impressive while your portfolios maximize the magnitude of your experience.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 550.  Business and the Media.  3 Credits.  

Role of media in United States society and effects on public perceptions of business. Relationship of business press and corporate America. Current issues in business journalism. Previously offered as MEJO 450.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 553.  Advanced Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Rigorous, in-depth instruction and critiques of students' news and feature assignments done with different reporting methodologies: interviewing, official records, direct and participant observation, and survey research (the Carolina Poll). Previously offered as MEJO 453.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 153 and 253.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 557.  News Editing.  3 Credits.  

Concentration on the editing of news, including writing of headlines, captions and posts for social media. Students may not receive credit for both MEJO 157 and MEJO 557.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 560.  Environmental and Science Journalism.  3 Credits.  

Prepare students to work as environmental and science journalists. The course emphasizes writing skills in all delivery formats and interpreting environmental, science, and medical information for consumers. Previously offered as HBEH 660/HBEH 660H/HPM 550/HPM 550H. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 561.  Environmental and Science Video Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

Students work in teams to produce, shoot, script, and report environmental, science, and medical stories for broadcast on "Carolina Week", the award-winning, student-produced television newscast.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 562.  Environmental and Science Documentary Television.  3 Credits.  

Students work in teams to conceive, produce, and script mini-documentaries on environmental and science topics for broadcast on North Carolina Public Television.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 564.  Medical and Science Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, a second reporting or writing course. Focuses on developing strategies to research and write about medical issues, specifically selecting topics, finding and evaluating sources, and information gathering. Students produce a range of stories, from short consumer pieces to in-depth articles.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 153.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 565.  Environmental Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

An interdisciplinary course for students interested in environmental issues or journalism to produce stories about environmental issues that matter to North Carolinians. Students learn to identify credible sources, manage substantial amounts of information, and find story focus as they report on technical and often controversial subjects in a variety of media.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENEC 565.  
MEJO 569.  Behavioral Science in Health Communication.  3 Credits.  

In this course, students are provided with an in-depth understanding of how people make health decisions and what motivates them to act. Then, through discussions, hands-on exercises, and case studies of health campaigns, students learn how to apply behavioral science to identify, dissect, and determine the best communication solutions for some of the most important challenges facing healthcare today.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 570.  Data Driven Journalism.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to basic statistics and numerical and mathematical literacy, as well as a look at professional data-driven journalism projects. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to acquire, organize, analyze, and present data to a general news audience. Previously offered as MEJO 460.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-QUANT.
Making Connections Gen Ed: QI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 571.  Social Media Analytics.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the analysis of textual data using computer programming-based (so-called "Big Data") methods. Students will learn how to use code (or social listening tools) to analyze and visualize large datasets drawn from traditional and/or social media. No prior programming experience is required.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 572.  Art Direction in Advertising.  3 Credits.  

This course provides students with finished advertising for their portfolios through visual theory instruction, creative exercises, and strategy application. Previously offered as MEJO 472.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 577.  The Branding of Me.  3 Credits.  

What have you done to brand yourself? Students will use YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in a calculated plan with other new-media marketing tools to land that first job. Previously offered as MEJO 474.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 477.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 580.  Photo Stories.  3 Credits.  

Advanced course in photojournalism content gathering, history, ethics and storytelling. Students shoot advanced newspaper and magazine assignments and create short multimedia stories combining photography, audio, and video. Previously offered as MEJO 480. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 581.  User Experience Design and Usability.  3 Credits.  

Theory and practice of user experience design with an emphasis on usability, design theory, aesthetic design, and evaluative methodologies, including analytics and eye tracking research. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 582.  Advanced Documentary Video Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

Students learn how to gather audio and video content, editing and storytelling techniques, and how to publish these media onto a variety of multimedia platforms. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 121 and 180.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 583.  Advanced Interactive Media.  3 Credits.  

Advanced course in multimedia programming languages that includes designing and building dynamic projects. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 487.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 584.  International Projects.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Students work on a semester-long documentary multimedia project in an international location that includes photo and video journalists, audio recordists, designers, infographics artists, and programmers. Open by application to students who have completed an advanced course in visual or electronic communication. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 585.  3D Design Studio.  3 Credits.  

The use of 3D design and animation to create visual explanations. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 588.  Emerging Technologies.  3 Credits.  

This course will introduce students to storytelling with emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, 360 Video, robots, drones, and other new technologies. Students will have the opportunity to learn and work with the latest VR hardware and create experiences for those platforms. Previously offered as MEJO 660.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 589.  Motion Graphics.  3 Credits.  

Detailed study and application of motion-graphic techniques that utilize the combination of words, photos, graphics, video, sound, and voice-overs to convey stories for news and entertainment. Students learn Adobe After Effects software and the art of storytelling to enable them to conceptualize and execute digital animations. Previously offered as MEJO 486. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 182.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 591.  Workroom FashionMash Experiential Design.  3 Credits.  

The course combines a development workshop with a professional industry project, giving students unprecedented access to working creatives, industry trendsetters, and decision makers. In Workroom students will think, write, and execute their creative ideas. Previously offered as MEJO 650.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 592.  Workroom FashionMash Product Design.  3 Credits.  

The course combines a development workshop with a professional industry project, giving you unprecedented access to working creatives, industry trendsetters and decision makers. In Workroom you will not simply think and write about your creative ideas, instead, this class is completely focused on execution. Previously offered as MEJO 651.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 596.  Individual Study.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. An individual readings and problems course to be directed by a faculty member in whose field of interest the subject matter lies.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 602.  Teaching Journalism in the Secondary School.  3 Credits.  

Graduate standing. Readings, discussion, and projects fostering excellence in teaching journalism-mass communication in the high school, from philosophy and practice to professional skills.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 603.  Mass Communication Law in the Secondary School.  3 Credits.  

Graduate standing. Application of First Amendment speech and press freedoms to secondary school media, including libel, privacy, access to information, journalistic privilege, prior restraint, advertising and broadcast regulations, and ethical practices.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 604.  Mass Communication Writing and Editing in the Secondary School.  3 Credits.  

Graduate standing. High school journalism teachers and advisors learn to teach the skills journalists need to communicate. Emphasis on writing and thinking skills necessary to convert information into clear messages.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 605.  Design and Production of Secondary School Publications.  3 Credits.  

Graduate standing. High school journalism teachers and advisors learn to teach the skills journalists need to produce publications. Designed for persons with no background in design. Degree-seeking students may not use both MEJO 182 and 605 to complete degree requirements.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 625.  Media Hub.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. Students will work together to find, produce, and market stories that would attract the attention of professional media partners throughout the state and region, and at times, the nation. This hands-on course mimics the professional journalist's work environment more than any other class in the school. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 630.  Business News Wire.  3 Credits.  

This course teaches students how a news wire operates. Students will report stories about North Carolina companies on a real-time basis and market those stories to state media via e-mail and a Web site. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 631.  Business Journalism Management.  3 Credits.  

Learn how to oversee and manage a business news wire, including distribution of content to media organizations, managing an e-mail newsletter, and handling social media. Also involves some reporting and writing. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 634.  Public Relations Campaigns.  3 Credits.  

In this capstone experience, students apply concepts and skills from earlier classes to develop a campaign plan for a client organization. Activities include conducting background and audience research; developing realistic objectives, strategies, tactics, and evaluation plans; producing a portfolio of supporting materials; and pitching the campaign to the client. Previously offered as MEJO 434. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 332 and 379.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 652.  Digital Media Economics and Behavior.  3 Credits.  

The course will focus on the changing economics affecting 21st-century news organizations and the economic drivers of other content providers such as music companies, the film industry, online aggregators, and commerce sites for lessons that can be applied across industry segments. Previously offered as MEJO 551. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 653.  Leadership in a Time of Change.  3 Credits.  

During a time of fast-paced technological innovation, this course examines the critical strategic choices facing media executives. Students will observe and research a media company that is making the transition, as well as produce a case study on that effort. Previously offered as MEJO 552. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 452, 475 or 652.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 656.  Magazine Writing and Editing.  3 Credits.  

Instruction and practice in planning, writing, and editing copy for magazines. Previously offered as MEJO 456.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MEJO 153 and 356.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 670.  Digital Advertising and Marketing.  3 Credits.  

This course provides the practical knowledge and insights required to establish digital advertising and marketing objectives and strategies, properly select the earned and paid media platforms, and monitor and measure the results of those efforts. Previously offered as MEJO 470. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 379.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 671.  Social Marketing Campaigns.  3 Credits.  

Social marketing is the application of marketing concepts and practices to bring about behavior change for a social good. This course is designed as a service-learning course and fulfills the experiential education requirement. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 673.  Advertising Campaigns.  3 Credits.  

Planning and executing advertising campaigns; types and methods of advertising research; the economic function of advertising in society. Previously offered as MEJO 473. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 371 or 372.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 674.  PRSSA Campaigns.  3 Credits.  

This capstone class helps you integrate what you've learned in prior classes and apply those skills in researching, planning, and implementing a public relations plan for a real-world client selected by national PRSSA for the annual Bateman competition. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 681.  Documentary Projects.  3 Credits.  

Students study the documentary tradition and produce stories within the social documentary genre of photo and video journalism. Students choose a relevant social issue and create a multimedia presentation featuring long-form documentary storytelling. Permission of the instructor. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 580.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 683.  Magazine Design.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Detailed study of page layout and graphics techniques in magazines. Previously offered as MEJO 483.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 482.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 690.  Special Topics in Advertising.  1-3 Credits.  

Courses on special topics in advertising with subjects and instructors varying each semester. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 9 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 691H.  Introductory Honors Course.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Required of all students reading for honors in journalism.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoMEJO 692H.  Honors Essay.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Required of all students reading for honors in journalism.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

MEJO 701.  Strategic Communication Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

Covers theoretical and methodological concepts for interpreting and evaluating applied research in communications. Course content includes a broad range of types of communication research, including laboratory and field experiments, surveys, content analysis, interviewing, focus groups, and ethnography. Students will learn how to interpret and use the results of social science research in professional work and evaluate the methodological choices in applied research.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 702.  Mass Communication Pedagogy.  1-3 Credits.  

Investigation of college teaching and academic life, including course planning, syllabus preparation, interpersonal skills, presentational modes, evaluation, and ways of balancing teaching with other expectations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 703.  Mass Communication Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

Covers a broad range of research methods used in industry and academic research. Course content includes the process and organization of writing research; applying a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods; evaluating research design; and ethical issues inherent in research. Required course for all doctoral students and theory and research master's students.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 704.  Statistics for Social Science Research.  3 Credits.  

Course examines when and why to use particular statistical tests to address a given research question and provides a framework for understanding research that uses quantitative methods. Prior knowledge of statistics NOT assumed.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 701; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 705.  Theories of Mass Communication.  3 Credits.  

In this course, students receive a broad introduction to the major theoretical perspectives in the field of communication and learn to apply them to their own research. Required of doctoral students and master's students in the theory and research area of study.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 710.  Psychology of Audiences.  3 Credits.  

Why do audiences do what they do? How can data be harnessed and interpreted to help drive communication strategy? With the fields of social psychology, consumer behavior, and market research as guides, students will identify an audience's motivations, values, and attitudes to more effectively analyze the what, why, and how of audience behavior. They will explore existing and emerging applied research techniques such as focus groups, eye-tracking, surveys, and facial mapping. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 711.  Multi-platform Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

How are messages communicated through multiple platforms? How do media professionals balance and navigate their blurring roles as producers/consumers, writers/readers, and message senders/message receivers? Students will create flexible and strategic stories that can be disseminated through a variety of channels, including social media platforms, podcasts, video, and text. They will emerge with skills for content marketing, social media, or journalistic storytelling. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 713.  Media Analytics.  3 Credits.  

How do communicators extract useful information and knowledge from data in digital and social platforms? What does data actually mean, and how can that knowledge be used strategically? Students will learn to apply data in a variety of ways, from data-driven storytelling to creating actionable insights. They will learn to identify the appropriate analytics tools for projects, uncover stories in data, and analyze data to make evidence-based decisions. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 717.  Information Visualization.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the overlap between several related disciplines: information visualization and architecture, cognitive science, graphic design and journalism. Content covered includes cognitive psychology, information design, visualization, and ethics.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 719.  Leadership and Entrepreneurship.  3 Credits.  

How does one mobilize an organization to action, regardless of job title? How does an employee influence decisions up, down, and across a company? Drawing lessons from organizational psychology and change management, students will explore challenges faced by today's media innovators and anyone hoping to make an impact in government, corporate, or non-profit arenas. They will learn to drive change, adapt their thinking, and innovate more effectively, whether in an established organization or a start-up. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 720.  Communication Strategy and Planning.  3 Credits.  

How do communicators determine when and where to engage with target audiences? With all the media options available, how does one decide what to do and what not to do, based on the consumer decision journey? Students will develop the strategic skills needed to execute a go-to-market plan, enabling them to market anything to anyone. They will learn to find an underlying business problem, set attainable communications goals, and craft a compelling message that spreads. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 721.  Usability and Multimedia Design.  3 Credits.  

Introduces students to five basic areas of multimedia design and develops expertise in each. By examining the latest eye-tracking research and usability testing, students will assess the practical application of many concepts. Through critiques and original storyboards, students will work to expertly integrate all this knowledge into well-designed packages.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 722.  The Business of Media.  3 Credits.  

What are the broad economic issues affecting today's media landscape? How do media leaders evaluate the strategies of their businesses and competitors? Students will explore these questions for the industry through a comparative case study approach, investigating specific business challenges confronting start-ups and established companies. They will analyze the drivers of other content providers, such as streaming services, online aggregators, and commerce sites, to gain lessons applicable across industry segments. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 723.  Visual Literacy and User Experience.  3 Credits.  

What is distinctive, usable, and understandable design? How is it central to a communicator's success? Students will explore best practices in online user experience (UX), user interface design, and website/app usability testing. They will experience a flexible and creativity-based learning environment while developing methods to design for user needs, strategies to map and optimize the user journey through visual elements, and visual literacy techniques to ensure success when managing digital design decisions. Restricted to students in the M.A. in Digital Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 724.  Reputation Management.  3 Credits.  

How do communicators strategically measure, monitor, and manage the organizational assets of brand image and reputation? What is the impact of reputation in business practice? Through a comparative case study approach, students will learn how to assign value to and manage reputation, regardless of their professional role and whether they work in the government, corporate, or non-profit sector. They will examine how crisis communication and corporate social responsibility influence reputation.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 725.  Media Innovation in Practice.  3 Credits.  

What iterative design-thinking approaches work for entrepreneurship and innovation? Students will experience the start-up process that allows them to think creatively about how to develop original media products and services. Using marketing, journalism, technology, public speaking, and business, they will engage in a direct experience where they will make quick decisions in the face of uncertainty, learn from failures and feedback, and assess the viability and sustainability of digital products and services. Majors only.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 730.  Principles of Strategic Communication.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to strategic communication used by corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits to build and grow relationships with stakeholders. Students explore communication leadership skills by assessing goals-based research, critiquing strategic effectiveness of campaigns, and developing an original case study that meets the criteria for a national competition. Competency class for MA students; PhD students must have instructor permission.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 732.  Public Relations and Strategic Writing.  3 Credits.  

Graduate-level public relations writing course that provides hands-on practice in developing multi-platform communication tools used by public relations practitioners. News writing module completed as part of this course.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 730.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 740.  Media Law.  3 Credits.  

Survey media law areas: First Amendment, libel, privacy, intellectual property, corporate and commercial speech, media and judiciary, confidential sources, freedom of information, electronic and new media regulation, international issues. Semester topics may vary with class interests. Conduct legal research, identify/analyze secondary and primary legal resources, produce original graduate-level legal research.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 741.  Law, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide students with a basic framework for current legal issues, including libel, copyright and First Amendment law, as well as discussion of journalism ethics and contemporary issues. In this course, you will explore the delicate balance that traditionally has existed between freedom and control of the media and how digital media and politics have shaken that balance. You will study both the old and the new law because both are relevant today. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 742.  Readings in Mass Communication History.  3 Credits.  

Directed readings in mass communication history. Required course for Ph.D. students.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 743.  Media Management.  3 Credits.  

A study of planning policy functions related to media management concerns.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 750.  Fundamentals of Reporting.  3 Credits.  

This bootcamp course is designed to quickly prepare you to write and report on news stories, cover beats, issues, and feature stories, and to pick up the fundamentals of reporting and writing. It is a compressed crash course in becoming a budding journalist and storyteller. The camp is designed to teach you the fundamentals of news values, elements, writing styles, and reporting techniques. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 751.  Journalism Methods.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to help you hone the reporting, interviewing, research and analytical skills necessary to convey newsworthy information in written or visual formats. You will be challenged to identify and interview sources, concisely convey information and critically consider the best ways to inform an audience about an issue or topic, all of which are the hallmarks of ''must-consume'' journalism. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 752.  Leadership in a Time of Change.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, students should have taken a core business course or have equivalent professional experience before enrolling. Examines critical strategic choices facing media executives and offers students the opportunity to observe and research a media company making the transition and produce a case study on that effort.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 753.  Reporting and Writing News.  3 Credits.  

Provides study and practice of the primary activities of a print journalist: gathering the news and writing about it for publication. Must be used as a basic competency class by master's students. This course cannot be counted toward a program of study for doctoral students.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 754.  Advanced Reporting.  3 Credits.  

Advanced Reporting helps students learn sophisticated reporting skills required to cover in depth a beat of their choice in consultation with their instructor. Students will learn how to build sources and collect data to complete a series of stories culminating in a long-form report. That report will form the springboard for a thesis project proposal. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 755.  Narrative Writing.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to guide students to primarily write non-fiction narrative long-form stories, but also to examine narrative storytelling for other mediums. All stories written in class are non-fiction, reported, and researched and told with a narrative arc to draw audiences into the storytelling as well as the reporting. Material for the course will include reading long-form stories, book excerpts, podcasts, and documentary films. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 756.  Investigative and Data-driven Reporting.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to basic statistics and numerical and mathematical literacy, as well as a look at professional data-driven journalism projects. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to acquire, organize, analyze, and present data to a general news audience. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 758.  Public Life Reporting I.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces the structure and functions of city, county, and state government and focuses on understanding their impact on the daily lives of their citizens. We will examine and assess their decisions, financial choices, and community outcomes. We will focus on the main areas of impact, which include: education, health and social services, public safety, housing and community development, environment, transportation, and politics and elections. Master of Arts in Media and Communication students only.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 759.  Public Life Reporting II.  3 Credits.  

This course will delve into racial, social, ethnic and economic disparities in public policy and how to cover them more honestly and completely. It will also examine how media have dealt with these topics over the years, for better and for worse. Students will critique local and state coverage of some of these issues. They also will do some of their own in-depth reporting on these topics, individually and in small groups. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 780.  Fundamentals of Visual Journalism.  3 Credits.  

This bootcamp course will teach you the foundational skills and concepts you will need to succeed in the Video Journalism and Interactive Journalism master's programs. The course will be divided into two sections, one focusing on interactive journalism and the other on visual (photography and video) storytelling. Combined, you will leave this course, in five weeks, with the ability to hit the ground running when the fall semester begins. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Media and Communication program.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 782.  Digital Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

Theories and practices of multimedia content creation. Students gain critical understanding of various multimedia presentation methods. Hands-on experience with audio/video collection/editing.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 790.  Special Skills in Mass Communication.  1-3 Credits.  

Courses on various skills in journalism-mass communication with subjects varying each semester. This course satisfies a skills- or craft-course requirement. Descriptions for each section available on the school's Web site under Course Details.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 3 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 793.  Journalism and Media Graduate Internship/Practicum.  1 Credits.  

Course for graduate students working in professional internship setting who desire or require course credit for an internship. By departmental permission only. Restricted to enrolled master's and doctoral students in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 3 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 801.  Professional Seminar in Doctoral Studies.  3 Credits.  

Examines the role of doctoral studies in the academy; the components of scholarly writing, the expectations of someone studying for a Ph.D.; and the research, teaching, and service responsibilities of a university professor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 810.  Seminar in the Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction.  3 Credits.  

Examines effects of computers, the Internet and World Wide Web from a psychological perspective. Adopts an empirical approach to understand ways in which people respond to computers and new technologies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 811.  Persuasion and Social Influence.  3 Credits.  

Examines social-scientific theories and concepts related to persuasion and social influence in communications. Topics include antecedents to behavior; automatic processing; source and receiver characteristics; and campaigns.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 825.  Seminar in Interdisciplinary Health Communication.  3 Credits.  

Permission required for non-majors. Interdisciplinary overview of communication theory and research and critical analysis of applications of theory to interventions using communication for health. Three hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 730.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: HBEH 825.  
MEJO 830.  Public Relations Theory & Research.  3 Credits.  

Readings, discussions, and research that explores theoretical foundations of public relations and strategic communication and how they are applied academically and professionally.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 840.  Seminar in Media Law.  3 Credits.  

Explore free expression theory, research media law perspective and methods. First Amendment theories and interpretations, exposition to, and critical evaluation of, legal research in communication. Identify legal research question, produce paper, and present findings in a scholarly convention presentation and/or publication.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 740; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 841.  Research in Media and Intersectionality.  3 Credits.  

This course provides analytical frameworks for examining and critiquing the role of media, with a focus on gender, race, class and other, intersecting categories of identity. Students will produce cultural analyses and criticism of media structures, content and audience reception, through research, writing and dialogue.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 842.  Seminar in Mass Communication History.  3 Credits.  

Readings, discussion, and projects in mass communication history.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 843.  Theory & Research in Media Processes and Production.  3 Credits.  

Explores psychological, ideological, demographic, professional, organizational, economic, and social characteristics that influence the processes and production of communication content.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 846.  Seminar in International Communication.  3 Credits.  

Reading and research in selected topics. Focus in recent years has included global news flow, communication and social change, communication in the collapse of communism, Western dominance in international communication, global culture, and the influence of technology.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MEJO 446; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: POLI 846.  
MEJO 847.  Communication for Social Justice.  3 Credits.  

Examines the role of media and communication projects in advancing social justice goals. Surveys canonical literature and introduces students to the most recent approaches. Traditionally, the field has considered Global South projects and grassroots communication; this course pays attention to projects and programs for underserved populations of the Global North.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 850.  Qualitative Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

Survey of naturalistic methods applied to mass communication research, including ethnography, in-depth interviews, life histories, and text-based analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 851.  Textual Analysis.  3 Credits.  

Textual analysis is a set of methods that focuses on written, visual and spoken language--what it represents and how it's used to make sense of the world. Qualitative text-based approaches are transdisciplinary and treat media texts as cultural artifacts that contain traces of socially constructed realities. These methods will be explored in reading and discussion, and students will complete original research.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 860.  Content Analysis.  3 Credits.  

Students will use appropriate research designs to collect content data for coding and analysis, conceptual and operational definitions of variables for coding, reliability testing of coding protocol and procedures, and appropriate statistical analysis of collected data. Additionally, students will select a topic, produce a content analysis study, and submit the study to a peer-reviewed convention or journal.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 861.  Survey Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

An in-depth look at survey research methods through extensive reading on the method's technical points, critique of published survey-based studies, and "hands-on" participation in different phases of the method's application.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 862.  Experimental Design.  3 Credits.  

This course focuses on the methodological and design issues in planning an experiment. Students will design an experiment using a step-by-step process to address conceptual challenges for exploring cause-and-effect relationships.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 863.  Computational Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

A graduate-level introduction to the analysis of textual data using computer programming-based (so-called "Big Data") methods. Students will learn how to use code to analyze and visualize large datasets drawn from traditional and/or social media, as well as discuss best practices for interpreting and theorizing the results. No prior programming experience is required.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 870.  Seminar in Social and Economic Problems in Advertising.  3 Credits.  

Readings, discussion, and papers on advertising as a social and economic force in contemporary society.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 879.  Seminar in Advertising Research.  3 Credits.  

Readings and discussion examining theories underlying advertising and the testing of those theories through research projects.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 890.  Seminar in Special Topics in Mass Communication.  3 Credits.  

Seminar on various aspects of mass communication, with content and instructors varying each semester.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 900.  Reading and Research.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Advanced reading or research in a selected field.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
MEJO 992.  Master's (Non-Thesis).  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
MEJO 993.  Master's Research and Thesis.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
MEJO 994.  Doctoral Research and Dissertation.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

School of Media and Journalism

Visit Program Website

mjgrad@unc.edu

919.843.8307

Dean

Raul Reis

Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Heidi Hennink-Kaminski

h2kamins@email.unc.edu

Assistant Director, Graduate Studies

Casey Hart

caseyhart@unc.edu

Graduate Program Coordinator

Ann Schmitt

amschmit@email.unc.edu