About School
The School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia promotes the highest standards in journalism through instruction in journalistic practices and the scholarly understanding of journalism and communication, through the teaching of critical thinking and of ethical responsibility in journalism, and through the teaching of disciplinary knowledge. It offers two- year Master programs in Media Management, Public Affairs Journalism and Public Relations.
Mission Statement
• To produce a new generation of journalists and public relations specialists with the specialized knowledge, culture awareness and critical thinking skills needed to excel in journalism and public relations.
• To improve the practice of journalism and public relations through the education and training of journalists and public relations specialists in scholarship, research and professional development.
• To advance through rigorous research the understanding of the vital role of journalism in the public sphere and to contribute to the current body of journalism and public relations studies existing in Georgia.
Media Management Master’s Degree Program
About the Program
Two years Master’s degree program which teach practical professional skills in the tradition of US and Western European journalism. The program aims to train students to master media management skills and endeavored to enlarge the perspective of students to take into consideration points of view outside their individual national borders. In the period of a rapid transformation within the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union there is a strong need for credible and democracy building journalism that can sustain in a free flow of information among citizens, politicians and institutions.
Proposed Study Program
As the general economic conditions are improving everywhere in the region, the lack of financial resources and insufficient managerial skills of editors and producers should begin to fade away. Our curriculum proposes a comprehensive course on newsroom management aiming to help students understand the complex life of newsrooms with a strong focus on the business side.
What do editors think about having their own foreign correspondents? “Too expensive” or even worse “if they want to go somewhere they should find some sponsors”. And this brings us back to the issue of media run as the business.
Program Structure
Our program will be structured into modules around a core of prerequisite and more optional courses, as it is believed to offer a larger flexibility. Our plan is to adapt the model of an American university because it provides students with the possibility to study exactly what they are interested in, helps the program management monitor the demand on the market and thus enables to spend money efficiently. We focus on management. We offer a core package with required courses. Electives are optional courses to be chosen by the students from our offer. They help us know which courses are most popular. In order to graduate, a students needs to obtain minimum of 60 credits plus an accomplished final project.
During Two Years of Study, Students Will:
• Develop a broad knowledge base through course work in area as media and audiences, management and marketing, legal and ethical issues.
• Be introduced to basic concepts common to all forms of mass media through a series of first-and second –year courses that focus on the role of mass media in Georgian society
• Be provided with specific skill areas such as the use computers, editing, interviewing, news and feature writing, visual design and project management
• Develop sound work habits including effective time management, working independently, and working in a team.
• Develop appropriate attitudes through exposure to the legal, ethical and societal constraints under which they will be expected to function.
Public Relations Master’s Degree Program
Mission Statement
The mission of the public relations program is to prepare students for a multi-faceted, protean profession that draws upon expertise in a variety of disciplines and integrates them with the skills and values of public relations. We recognize that many career titles fall under the umbrella of public relations. Therefore, we seek to make students aware of the wide variety of professional and academic opportunities available and to recognize the increasingly global application of their knowledge and skills. Through a program that builds toward increasingly difficult and complex assignments, including the internship and culminating in the capstone experience, we hope to empower students through their education to have the courage and confidence to become leaders in their professions.
Program Goals
In keeping with our mission, the goals we set for our students are as follows:
- To make ethical decisions
- To understand multiple “audiences”
- To identify problems and opportunities
- To listen effectively
- To speak persuasively
- To write clearly in a variety of styles
- To conduct thorough and focused research
- To develop strategical and tactical skills
- To carry out extensive work with little supervision
- To work productively with others
- To cultivate global awareness
- To respect cultural, racial, and gender differences
- To demonstrate confidence with contradictions, complexities, and ambiguities
- To prepare to be the “one, clear voice”
Knowledge Outcomes
Upon completing the curriculum, students should:
• have a basic understanding of communication and persuasion concepts including intrapersonal, interpersonal, group and mass media.
• know and understand public relations as a career opportunity, including what it is, what its practitioners do, and where it is practiced.
• have an awareness of areas of emphases in public relations, such as community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, media relations, and crisis management
• know and understand the role of public relations in the way meaning is shaped and shared in society.
• have a basic knowledge and understanding of public relations as a four-step process of research, action planning, communication, and evaluation.
• have a basic understanding of public relations as an ethical process.
Skills Outcomes
Upon completing the curriculum, students should be able to:
• gather and evaluate information from the internet and other secondary sources
• gather and interpret elementary primary information through interviews and informal surveys
• identify and describe target publics
• develop and evaluate a public relations plan
• assemble a media list
• write and produce communication materials
• solve problems
• work in teams
• make ethical choices
• critically evaluate media content
Public Affairs Journalism Master’s Degree Programs
About the Program
Two years Master’s degree program which teach practical professional skills in the tradition of US and Western European journalism. The program aims to train students to master public affairs journalism skills and endeavored to enlarge the perspective of students to take into consideration points of view outside their individual national borders. In the period of a rapid transformation within the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union there is a strong need for credible and democracy building journalism that can sustain in a free flow of information among citizens, politicians and institutions.
Program Structure
Our program will be structured into modules around a core of prerequisite and more optional courses, as it is believed to offer a larger flexibility. Our plan is to adapt the model of an American university because it provides students with the possibility to study exactly what they are interested in, helps the program management monitor the demand on the market and thus enables to spend money efficiently. We focus on public affairs journalism. We offer a core package with required courses. Electives are optional courses to be chosen by the students from our offer. They help us know which courses are most popular. In order to graduate, a students needs to obtain minimum of 60 credits plus an accomplished final project.
During Two Years of Study, Students Will:
· Develop a broad knowledge base through course work in area as media and audiences, public affairs reporting and public communication, legal and ethical issues.
· Be introduced to basic concepts common to all forms of mass media through a series of first-and second –year courses that focus on the role of mass media in Georgian society
· Be provided with specific skill areas such as the use computers, editing, interviewing, news and feature writing, visual design and project management
· Develop sound work habits including effective time management, working independently, and working in a team.
· Develop appropriate attitudes through exposure to the legal, ethical and societal constraints under which they will be expected to function. |