Policies and Procedures:
Customs & Rules for the Professional M.A in Health Journalism & Communication

Welcome! We've tried to make this a convenient guide to the policies and procedures that you need to know as a graduate student in the Health Journalism M.A. program. Please familiarize yourself with the information here.

A downloadable PDF version of this handbook is also available here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Governance

Graduate Advisors

Registration Requirements

Transfer Credits

Critical Deadlines

Academic Progress

Financial Support

Degree Requirements

Capstone Course

Graduation

GOVERNANCE

There are lots of people involved in our graduate program. You won't necessarily meet all of them, but you will get to know some very well, especially your advisor and your instructors in graduate-level courses.

The Dean of the Graduate School is the final authority on most matters that affect M.A. students. Under the Dean, the Social Science Policy and Review Council supervises programs such as the M.A. in Health Journalism & Communication program.

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the M.A. in Health Journalism & Communication program is charged with the overall responsibility for the program. Professor Gary Schwitzer is the DGS. Along with the DGS, the Graduate Faculty of the Health Journalism & Communication program develops policy recommendations and acts on degree programs, petitions, and other matters that affect graduate students.

Along with the DGS, Program Coordinator Leyla Kokmen administers the program.

The program's faculty members teach and advise Health Journalism & Communication graduate students and vote on policy matters.

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GRADUATE ADVISORS

The day you enter our program, you'll be assigned a temporary advisor. After that, you may change advisors if you wish. You need to inform the Health Journalism & Communication Program Coordinator in writing any time you change advisors after that.

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REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

You must register for at least six Graduate School credits every semester (except summer session) in order to be considered a full-time student and in order to qualify for any assistantships, scholarships, or financial aid. If you fail to register in the fall or spring semester, the Graduate School will terminate your active status. You will need to reapply for admission in order to continue and complete your degree.

Students in the Health Journalism & Communication M.A. program are expected to complete their degree in two years. The course flow has been established to help you move through the program as a cohort.

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TRANSFER CREDITS

Current or past students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health may bring a limited number of credits with them from the SPH program. Subject to approval by the DGS, a maximum of eight credits from appropriate Public Health courses (e.g., epidemiology, biostatistics, fundamentals of social & behavioral science, etc.) may count towards the total credit requirement for the M.A. in Health Journalism & Communication program.

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CRITICAL DEADLINES

You must adhere to the following deadlines:

• You must submit a formal M.A. Degree Program Form to the Graduate School by February 1 of your first year in the program. This form lists all the courses you will take to complete your degree. You should fill out this form in consultation with your advisor and have it signed by your advisor and the DGS. When it is completed and signed, please deliver it to the Program Coordinator, who will send a copy to the Graduate School .
• You must satisfy any Incomplete or “I” grades by December 1 of the following year or obtain a written extension from the course instructor. Be sure to work closely with your instructor on Incompletes. Individual instructors are free to specify earlier deadlines or refuse to extend the general deadline.
• As stated above, you are expected to complete your studies within two years of entering the program. Any course of study extending beyond two years must be approved by the DGS.

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ACADEMIC PROGRESS

You must maintain satisfactory progress as your pursue your degree. You should follow the course flow of the program to finish on time. Unsatisfactory progress will also affect eligibility for financial support.

You must maintain a satisfactory grade point average (GPA) for courses included on your official M.A. Degree Program Form. Courses with grades of A, B, C (including C-), and S may be included on the degree program, but grades of S are not calculated in the GPA. The Graduate School will not issue a diploma or allow you to graduate with a GPA of less than 2.80 on a 4.00 scale.

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FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Assistantships and Scholarships

The Health Journalism & Communication M.A. program has a small number of scholarships that are awarded to students based on merit.

A small number of teaching and research assistantships that would pay part or all of tuition costs and a small salary may be available in the School of Public Health or in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. We will work with you to find such opportunities, but there is no guarantee that they will be available. The Director of the School of Journalism & Mass Communication makes all financial-support decisions that are funded by the SJMC.

Continuing full-time registration, satisfactory degree progress, and satisfactory job performance are necessary but not sufficient conditions for continued funding; SJMC needs and fiscal conditions also affect financial support. The award of financial support for one semester does not in any way guarantee funding for subsequent semesters.

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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

As a Health Journalism & Communication M.A. student, you will complete 33 credits and participate in a group presentation about your capstone project at the end of the program.

All courses included on the M.A. Degree Program Form must be at the graduate level (5xxx or 8xxx, or at the 4xxx level with approval of your advisor and the DGS). All courses must be taken A-F, unless students obtain prior approval from their advisors and the DGS.

You will choose an emphasis in Health Journalism or Health Communication. Depending on your chosen emphasis, you must complete the following courses:

Core Requirements for all students:

JOUR 8191 – Introduction to Health and Medical Journalism. (3 cr)
JOUR 8192 – Computer-assisted Reporting on Health. (3 cr)
JOUR 8195 – Online Media Creation and Design. (3 cr)
JOUR 5541 – Mass Communication and Public Health. (3 cr)

Requirements for Health Communication Emphasis:

JOUR 5101 – Health Writing. (3 cr)
JOUR 5542 – Theory-based Health Message Development. (3 cr)
JOUR 5543 – Public Health Campaign Evaluation. (3 cr)

Requirements for Health Journalism Emphasis

PUBH 6320 – Fundamentals of Epidemiology. (3 cr)
PUBH 6414 – Biostatistical Methods I. (3 cr)
JOUR 5993 – Broadcast or Magazine Health Reporting. (3 cr)

Electives

Students take eight credits of graduate-level elective credits, generally courses designated as 5-level courses and above, from a list approved by the Graduate Faculty of the Health Journalism & Communication program.

If you wish to gain some hands-on experience, one recommended elective is JOUR 8194, a practicum course in which you will have an opportunity to be placed in a local news organization or in a communications role in a health care organization.

Students may receive credit for an independent study/directed study project in consultation with an advisor. Such a project must be approved by the DGS. Three credits are generally allowed for such a project. For a student to earn more than three total independent study/directed study credits, he/she must get the permission of the DGS.

Capstone Course for All Students

JOUR 8193 – Health Journalism Capstone. (4 cr)

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CAPSTONE COURSE

You will take JOUR 8193, a capstone course in which you will prepare a final project that builds on what you have learned during the program. You will work on the project both during and outside class meetings, with guidance and feedback from the capstone course instructor and your advisor. The course instructor and your advisor will together review your project and assign a grade.

At the end of the program, you will gather with other students, faculty, and other interested parties to discuss and share a brief presentations of your project. This is an opportunity for graduating students to share their work with the program community, including students in the next cohort. It is also an opportunity for your faculty advisor and the DGS to sign off on required paper work for completion of the degree.

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GRADUATION

After you have filed your M.A. Degree Program Form and the Graduate School has approved it, you may obtain a Final Report Form and graduation packet from the Graduate School . (The M.A. in Health Journalism & Communication program is a coursework-only master's program.) Once you have completed your coursework and the capstone course, you must have the DGS sign the report form.

Make arrangements to bring the original signed report form to the Program Coordinator, who will make a copy. You must then deliver the original signed form to the Graduate School.

No later than the first day of the month you plan to graduate, you need to file an Application for Graduation with the University Registrar's Office. No later than the last day of that month, you must complete all outstanding coursework (including your capstone course), and submit your completed and signed report form to the Graduate School .

Congratulations!

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