Mass Communication, MMC
Audio Production, Broadcast, Communications, Documentary, Entrepreneurship, Journalism, Non-Profit, PR, Photography, Photojournalism, Reporting, cronkite, digital, media, writing
Become a high-impact journalist, storyteller, strategic communicator or media leader, and take your career to the next level. In just 12 months, get immersive, hands-on experience that prepares you to produce impactful journalism and strategic communications content.
The Master of Mass Communication degree program immerses you in the practices of journalism and strategic communications.
This master's degree program begins with a multimedia boot camp, teaching you how to tell stories with text, photo, video and audio elements. In the second semester, you choose from a selection of more advanced courses, such as those focused on narrative writing, podcasting, advanced broadcast production, documentary production, health reporting, Spanish-language news, transborder coverage, public relations research, strategic communications storytelling and media entrepreneurship.
The program culminates in a professional immersion experience in one of the Cronkite School's strategic communication labs or news bureaus in Los Angeles, Phoenix or Washington, D.C. Working under the guidance of award-winning journalists and strategists, these capstone programs offer you practical experience in a professional news or agency environment.
This program is offered concurrently with degrees from ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and ASU's School of Sustainability. It's also offered in a dual MD/MMC degree with the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.
- College/school:
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- Location: Downtown Phoenix
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
This video provides an overview of the Mass Communication, MMC degree program at ASU.
Students can choose to create their own concurrent degree combination to match their interests by working with their academic advisor during or after their first semester of study. Some concurrent combinations are not possible due to high levels of overlap in curriculum; students should speak with their academic advisor for more details.
This degree is also offered as a concurrent program with the following:
This program allows students to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. Accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for high-achieving students who want the opportunity to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of their master's degree. These programs feature the same high quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
33 credit hours including the required applied project course (MCO 593), or
33 credit hours including the required capstone course (MCO 570)
Required Core (12 credit hours) Electives (6 or 9 credit hours) Other Requirements (9 credit hours) Culminating Experience (3 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information Students must complete a total of eight credit hours of MCO 502, which is offered at variable credit hours and can be taken multiple times. Students should see the academic unit for a complete list of approved electives. Other requirement coursework may be substituted with approval of the academic unit.
MCO 503 Media Law (3)
MCO 510 Data Journalism (3) or MCO 536 Public Relations Research (3)
MCO 525 21st-Century Media Organization and Entrepreneurship (3)
MCO 554 Media Models, Organizations and Leadership (3)
MCO 502 Multimedia Storytelling (8)
MCO 504 Cronkite Master's Seminar (1)
MCO 570 Capstone (6)
MCO 593 Applied Project (3)
The master's degree program is full-time. Students with extensive professional journalism experience may be offered the opportunity to pursue the 30-credit-hour mid-career option.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S.
applicants | International
applicants | English
proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- three letters of recommendation
- personal statement of interest (350 to 500 words in length)
- resume
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. Applicants should have a TOEFL iBT® score of at least 5, or a score of 100 (taken at a testing center) if taken before January 21, 2026. Students with an IELTS band score of 7.50 or a Duolingo score of 135 will also be considered.
The Cronkite School's graduate committee reviews complete and on-time applications. Recommendations for admission are made to Graduate Admission Services, where the final admission decisions are made.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 06/01 | Final |
| Session A/C | In Person | 12/01 | Priority |
Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:
- Apply the values, principles, ethics and legal standards of journalism in media work.
- Evaluate leadership approaches across professional media contexts.
- Create journalism for mass audiences using professional tools, technology, and techniques.
- Critically evaluate information, content, and research in professional contexts.
- Produce clear, accurate and engaging written content that meets professional standards.
Studying abroad is possible for graduate students. There are more than 50 program opportunities, with programs on every continent.
Faculty-directed programs tend to be the best fit for graduate students; taking courses with ASU professors over the summer or during academic breaks offers students close mentorship and professional network growth in many fields of study while they earn ASU credit. Exchange program participation is also possible with careful planning.
The skills of strong reporting, research, writing and multimedia production are in high demand across industries, including in journalism, strategic communication, nonprofit leadership, international affairs, political advocacy and entrepreneurship. Graduates are prepared for careers in news, documentary storytelling, community engagement or corporate communications.
Career examples include:
- brand storyteller
- corporate and business communicator
- digital marketer
- digital media content creator
- digital strategist
- documentary producer
- entrepreneur
- marketing director
- media executive
- photojournalist
- podcast producer
- reporter
- videographer
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm
|
CRONK 302
cronkitegrad@asu.edu
602-496-5555
Program term definitions
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
