Frequently Asked Questions Which courses must a student take to fulfill graduation requirements? M.J. students are required to complete the following courses with a grade of B- or better: One or two of these requirements may be waived for students with appropriate professional experience or who have successfully and recently completed comparable undergraduate course work. Requests for course waivers must be submitted in writing to the M.J. Director during the student's first semester in the program. A waiver does not award a student graduate credit, nor does it reduce the number of credits needed for the degree. Most M.J. courses are four semester hours. Students must complete 40 credit hours of graduate work for the degree. How many credit hours must a student take each semester to be considered a full-time student? Full-time status requires enrollment for nine or more credit hours each semester or for six credit hours while holding a graduate assistantship. Once a student enters the M.J. program, continuous enrollment for succeeding fall and spring semesters is required. University policy requires continuous enrollment for at least one semester hour each fall and spring until the degree is completed, unless the M.J. Committee and the School of Communications and Theater (SCT) grant official leave. Forms for leave of absence or extension of time are available in the M.J. Graduate Office in Annenberg Hall 307. International students should be aware that full-time status usually is required for student visas. Can graduate courses taken at another institution before admission to the M.J. program be credited toward the M.J.? Yes, if in the opinion of the M.J. Committee the courses are appropriate to the professional objectives of the student. No more than eight graduate credits with a grade of "B" or better may be transferred. Students must request, with written justification, acceptance of graduate credits earned elsewhere. How many credits may be taken at Temple before being admitted into the M.J. program? Students can apply 4 credits before matriculation to the M.J. degree. Can life experience be applied toward academic credit? Students with professional experience or undergraduate training in journalism may be exempted from certain required courses, but students still must have 40 semester credits of graduate work to satisfy M.J. degree requirements. Can undergraduate courses be taken at Temple for graduate credit? Yes, with prior Graduate School, M.J. Director and instructor approval. A graduate student may take up to two 300-level courses. The student must register for graduate credit and enroll in these courses after admission to the M.J. program. Students must complete, with required signatures, an approval form available in the SCT Graduate Office. The instructor is to assign the graduate student additional reading or project work appropriate to a graduate-level course. The undergraduate history (JOU 3703) and law (JOU 3196) courses cannot be applied to the M.J. degree. Do students have to write a thesis or take an exam to complete the program? Students do not have to write a thesis, but must take a comprehensive examination. An application form for the exam and an information sheet about the comprehensive exam are available in the M.J. Graduate office, Annenberg Hall 307. The application should be filled out during the semester the student is completing course work‹ and at least four weeks prior to the examination date. All incompletes must be resolved before the student takes the comprehensive exam. For the take-home comprehensive exam, students will have one week to answer questions from three journalism professors in three subject areas. Students may take comprehensive exams during the last semester of course work. Exams should be completed no later than one academic year after completion of course work. Students must pass all three parts of the exam. Students earning an Exceptional Pass on two of the three comp questions will receive a Certificate of Academic Excellence. Should an M.J. student complete coursework and not successfully complete the comprehensive examination in the same semester, continuous enrollment must be maintained by registering for one credit of independent study. Details on this are available in the M.J. office. Where are classes held? At what times? Classes in Philadelphia are on main campus and in Center City. Most M.J. courses are offered once a week on Monday through Thursday evenings. Do students have a voice in designing their own programs? Certainly. Required courses make up half of the M.J. degree work; the remainder consists of electives. While completing the five core courses, students may enroll in other M.J. classes as well as select, from departments other than Journalism, courses germane to their career plans. How are M.J. students advised? All entering M.J. students consult the M.J. Director as their first advisor. The Director helps students identify other faculty members who can provide academic or career advising. Course work will also introduce students to professors with expertise in specific professional areas. What academic standards are expected? All students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree. "Satisfactory progress" is defined by the Graduate School and allows no more than two grades of less than "B-" quality earned in courses beginning with the semester in which the student first matriculates in the M.J. program at Temple. More than one grade of "F" will result in dismissal from the program. A matriculated student's graduate record starts with the first course credited toward the degree and includes all subsequent courses. Grades in undergraduate courses, taken while in the M.J. program, also will be considered; but not all undergraduate courses may count toward the 40-credit total required for the degree. Graduate School requirements stipulate that all graduate students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average at graduation, and no candidate may graduate with a grade of "I" (Incomplete) on his/her record. The M.J. program has a written policy on academic honesty. Incidents of plagiarism will not be tolerated. How long does a student have to complete the M.J. program? M.J. students are to complete their degree within five years of admission. Upon written request to the M.J. committee, a one-year extension may be granted. Full-time students should be able to complete the degree within two years. M.J. students who have not enrolled in a course during either semester of an academic year will be notified in writing that they will be dropped from the program if they do not file a "leave of absence" form with the SCT graduate office within 30 days. The leave of absence may be for up to one year. If the leave is approved, the University requires payment of a maintenance of records fee during each semester of the leave. Are graduate assistantships available? If so, when is the deadline? A limited number of graduate assistantships are available through the Department of Journalism. M.J. students and applicants to the program are urged to submit applications. These are available online or from the M.J. graduate office in Annenberg Hall. These applications should be on file by early March What other financial aid is available? Loans are available to all graduate students through various government and university programs. Information and applications are available from the university¹s Financial Aid Office. Information about the federal work-study program also is available from the same office. Are internship programs available? Yes. M.J. Students who have completed at least 16 graduate credits are eligible. Students may earn from one to four credits, but are limited to one internship for graduate credit. Internships are available with the news media, magazines, public relations and advertising agencies, hospitals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Some paid internships are available, and students may receive both a stipend/salary and credit. Questions about the M.J. program may be directed to Dr. Edward Trayes at trayes@temple.edu or Ms. Dolores Stanley, Administrative Coordinator at dolores.stanley@temple.edu.
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