Master’s Degree in Television & Digital Journalism

Offered through the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training & Research

The Master’s degree in Television & Digital Journalism is intended to provide comprehensive knowledge of the theories and practice of television journalism and new media. Students receive intensive hands-on exposure to the skills needed to produce both field reports and in-studio programs. This includes both editorial and technical skills, such as script-writing, use of camera, editing and studio operations, as well as seminars on issues of ethics and responsibility. The program also gives students the opportunity to adapt their reporting for the online environment and provides specialty skills for covering Civil Society and related topics.

Students currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma or the MA in Mass Communications should contact the Adham Center for details on transferring into the new program.
Sequence:

MA Calendar (33)

In addition to other JMC departmental requirements for admission to graduate study, all students applying to the program will be required to take a writing test to assess English and Arabic language abilities. Applicants who have not taken JRMC 201 and JMC 202, or their equivalent at other institutions must take those courses as prerequisites and obtain a grade of B or better prior to beginning graduate courses unless applicant has demonstrated professional news writing experience as determined by the sequence director.
To apply online please go to: http://www.aucegypt.edu/admissions/gradadmissions/Pages/default.aspx

TV & Digital Journalism Master’s Courses

A minimum of 11 courses totaling 33 credit hours is required for the diploma. All students must take the following:

JRMC 501 or 401Advanced Reporting and Writing,* 3 cr.
537 Reporting for TV, 3 cr.
541 TV Story Production, 3 cr.
542 News & Current Affairs Programming, 3 cr.
571 Digital Journalism, 3 cr.
506 Internship, 3 cr.
545 Broadcast News Intensive I, 3 cr.
546 Broadcast News Intensive II, 3 cr.
560 Electronic Journalism & Arab Society, 3 cr.
*Chosen in consultation with advisor. For working reporters with substantial news experience, may be substituted with 400 or 500-level seminar in Middle East Studies, Political Science, Sociology-Anthropology, Business or Economics upon agreement of center director.

All students must also take one (1) of the following:
540 Reporting Civil Society, 3 cr.
ALNG 421 Professional and Technical Writing (for Broadcasting), 3 cr.

All students must also select one (1) three-credit elective as follows:
400 or 500-level seminar in Middle East Studies, Political Science, Sociology-Anthropology, Business or Economics
Or,
In certain circumstances with approval from their advisor, that elective may be substituted with:
JRMC 502 Current Issues, 3 cr.
JRMC 590 Special Topics, 3 cr.

Internship

A six-week summer internship in a broadcast news organization is a required element of the TV & Digital Master’s. Students will be offered the opportunity for placement in either foreign TV news bureaus/Arab satellite channels or internet news organizations based in Egypt or at the headquarters and bureaus of Arab and Western television/internet news organizations. A third option will be enrolment in summer broadcast or online journalism intensives offered at select overseas universities (with approval of sequence director).

Thesis and Comprehensive Exams

The Master’s degree in Television and Digital Journalism is a professional degree. In lieu of comprehensive exams and a thesis, students are required to complete a capstone project. Those students who desire a thesis degree in preparation for eventual PhD study must, in addition to the requirement above, take JMC 500, 502, 504 and 550, sit for comprehensives and enroll for a thesis. In some cases, with approval, they may be allowed to take some of those courses while they are completing the core requirements.

Graduate Diploma in Television Journalism

No new students will be accepted into the one-year graduate diploma. Students currently enrolled in the diploma who wish to transfer their credits into the new Master’s program may do so in consultation with the sequence director. Current students who wish to complete the diploma will be allowed to do so but must consult with the director to select appropriate courses from the new curriculum.

Journalism & Mass Communication Courses (JRMC) 


537  Reporting for TV (3 cr.)
Offered in fall.
Introduces students to the theory of field reporting and producing. Students will learn the concepts of television journalism, the differences in reporting for print and broadcast, scriptwriting, use of pictures and related topics. Must be taken concurrently with JMC 541 Story Production. The two courses meet together for a two period block twice a week.

541 TV Story Production (3 cr.)
Offered in fall.
Emphasizes the practical aspects of field reporting and producing. Students will learn how to write a script, how to use a camera, and how to edit their finished stories. Must be taken concurrently with JMC 537 Reporting for TV. The two courses meet together for a 2.5 hour block twice a week.

542 News & Current Affairs Programming (3 cr.)
Offered in spring. 
Introduces students to the theory and practice of broadcast news programming. Students will learn about the history and evolution of television news formats in the West and the Arab world, the difference between news and various types of current affairs broadcasts, how story lineups are developed, anchoring techniques, and studio operations.

545 Broadcast News Intensive I (3 cr.)
Offered in fall.
This course provides students with an intensive real-world exposure to the production of a television news broadcast. Students will be involved in all aspects of producing a weekly TV news program, including reporting, producing, executive producing, studio camera work, directing, writing and anchoring.

546 Broadcast News Intensive II (3 cr.)
 Offered in spring.
This course is a continuation of JRMC 545, providing students with advanced intensive real-world exposure to the production of a television news broadcast. Students will be involved in all aspects of producing a weekly TV news program, including reporting, producing, executive producing, studio camera work, directing, writing and anchoring. In addition, students fluent in Arabic will produce reports in Arabic.

540 Reporting Civil Society
Offered in fall. Prerequisites 501 and 571.
Provides the knowledge and skills that enable students to report on Arab civil society organizations. Combines seminar-style instruction on structure and role of civil society groups with hands-on print and radio reporting about Egyptian civil society for a new civil society portal based at the Adham Center.

560 Seminar on Electronic Journalism & Arab Society (3 cr.)
Offered in spring.
A comprehensive seminar examining the role of journalists in society. Covers both historic role and rights and responsibilities today. Issues include ethics, journalist-government relations, fairness and balance, freedom of the press, impact on domestic and international policy, role of the media in conflict and related topics. Discussion will cover comparative approaches in the West, developing countries and the Arab world, with particular emphasis on role of media in regional politics and international relations in the post-9/11 era.

571 Digital Journalism (3 cr.)
Offered in spring.
Examination of the ways in which all forms of journalism are converging in the digital realm. Emphasis will include writing and reporting for the internet and other multi-media platforms, such as podcasts and digital phones, and the practical ways in which broadcast and print are merging on the internet.