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Program Details

Graduate Program: Bilingual Journalism (MA)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Bilingual Journalism (MA)  
Program Description

Bilingual Journalism

The master’s degree in Bilingual Journalism is a cutting-edge program that offers professional and academic training for students who want to report about and/or for Latinx communities in the United States and abroad. It is one of the only fully bilingual programs in the country. Graduates will acquire a robust set of skills in both Spanish and English that will translate into a significant competitive edge in the workplace. Students must be fluent in English and Spanish or English and Portuguese. Innovation and new models of storytelling in the digital age also set this master’s degree apart from other programs. Students will explore entrepreneurial models of journalism, such as crowd-funding and nonprofit or donor-based hyperlocal and translocal projects. In addition, students will practice innovative ways of reporting and disseminating news for non-legacy media by incorporating the conversational style of the internet, social media, community engagement and advanced understanding of their audiences. This program is offered by the School of Journalism in collaboration with the Center of Latin American Studies, the Department of Mexican American Studies and the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. It is designed for students who have a journalism background as well as those who have no previous journalism experience. Part-time students are welcome.

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

School of Journalism

The School of Journalism's mission is to prepare students to face the complex challenges confronting journalists in the 21st century. In the school's computer laboratories and seminar rooms, students work on stories that appear in real-world news media, and study the political, economic, legal and ethical issues that journalists face in the global information age.

In addition, see the Academic Plan information about our master's degree in Bilingual Journalism and our Studies of Global Media online master's program.

 
College

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

 
Campuses where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

Arizona Online - Online

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Victoria Souksavath
520-621-1815
Graduate Program Coordinator
Victoria Souksavath
520-621-1815
Director of Graduate Studies
David L Cuillier
520-621-6223
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Hayley Jean Kral
520-621-3484
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

To be admitted you must have:

  • A bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona or from an accredited college or university recognized by the University of Arizona
  • A grade point average of 3.0 or higher

Note: journalism experience is not required.

Application requirements are:

Statement of Purpose

Your statement of purpose should describe your goals and objectives for wanting to pursue this graduate degree. Explain why you believe that you are a good fit for the program and how your interests match with those available through the program.

Recommenders

The School of Journalism requires each applicant to have a minimum of three recommenders provide answers to our online questions on their behalf. These questions are instead of a letter of recommendation and should be answered by faculty members or employers who can speak about (1) your academic and/or research ability or your work and/or internship experience and (2) your potential for graduate studies. Should you or the recommender have questions about this process, please email Jennifer Bates (jmbates@arizona.edu) at the School of Journalism.

Resume/CV

Upload a current resumé or curriculum vitae (CV) as part of the online application in the ‘Supplemental Questions’ section.

Transcripts

Upload unofficial transcripts from ALL higher education institutions attended as part of the online application. Minimum GPA for last 60 hours of undergraduate work is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Writing Samples

Provide two or three journalistic, business or academic writing samples that demonstrate your command of the English language and your ability to organize your thoughts coherently. Journalistic samples, if you have them, can be hard news, features or sports in print, broadcast, or online formats. Business and academic samples can take any form – an essay, term paper, class assignment, correspondence, or promotional piece.

English Language Proficiency

  • Success in the School of Journalism demands a high degree of proficiency in both spoken and written English. International students whose native language is not English need to provide high scores on the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Minimum required TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores are 600 (paper-based), 100 (Internet-based) and 250 (computer-based). The minimum required IELTS (International English Language Testing System) composite score is 7 (no subject area below a 6).
     
  • In addition, international students will be interviewed by phone by a faculty member to ensure that they have the necessary English skills to succeed in this highly competitive, communication-driven field.
     
  • As an alternative to the TOEFL, candidates can elect conditional acceptance. That means they would precede their journalism classes by enrolling in the College for English as a Second Language for as long as it takes to meet an acceptable level of English proficiency.
 
Standardized Tests

GRE scores are optional. You can upload your unofficial GRE scores as part of the online application. You must also submit official scores on the GRE through ETS using institution code 4832.

 
Funding Opportunities

To be updated

 
Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

  • Fall: Rolling admission, but prefer by
    February 15
  • Spring: Rolling admission, but prefer by
    September 1
    (August 1 for International Students)

International Applicants:

  • Fall: Rolling Admission, but prefer by February 15
  • Spring: Rolling admission, but prefer by August 1
 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

33 

Core Coursework Requirements

Required Core Coursework (15 units):
All courses are 3 units


BJP 510  Latinx and News Media in the United States
BJP 511  Global Latinx Diasphoric Transnationalism and News Media
BJP 512  Covering Latinx Affairs I: Bilingual Multimedia Reporting Audio Production (taught in Spanish)
BJP 513  Covering Latinx Affairs II: Bilingual Multimedia Reporting Video Production (taught in Spanish)
JOUR 909 Project or JOUR 593 Bilingual Internship

 

 

 
Elective Coursework

Electives (18 units required)

All courses are 3 units. Choose electives in Journalism, Latin American Studies, Mexican American Studies and Spanish & Portuguese.

Recommended Journalism Electives

JOUR 505 Media Apprenticeship

JOUR 506 Introductory and Advanced Reporting

JOUR 507 Reporting with Multimedia

JOUR 573 Reporting in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

JOUR 593 Internship

Some Latin American Studies Department Electives (there are many possibilities--discuss with the DGS)

LAS 500 Introduction to Latin American Studies

LAS 505 Sabores de Mexico: From Farm to Table

LAS 505A Colony to Nation to the 21st Century: Politics and Culture in Chilean History

LAS 518 Southwest Land and Society

LAS 542 Natural Resources and the Law in the Spanish Borderlands of North America

Some Mexican American Studies Department Electives (there are many possibilities--discuss with the DGS)

MAS 505: Traditional Indian Medicine: Health, Healing and Well Being

MAS 508: The Mexican-American: A Cultural Perspective

MAS 509: Mexican Immigration

MAS 510: Socio-Cultural Determinants of Health

MAS 525: Latino Health Disparities

Some Spanish and Portuguese Department Electives (there are many possibilities--discuss with the DGS)

SPAN 501 Introduction to Hispanic Studies

SPAN 565D History of Spain: Contemporary

SPAN 574 Language in the Mexican American Experience

SPAN 574 Heritage Language Research

SPAN 585 Introduction to Translation Studies

Additional courses can be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

 
Additional Requirements

Students must be fluent in English and Spanish or English and Portuguese. They must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (U.S. or abroad).

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 100%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years) n/a
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 38.71%
Enrollment Percent Female 61.29%
Enrollment Percent International 3.23%
Enrollment Percent URM 48.39%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2022.
  • Average Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2018-2022) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/BLJRNMA
Last revised 15 Dec 2022
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