Master of Mass Communication | LSU Manship School of Mass Communication

Learn creative storytelling and the skills you need to produce stories across technologies: digital, print and broadcast. Journalism graduate students have an array of hands-on journalism opportunities: covering Louisiana government in our Statehouse Reporting program, 21 NCAA Division 1 sports teams at LSU, our award-winning Cold Case project investigating murders from the Civil Rights era and many others.

Our journalism course offerings include: Public Affairs Reporting; Mass Media, Sports and Society; Crisis Communication; and our practical Field Experience class, where students' work is published in news organizations through the Manship School News Service.

Develop skills for advertising campaigns and public relations for a product, service or cause. We focus on problem-solving and strategic planning. Students learn audience analysis, with courses on crunching numbers and conducting focus groups or interviews. Strategic communication graduate students use our cutting-edge research facilities, especially the Media Effects Lab (MEL) and Social Media Analysis & Creation Lab (SMAC), which monitors global social media in real-time.

Strategic communication classes include: Foundations of Strategic Communication; Strategic Communication Campaigns; Advertising Problems; and Strategies for Public Relations and Social Media.

Engage directly with politics, elections and the policy issues that shape our times. Political communication graduate students learn the tools of journalism and strategic communication applied to the world of public affairs. The Manship School enjoys a rich partnership with the LSU Department of Political Science and has as faculty former political professionals who can help guide students into political careers, including public service, issue advocacy and law.

Political communication classes include: News Media and Governance; Political Communication Writing; Case Studies in Campaigns and Elections; and Race and Gender in Political Communication.

Students who did not receive a strong foundation in statistics or media law are required to take introductory courses in both before beginning certain parts of the degree.

I. Core Required Courses (13 hours)

• MC 7000: Proseminar in Mass Communication (1) *Offered Fall Only
• MC 7001: Research Methods in Mass Communication (3) (Satisfy Statistic foundation before taking MC7001)
• MC 7002: Mass Communication Philosophy and Principles (3)
• MC 7005: Public Opinion and Public Affairs (3) (Take 7001 before taking 7005)
• MC 7021: Mass Communication Theory (3)

II. Track Courses (9 hours)

• Courses on the professional track are considered professional skills courses. Courses on the scholarly track are more academically focused. In a few instances a class is a hybrid, which means it could count on either track because it is relevant and practically designed to serve both interests.
• Professional Track (skills-based, professional) courses include:
  • MC 7040: Crisis Communication
  • MC 7041: Political Communication Writing
  • MC 7042: Foundations of Strategic Communication
  • MC 7043: Strategic Communication Campaigns
  • MC 7044: Visual Communication
  • MC 7220: Issues and Public Affairs Reporting
  • MC 7971: Independent Research: Mass Communication
  • MC 7999: (Professional skill-focused) Special Topics in Mass Communication
• Scholarly Track (scholarly-focused) courses include:
  • MC 7004: The News Media & Governance
  • MC 7012: Survey Research Methods
  • MC 7014: Qualitative Research Methods
  • MC 7033: Race & Gender in Political Communication
  • MC 7034: Breaux Symposium
  • MC 7036: Seminar in Media & Public Affairs
  • MC 7201: Advanced Research Methods
  • MC 7202: Experimental Design in Mass Communication Research
  • MC 7971: Independent Research: Mass Communication
  • MC 7999: (Scholarly focused) Special Topics in Mass Communication
• Courses that will count on either track:
  • MC 7019: Emerging Media: Theory, Application & Effects
  • MC 7031: Media Effects
  • MC 7032: Health and Science Communication
  • MC 7999: Special Topics in Mass Communication
    * Graduate students should limit the number of 4000-level courses they pursue. There are certain criteria that must be met for a 4000-level course to be applicable to a student’s graduate program. Always check with the Associate Dean before enrolling in a 4000-level course.

III. Electives (6 hours)

• Students should choose elective courses in consultation with a faculty advisor to identify courses most appropriate either to their professional or their scholarly interests. Courses may be selected from the track lists above (note that some courses may have prerequisites). In addition to the courses listed above. professional track students may also count MC 8001 as an elective.
• Elective courses may come from the School of Mass Communication, Political Science or from another School with approval of the associate dean for graduate studies.

IV. Thesis, Professional Project or Comprehensive Exam (6 hours)

• Thesis: complete 6 hours of MC 8000 (Thesis Research)
• Professional Project: complete 6 hours of MC 8002 (Professional Project)
• Comprehensive Exam: there is no course to enroll in for the comprehensive exam. Instead, students will choose 6 hours of additional electives. Details can be found in our MMC Comprehensive Exam Guide.