About the Program
The Journalism (MA) combined degree program is open to all undergraduate majors across the university. Students who are interested in this program must apply to the Graduate Admission Office in their junior year, and if accepted, can take up to three graduate courses (12 credits) in their senior year. These three courses count towards both the bachelor’s program and the master of arts degree. Students will pay the current undergraduate tuition rate for these three courses. Once students earn their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from DePaul, they matriculate as a graduate student and complete the remaining required courses for their Master of Arts degree. Students should work with their undergraduate advisor to see how the graduate classes will fulfill undergraduate degree requirements. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in each graduate class taken in the senior year in order to continue in the program.
Admission Criteria
Admission criteria for the combined degree program in Journalism:
- 3.5 GPA in major courses
- 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Junior status
Admission Requirements
Students who meet the above criteria must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admission no later than six weeks prior to the start of their senior year (i.e., prior to the start of their final three undergraduate quarters).
How to Apply
To apply to the Journalism Combined Degree Program please submit the following:
The Graduate Application
Follow the instructions to create a new account or log in to an existing account.
Once you are in the application portal, go to the "Application Details" section and select "College of Communication Combined."
Once you have made that selection, open the application to continue the completion and submission process.
An official transcript
A statement of purpose
- Submit a 750 word statement explaining why you are seeking admission to the program.
A writing sample or project
- Submit a writing sample or a project that demonstrates your ability/interest in journalism.
Two letters of recommendation
- Letters of recommendation should be from professors in the College of Communication or in the major.
Submitting Materials
Please submit all admission materials* to:
Office of Graduate Admission
College of Communication
DePaul University
2400 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614-2215
*The statement of purpose and writing sample can be e-mailed to gradcom@depaul.edu
Program Standards
- The three graduate courses a student takes as a senior cannot be used to fulfill core major requirements. They can be used to fill journalism major electives (for journalism majors), communication electives (for communication majors) and/or open electives.
- Students minoring in Journalism may count the three graduate Journalism classes toward their minor as electives. (Please note: students minoring in Journalism are required to take JOUR 275 and JOUR 278.)
- Students admitted to the program must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in the three graduate courses they take as a senior.
- If a student fails to meet this GPA requirement, they will not be allowed to continue as a graduate student in the program.
- Students can defer their graduate admission for one year. If students do not matriculate after completing their undergraduate degree or within one year deferral period, the graduate courses taken as undergraduate students will no longer count towards the graduate degree and students must reapply for admission to the graduate program.
- Students are strongly encouraged to take two of the three core classes (JOUR 501, JOUR 503) and one JOUR elective during their senior year.
Visit the Journalism MA section for more information about the graduate program.