The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is dedicated to being a welcoming and inclusive place where all students feel they belong. Our community thrives when voices from every background are heard and valued. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in our admissions process.
The application for admission in Fall 2025 is closed. The application for Fall 2026 matriculation will open the first week of September.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, the program is committed to reviewing all submitted applications. Due to limited availability of current funding opportunities, we anticipate admitting a limited number of qualified applicants for our research programs. The Professional Master’s program will continue to admit the same number of students as recent years.
New students are admitted to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for the fall semester. A committee of faculty members reviews each application. Among the indicators considered for admission are:
- Quality of an applicant’s academic record
- Preparation to pursue an advanced degree
- Clearly defined goals and rationale for graduate education in the field
- Compatibility of goals with faculty specializations and areas of expertise
SPECIAL NOTE ON GRE SCORES: The School of Journalism and Mass Communication no longer requires GRE scores for any applicants to our MA or PhD programs, but they may be submitted for review if desired. The Graduate Committee takes a holistic approach to admissions, reviewing all parts of the application to get a picture of the person’s academic and professional background, interests and goals, and fit with what our program offers.
Students are not required to have academic or professional background in mass communication to qualify for admission to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The Graduate School establishes minimum admission criteria for all students who enter the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, however, has additional requirements, which are listed below.
Graduate Program Open Houses
Interested in learning more about our graduate programs? Join one of our informational open houses! Graduate adviser Lindsey Bliefernicht, program directors Greg Downey and Stacy Forster, and other faculty members will share information about our internationally recognized program, our department, UW-Madison and the Madison community. They’ll also share helpful application tips and answer all of your questions.
Research Master’s and PhD Program Open Houses
Tuesday, October 21
9 a.m. CT
Register today
Tuesday, October 21
4 p.m. CT
Register today
Graduate Degree Requirements
Professional and Research MA degree applicants must have:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- A BA or BS. before the start of the semester for which they are applying
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA (4.0 scale) on last 60 credits of course work
Visit the Professional MA or Research MA website for more information.
PhD applicants must have:
- Bachelor’s and thesis-based master’s degrees from accredited institutions
- An MA or MS before the start of the fall semester for which they are applying
- Minimum 3.5 cumulative graduate GPA (4.0) scale on M.A. degree course work
Visit the PhD in Mass Communications website for more information.
International Students
Additional requirements for international applicants:
- Applicants who earn degrees from institutions where the language of instruction is not exclusively English and applicants who earn degrees at bilingual institutions are required to take an English proficiency exam within two years from anticipated start of enrollment. Official minimum score requirements are listed below, although our program looks for scores at 105 and higher for TOEFL:
- TOEFL | Minimum: 92; Preferred: 105+
- IELTS | Minimum: 7; Preferred: 7.5+
- Duolingo English Test | Minimum: 125; Preferred: 130+
- Applicants are exempt from taking English proficiency tests for admissions purposes if they:
- Earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university
- Earned a master’s or PhD degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated start of enrollment.
- Earned an undergraduate degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an international institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction. The language of instruction must be stated on the official transcript or verified as the only language of instruction.
- Completed at least two full-time semesters of graded coursework from an accredited institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated start of enrollment. This coursework cannot include English language learning classes.
- To determine your academic record and degree equivalent and whether it qualifies you for admission to graduate study, review the Grad School admissions requirements. Locate your country of study and then check minimum requirements for UW–Madison Graduate School admission. If you have other questions, please contact the Graduate Program Manager Lindsey Bliefernicht.
- International applicants are required to have adequate financial resources to cover their expenses for the duration of their studies at UW–Madison. Do not send any financial statements until requested.