Graduate Application Procedures for Current UW Journalism & Mass Comm Master's Students

UW Journalism & Mass Comm MA students who wish to apply for the Ph.D. program must:

• successfully defend an MA thesis proposal by January 1 of their second year in the program for the fall. Students who fail to meet this deadline will need consent of the Graduate Committee to continue in the Thesis M.A. program
• successfully defend and file a completed M.A. thesis by the end of their sixth semester of graduate study. Students who fail to meet this deadline will need the consent of the Graduate Committee to matriculate into the Ph.D.
• be certified for the doctoral program by the M.A. thesis examining committee’s recommendation of suitability for the Ph.D. program.

Students who did not complete an MA thesis may apply for the Ph.D. program only after taking significant time off (at least one year). The Graduate Committee believes that an MA thesis is an important preparatory experience for Ph.D. students doing a doctoral dissertation; however, non-thesis track students may apply to the Ph.D. after taking time off and successfully applying to the UW-Madison Graduate School.