UF's College of Journalism and Communications announced Thursday that a new master's program will start taking students during Summer B.
The Master of Arts degree in mass communication with an emphasis on multimedia journalism is designed to teach graduate students how to work in a new age of communications.
"We try to get ahead of the curve in many different areas," said Wayne Wanta, journalism department chairman. "We teach communication skills used in different fields."
The journalism school already has 200 students in its 11 graduate programs, according to the college website. The master's programs are each focused on either research or practical experience. This new program is a practical program, Wanta said.
"This made a lot of sense. It's our philosophy, but this is the first real application of it," said Johanna Cleary, associate professor in the department of telecommunication. "News organizations expect journalists to be multifaceted with their skills."
Cleary and journalism professor Cory Armstrong created the new program's curriculum.
The college is also building a convergence newsroom, which is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2012.
About 10 to 20 students are expected to start the master's program this summer, Cleary said. They are scheduled to graduate in spring of 2014.
Katherine Kallergis, a 19-year-old journalism sophomore, said she likes the idea of the program.
"I don't think you can say you're a successful journalist by just being able to write," she said.
Kallergis, who said she is considering graduate school, said she believes students need to learn how to work for different platforms.
"It's not an option," she said.
Cleary said the college will pay about $20,000 for the program. However, the technology and supplies that money covers will also be used by undergraduate students. The students in the program will also use equipment from the convergence newsroom.
Cleary said there is no exact figure for how much the new program costs, but it will be able to pay for itself in a short amount of time. That time will depend on the number of students who enroll in the program in the next few years, she said.
The deadline to apply for the program is Feb. 15.
