Welcome from the Director of Graduate Studies

Your interest in mass communication comes at a fascinating moment. Technology and cultural changes have led some to question whether “mass communication” is even still a relevant idea. No longer are we consistently laughing at the same joke at the exact same time. We also live in a world saturated by electronic information, however. Here in Murphy Hall, we have chosen to fully embrace the complexity of this moment and to recognize that the average person’s everyday life includes substantial engagement with messages produced for mass consumption. Mass audiences might accumulate and grow in different ways than in the days of three U.S. broadcast television networks, but mass audiences nonetheless are still vital to understanding global dynamics.

Doing research in this arena in a satisfying way requires an interdisciplinary approach. Our faculty composition reflects this idea. We have psychologists, historians, attorneys, and anthropologists on our faculty in addition to scholars trained in communication programs. We actively collaborate with faculty and students in Political Science, Public Health, Psychology, and Computer Science, among other programs. Thus, it is not surprising that our graduate students come from a wide range of backgrounds and undergraduate majors. What unites us is a fundamental interest in understanding the structure, function, and processes involved in mass communication and a commitment to advancing useful knowledge.

Minnesota has been recognized historically as one of the foremost institutions for the study of mass communication. One reason for this is the quality of our faculty members, which is apparent with a quick look at the awards they have won, the positions they have held in national and international organizations, and their roles as editors, editorial board members, and contributors to the discipline’s top journals.

State-of-the-art classrooms, labs, and research facilities enhance graduate education at Minnesota, as does the program’s location in a dynamic media hub. Additionally, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) boasts several renowned centers of study, including the Institute for New Media Studies, the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, and the Minnesota Journalism Center.

Perhaps our greatest resource, however, is our graduate student body. Every year, our graduate students present research papers at major national and international conferences, publish in leading journals and books, receive recognition by academic organizations, and work or intern for major media organizations. They also contribute to the vitality of our undergraduate classrooms by acting as teachers and assistants. SJMC Ph.D. graduates have gone on to academic positions at top-ranked universities such as Harvard, Wisconsin, and Washington. Other Ph.D. and M.A. students have begun careers at high-profile non-profit organizations, major advertising and media organizations, large corporations, and as consultants.

We need new scholarship on mass communication to guide society’s future decision-making. We hope you will want to start that work here.

Brian G. Southwell
Director of Graduate Studies